Sarah Blodgett has been overseeing fuel for Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa, since 2019. Her responsibilities include all items relating to the guest experience on the forecourt, including the product offering at the pump, biofuel expansion, electric-vehicle (EV) charging, fuel quality and fuel marketing.
How did you come to focus on fuels?
I got lucky! I was living near Renewable Energy Group’s headquarters (a biodiesel company), and it was highly rated as a great place to work. Starting out at REG was my foot in the fuel door that eventually brought me to Casey’s. The rest is history.
What do you love about your category?
I get the privilege of working with countless internal and external partners on new and exciting projects. Between projects with our fantastic service and construction teams to our innovative digital and marketing, all the way to our in-the-know legal team, there is always something to develop.
What are the biggest challenges?
One of the biggest challenges in the fuels industry is also the best opportunity for innovation: uncertainty. Uncertainty can come from cost volatility, regulations or guest preference shifts. Inevitably, this uncertainty requires us to think outside of the box. Staying on our toes is what makes working in fuel so fun.
“Staying on our toes is what makes working in fuel so fun.”
What’s new and exciting in your category?
The data available with growing loyalty programs—internally and externally—have helped gain insights as to who our guests really are and how to best cater to them. Unlocking this capability helps us provide targeted offers to our guests, which drives value for all parties involved.
What are your goals for 2023?
My top three goals involve fine-tuning our fuel marketing, optimizing our fuel product offering on a store-by-store basis and implementing our long-term EV-charging strategy to best position Casey’s in the alternative fuels marketplace. All of these goals have evolved over the past couple of years, but given the data we have unlocked, these goals will become a reality sooner than anticipated.
What trends are you watching?
The role alternative fuels play in the marketplace is an evolving trend I am keeping a close eye on. Having locations across 16 states with a diverse guest demographic creates active consumer trends that can be driven by the changing legislative initiatives taking place on a state and national level. With the location of our stores being primarily in the Midwest, biofuels are always a hot topic. Not only the incentivized or required sale of the product, but also the rate of adoption from guests. In addition to biofuels as a component of alternative fuels, I am also taking special note of developments out of the EV space in regards to both funding and adoption rates.