OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. -- Convenience-store industry suppliers came out in droves to cast their votes for CSP’s inaugural Category Manager of the Year Awards. The last of the nearly 1,500 ballots has been counted and CSP has called each of the eight category winners in an industry-first award.
The 2016 Category Manager of the Year award winners are:
- Damian Wyatt, MAPCO Express, Alcohol Beverages
- Tim Young, Thorntons Inc., Candy
- Andre Benoit, Circle K Gulf Coast, Foodservice
- Steve Desautels, Murphy USA, General Merchandise/HBC
- Matt Hieb, Circle K Midwest, OTP
- Gary Woods, Circle K West Coast, Packaged Beverages
- William Slattery, Circle K Midwest, Snacks
- Ruth Ann Lilly, Sunoco, Tobacco
“There are countless category managers who would have been well-deserving winners, and the outpouring of nominations we received reflects that sentiment,” said Jim Bursch, executive vice president of convenience for Winsight LLC. “It was incredibly difficult to even narrow the list down to five finalists, and I’m sure even more difficult for the suppliers to choose the winners. The outstanding support from our industry is extraordinary and truly makes this one of the most prestigious awards.”
The list of finalists and nominees crossed all segments of the convenience-store channel, from small multisite category managers with fewer than 10 stores to major regional and national chains.
Suppliers chose from a group of five individuals within each of the eight categories. Those finalists for this industry-first award were nominated by their supplier with the nominations based not only on bottom-line results, but also the extraordinary dedication displayed by our finalists in staying on top of trends, introducing new flavors and lines and offering unique solutions to everyday category challenges.
To get to know the award winners, click here for full profiles. You can also find these spotlights of the winners in a special section of CSP’s nationally recognized, award-winning 2016 Category Management Handbook.
Stay tuned for information that will launch the second annual Category Manager of the Year Awards at the end of May.
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.-based Winsight LLC is a business-to-business media and information services company specializing in the convenience-retailing, restaurant and noncommercial foodservice industries. Winsight has a media portfolio including four publications, CSP, Restaurant Business, FoodService Director and Convenience Store Products, a suite of digital products including websites, e-newsletters ( Restaurant Business Daily and CSP Daily News) and webinars, as well as video products, mobile and tablet apps, custom marketing solutions and the convenience-store retailer intelligence tool, CSPedia. The Winsight Events group produces six exclusive, large-scale executive-level conferences— Restaurant Leadership Conference, FARE Conference, Outlook Leadership, Convenience Retailing University, FSTEC and MenuDirections—in addition to more than 12 major EduNetworking conferences and advisory meetings. Winsight recently acquired Technomic Inc., a food industry provider of primary and secondary market information and advisory services.
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