GLENDALE, Ariz. -- They are the tireless CEOs of their categories, leveraging instinct, insight and intelligence to drive traffic, loyalty and sales. As the leading provider of category insights in the convenience-retailing industry, CSP magazine is proud to announce the winners of the 2017 Category Manager of the Year awards.
This year’s winners were nominated last summer by their supplier and wholesale partners, who then voted for winners in nine key in-store categories. The annual awards culminated on the General Session stage of the 2017 Convenience Retailing University (CRU) in Glendale, Ariz., where winners were revealed to attendees and finalists alike.
“We began these awards as a way to celebrate the women and men who live and breathe their categories,” said Abbie Westra, Chicago-based Winsight’s director of retail content, during the award ceremony. “They straddle the store and the corporate offices. They know their vendors, their ops team, the IT guy and most of all, they know their guests. They truly understand what’s really resonating with today’s consumers.”
All of the finalists were great contenders in their respective categories, and Winsight thanks all the suppliers and wholesalers who nominated and voted to show their support. We look forward to seeing who wins in 2018. Congratulations on this achievement!
| Category | Name | Company |
|---|---|---|
| Alcohol Beverages | John Deichler | Murphy USA |
| Candy | Felix Oliu | Murphy USA |
| Dispensed Beverages | Connie Kelehan | Kum & Go |
| Foodservice | Tara Anderson | Holiday Stationstores |
| General Merchandise | Steven Desautels | Murphy USA |
| OTP | Mike Nelson | Mapco |
| Packaged Beverages | Damian Wyatt | Mapco |
| Snacks | Tim Burner | Holiday Stationstores |
| Tobacco | Ruth Ann Lilly | Sunoco Inc. |
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