The first day of the second-annual Convenience-Store Women (CSW) Event kicked off Monday in Charleston, South Carolina, at The Charleston Place. The event’s aim is to empower and foster the growth of women in the convenience industry—and shifts have already taken place since the inaugural event in 2023. CSP’s women’s leadership program also extends beyond the event through year-round activities.
To learn more sing up for the monthly C-Store Women newsletter here and visit the C-Store Women LinkedIn page.
Here are three highlights from day one of the conference.
Female C-Store CEO’s Doubled in 2024
Women leaders in the c-store channel are on the rise.
Women lead 6% of the largest chains in the convenience industry—up from 3% in 2023, according to an evaluation of CSP’s 2024 Top 202 list of the top U.S. c-store chains by store count. Women in c-suite roles is up 20% from 12%. While women in vice president roles jumped from 15% to 24%.
Julia Lazzara, Leading NOW president, touched upon The Missing 33%, a primary characteristic of business, strategic and financial acumen that keeps women from rising beyond middle management. Leading NOW is CSP’s educational partner for CSW.
During her presentation, Lazzara identified nine differentiators for moving from middle-level into senior and executive positions.
They include:
- Executive presence
- Hold line, international and strategic jobs
- Align teams to business strategy
- Executive, board and media communication skills
- Mentoring that earns sponsorship
- External strategic relationships
- Proven business acumen
- Strategic acumen and track record
- Actions based on financial acumen
GetGo’s President Continuously Learns
With the goal of actively progressing in her career, Terri Micklin (pictured above), president of GetGo Café + Markets convenience stores, continuously learned. Micklin spoke as the industry keynote speaker on Monday. At first, it was tactical, she said, and more about understanding the process of her specific role. Later, after it was more about learning the processes of the business as a whole. Educating herself on the business is part of what led Micklin up the ladder to where she is today.
Of the three qualities that propel people forward in their careers—understanding what you bring to the table, valuing what others offer and thinking strategically—the one quality that women often fall short on is strategic thinking, or having business, financial and strategic acumen, according to Leading NOW. Because Micklin developed a broad perspective on the entire business, she set herself up for success.
Alimentation Couche-Tard is No. 2 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. GetGo is No. 29.
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the parent company of the Circle K convenience-store brand, said in August it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire GetGo from parent company Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh.
Finding Work-Life Flexibility
Juliet Kuehnle has a different term for work-life balance: work-life flexibility. The National Board Certified Counselor and mental health therapist said Monday at CSP’s Convenience-Store Women’s Event (CSW) that work-life balance is not a fixed state—it has to be fluid. That’s why work-life flexibility is a better term.
“It’s like being on a surfboard—if you’re too rigid, you will fall off,” she said. “We have to understand and learn how we get to reprioritize, and shift focus and let some things slide. That’s what flexibility is.”
Something that can help achieve that flexibility is the 80/20 rule, or the Pareto principle. The rule suggests that about 80% of outcomes come from 20% of actions, and each person needs to be clear on what moves the needle, Kuehnle said.
“Where are the tasks that need most of our attention?” she said. “So, for example, in the workplace, if 20% of your tasks count for 80% of your productivity or success, instead of trying to do everything, focusing on the tasks that move that needle and letting go of some of those lower-priority activities, or delegating them or saving them for later.”
The same principle can be applied to one’s personal life—“it’s being really, really intentional about that 20%,” Kuehnle said.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.