NEW ORLEANS —CSP announced the winners of its fifth annual Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) awards Feb. 18 during Convenience Retailing University (CRU) in New Orleans.
These category crusaders were recognized for tackling issues as varied as new product placement and retail disruption to keep their convenience-store chains on track to grow sales.
For the fifth year in a row, CSP has honored the best in the field, this year with a full reception and dinner at the CRU conference. Sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co., the ceremony celebrated champions in seven core categories and a multiple-categories segment.
“This year’s winners include a great collection of longtime industry stalwarts and relatively new category managers who have brought new ideas and energy to their product categories,” said CSP Content Director Steve Holtz, who handed out the awards along with Danielle Holloway, senior director of industry engagement for Altria Group. “We congratulate the winners for keeping the c-store industry on the cutting edge of product selection while embracing the consumer favorites that keep customers coming back again and again.”
For the awards, industry suppliers nominated potential finalists in fall 2019 and, under the direction of CSP editors, three finalists from each of the key categories were chosen. The final voting process took place online in January, and CSP tallied the hundreds of votes in February. The winners received the coveted CMOY trophy and will be featured in a special section of the April issue of CSP, the 2020 Category Management Handbook.
CSP’s 2020 Category Manager of the Year winners are:
| Category | Winner | Company |
|---|---|---|
| CBD | Paul Crozier | Sheetz |
| Center Store | Jackie Stalsberg | Kwik Trip |
| Dispensed Beverages | Alex Kupper | Thorntons |
| Foodservice | Marissa Tinoco | Army & Air Force Exchange |
| Multiple Categories | Abigail Cerra | Cal’s Convenience |
| Packaged Beverages | Michael “MJ” Simons | MAPCO |
| Technology/Operations | Josh Grayson | TravelCenters of America |
| Tobacco/Vape/OTP | Kraig Knudsen | Circle K—Heartland |
Watch for interviews with the winners in the April issue of CSP magazine.
CSP magazine is the leading source of information for the $650 billion convenience-retailing industry. Its award-winning editors provide actionable solutions and data-driven trends to key decision-makers who rely on this information to combat disruption. CSP annually hosts Convenience Retailing University and the Outlook Leadership conference, which are two large-scale leadership events, as well as several small-format meetings in its EduNetworking series. The team also delivers insights via print publications, a website and daily newsletters.
Next year’s Convenience Retailing University will be held Feb. 23-24, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. Click here for more information.
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