NACS State of the Industry Summit

Henry Armour is the president and CEO of NACS. He grew up working in his family’s retail businesses, Armour Oil Company, rising to the position of vice president and COO in 1977. In 1980, he joined The Standard Oil Company of Ohio, where he served as manager of development strategies. He later founded West Star Corporation, which grew to include 59 NOW! convenience stores, truck stops and quick-service restaurants in the Pacific Northwest until he sold the company in 2004. In 1988, Armour founded Epoch Corporation, which operated retail enterprises in California.

He became president and CEO of NACS in July 2005, having also served as the association’s chairman in 2002 and 2003. Armour earned a BA in economics from Stanford University, an MSc in economics from the London School of Economics, and an MBA and PhD in economics from Stanford University.

John has successfully led organizations to increased value through strategic and operational initiatives in a broad range of industries including convenience stores, travel centers, restaurants, and consumer packaged goods. His areas of expertise include strategy development, procurement transformation, logistics optimization, process improvement and organizational development. In addition to his advisory work, John has contributed as a researcher and author on a broad array of topics from the economy and the impact of COVID-19 to digital technology trends, to changing consumer behaviors. His work has been cited in several business news publications and presented at industry conferences. John has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Denton has been with OPIS since 2001 and serves as the Chief Oil Analyst, responsible for the day to day operations of OPIS’ news and analysis division. In his role, Denton also provides big picture views to OPIS subscribers on a variety of topics from supply and demand trends to anticipating price moves in the futures, spot and retail markets in North America.

During his time at OPIS, Denton has covered a variety of markets from Natural Gas Liquids to U.S. refined spot markets. Before becoming the Chief Oil Analyst, Denton was leading the OPIS refined spots team.

He has been widely quoted and interviewed as an expert forecasting the price of oil and retail gasoline and diesel explaining what moves can mean for the consumer as well as the industry as a whole. Denton is a frequent contributor for major media outlets such as Fox Business, CNBC, MSNBC and CBS News.

Denton is a graduate of Rutgers University and football letter winner.

Mark J. Daniels is a Managing Director and the Chief Strategy Officer for Brookwood and Yesway. Mark’s primary responsibility is to establish and review key strategic priorities and develop and execute a comprehensive strategic plan for each initiative. As part of this role, he is charged with identifying, evaluating, and recommending strategies and specific opportunities for investment. Mark is a member of Brookwood’s and Yesway’s Executive and Investment Committees.

Mark was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Digital Field Theory, an international software company specializing in the applied numerical simulations of sports. In addition to designing and developing several key aspects of the software from inception to final release, he directed all aspects of the company’s organization, development, and administration; secured two rounds of private funding; achieved over 50% market share in the industry; and oversaw a team of almost 200 full-time employees, part-time employees, and volunteers. Prior to joining Brookwood, Mark was a senior operations consultant with Stroud Consulting, where his work leading client teams to drive process improvements resulted in millions of dollars in annual savings. At Stroud, he worked extensively for a multi-national oil producer, exporter, and retailer and a major food-service processer and manufacturer, where his specific areas of expertise were in the consolidation and roll-up of facilities, network optimization, capital-free cost reduction, and the optimization of capital projects. Mark serves as Secretary of the Board of The Princeton Tiger, Inc. He is an active member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, and the Canadian and American Mathematical Societies. Mark remains the Chairman of the Board of Digital Field Theory and serves on numerous executive and advisory boards.

Mark is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University, and he received his Master’s degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton, where he graduated with the highest grade point average and academic standing across all programs.

John Eichberger is Executive Director of the Fuels Institute. Founded by NACS in 2013, the Fuels Institute is a non-profit that evaluates market issues related to vehicles and the energy that powers them. The Institute, led by a diverse Board of transportation experts, is an objective and collaborative research organization that does not advocate.

Previously, Eichberger served more than 14 years at NACS representing the convenience and fuel retailing industry before the media and federal government.

With more than 20 years of related experience, Eichberger is a recognized expert on the transportation energy market.

Cedric is Co-Head of the Downstream Energy & Convenience Retail Investment Banking Group and is responsible for new client development and managing all aspects of client transactions. He advises clients on company sales, corporate carve outs, capital raises, recapitalizations, restructurings, valuations, strategic planning, and assisting clients with acquisitions of target companies. Cedric joined Matrix in 1998 and has advised on over 100 client engagements, with the majority of those engagements involving petroleum marketers, fuels distributors, and convenience store chains; including Warren Equities, Inc. (Xtra Mart), 7-Eleven, Inc., Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc. (Circle K), Cumberland Farms, Inc., Victory Petroleum, Inc., CHS Inc., Apache Oil and F.L Roberts and Company, Inc.

Cedric has also advised real estate investment trusts, municipalities, specialty retail, and hospitality companies, including Getty Realty, Inc., eatZi’s Market & Bakery, Inc., ZOOTS, and Connecticut’s Department of Transportation. He has also been employed as a professional in over a dozen Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases, including DB Companies, Inc., Acme Petroleum & Fuel Co. Inc., and Fas Mart, and has provided expert testimony in court on behalf of some of those clients. In addition, Cedric has successfully advised clients in financial distress on transactions outside of bankruptcy.

Cedric received a B.S.B.A. with a concentration in Finance and graduated cum laude from the University of Richmond. He is a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Institute. He is qualified as a FINRA General Securities Representative (Series 7), General Securities Principal (Series 24), Introducing Broker-Dealer Financial and Operations Principal (Series 28), Uniform Securities Agent (Series 63) and Investment Banking Representative (Series 79). He also serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Richmond’s Student Managed Investment Fund and has been a guest lecturer for the University’s MBA Program.

Varish Goyal is the CEO of Vintners Distributors, Au Energy and Loop Neighborhood Markets, a family of companies that operates 130 stores and supplies fuel to 80 dealers. Varish is a second-generation family member whose father, Nick Goyal, started the company. Varish is a proven operator who as lead his company through multiple rounds of growth. His strategic focus has recently led to the launch of a new lifestyle convenient market brand called Loop, the first of its kind in California.

Varish has been working in the convenience and petroleum retail industry since 2002. His first project was to implement a centralized price book, accounting and back office management system. From there, he leveraged the new IT system to become heavily involved in operations eventually taking the role of operations and price book manager. In 2005, he took over the role of Marketing Manager and Buyer. He is experienced at fueling, marketing, operations, finance, IT, mobile applications for retail, business intelligence and most recently new brand development. He is a member of the NACS Research Committee, Study Group 900 and YPO.

Varish holds a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University and earned a MD/MBA degree from Wake Forest University. He is currently married to his wife of 19 years, Mansi, and they have a son, Aayush (16) and a daughter Vunshika (10). His hobbies include reading, tennis, football, snow skiing and anything related to technology.

Leroy Kelsey is the director of research at NACS and is responsible for disseminating key industry metrics that provide NACS retail and supplier members with performance benchmarks, shopper insights and information critical to the industry’s advocacy efforts on payment cards, motor fuels and tobacco. Prior to NACS, he spent five years with Intel and Motorola and five years with Safeway in a variety of roles in business analytics, finance and cost control. Kelsey received a BS in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, an MBA from The Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University and an executive certificate in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He and Tracy Kelsey are the proud parents of two daughters, Avery and Kennedy. He has run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, but more recently enjoys quiet evenings with the family.

Chuck graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1986 in Electrical Engineering and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1991. In 1993, Chuck married Crystal Call, also an HBS 1991 graduate, and moved to Salt Lake City, shortly thereafter opening their first hotel, Crystal Inn. Together, they grew the portfolio to 14 hotels. Since 2011, Chuck served in various roles including Director, Chief Operating Officer and President of FJM Management, also serving its subsidiaries as Board Chairman for Big West Oil and TAB Bank. In 2016, Chuck was named Chief Adventure Guide for Maverik, Inc., the premier regional convenience retailer operating 300 stores across the intermountain west from its base camp in Salt Lake City. Crystal and Chuck enjoy skiing, bicycling, boating and travel with their four children: Drew, 21; Lexi, 18; and twins Hailey and Erica, 16. He is an avid pilot and has been an active member of Young Presidents Organization since 1997.

Don Rhoads is the President of The Convenience Group, LLC, a convenience store chain operating in Washington State. Don began his convenience store career in 1989 as President of the Quick Shop Minit Mart, a 51 unit convenience store chain located in Vancouver, Washington. Don also owns and operates a Cannabis producer and processing facility in Oroville, Washington.

Prior to Quick Shop Minit Mart, Don was Business Development Administrator for the Small Business Development Center located at Washington State University. Additionally, Don was President of Columbia River Development Association, operating as a Small Business Administration 504 company in Washington State and Vice President of Columbia River Economic Council located in Clark County, Washington.

Currently, Don is a Board and committee member of the National Association of Convenience Stores, Board and Executive Committee member of Washington Food Industry Association, and past President and Board Member of Washington Association of Neighborhood Stores.

Don has served on many nonprofit and charitable organizations.

The Convenience Group was awarded the 2018 Washington State Retailer of the Year by the Washington Food Industry and Independent Grocers Association.

Don attended St. Mary’s College, Western Washington University, National Development Council and Wharton School Executive Program for Economics and Finance.

Don resides in Vancouver Washington with his wife, Jennifer and their two children, Donnie and Giovanna.

Art Sebastian is the Vice President of Digital Experiences & Marketing at Casey’s and he has been in role since the late 2018. As VP, Digital Experiences & Marketing he is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the company’s E-Commerce business, Digital Technologies, Guest Loyalty Program, Digital Marketing and Social Media.

Sebastian joined Casey’s from Meijer, where he was Vice President of Digital Shopping responsible for the E-Commerce business, Digital Product Management, Digital Marketing and New Business Ventures. Prior to Meijer, he spent 6 years at Kraft Foods as Vice President of Category Leadership & Shopper Insights. Before Kraft, Sebastian worked at analytics and consulting firm IRI Worldwide and with Albertsons Inc.

He holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from the University of DeVry Chicago. Art recently completed an Executive Education course at MIT’s Sloan Business School. Art has been an active advisory board member of the Western Michigan Food & CPG Marketing Program for the better part of the last decade. He, his wife and three children currently reside in Des Moines, IA.

Retailers and suppliers are eligible to attend the NACS State of the Industry Summit.  You do not have to be a NACS member to attend, however, NACS members receive a discount on their registration.

Association/Academia Attendee
Pricing: $999/person
Association/Academia Attendees require approval prior to registering for the 2023 NACS State of the Industry Summit. This registration does not include a complimentary license to access the State of the Industry Report of 2022 Data. Please contact soireg@convenience.org for assistance.

Media individuals/organizations are not eligible to attend/participate in the NACS State of the Industry Summit.