DICKINSON, N.D. — As chairman of NACS, Jared Scheeler has been afforded a platform and a megaphone to help advocate for a host of mission-critical industry needs. And as an independent retailer, one segment he has embraced is “forward-thinking small operators [to] do whatever I can within my power to help as many people take their businesses to the next level.”
“We look at the big companies that are doing some really, really nice things right now, and we have to keep up with them. In many ways, I think we have an opportunity to jump ahead of them in some areas,” says Scheeler, CEO of The Hub Convenience Stores Inc., Dickinson, N.D.
Read ahead for a conversation with the outgoing NACS chairman about how he spent the past year advocating for an industry that’s been able to well-adapt to change, particularly when it comes together to act as one.
Q: During your time as chairman, you’ve had to address operating in a post-pandemic world, soaring fuel prices, supply-chain challenges and a labor shortage. What kind of inroads have you made?
A: I’ve yet to talk to a retailer who hasn’t been affected by these issues, and that’s why all of these issues are primary topics of conversation among NACS members and staff leaders. Let me add another huge issue: credit-card fees, which continue to be an enormous pain point for retailers.
Our swipe fee reform message has traction today because of the work we have put in over the last 15 years. Twenty years ago, we started to proactively tell our story about fueling to the media and the general public, and today we aren’t facing the same gas-gouging allegations that used to be common, despite record-high prices. That’s not to say we still don’t have work to do, because there is always more to do.
Q: Clearing up misconceptions has taken time for the public to grasp. Are there other advances that have not been as difficult to achieve results?
A: Yes, not every victory takes years to bear fruit. Earlier this year the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with our arguments and overturned OSHA’s proposed vaccine mandate. That victory is possible because of the credibility we have as an industry and as an association.
For advocacy, which is really education to those who affect our industry, every issue of importance to our industry has a plan associated with it to de ne our best paths to success. With education programs and our communications tools, our focus is on giving our industry the tools to succeed, and every one of these issues is a focus of sessions, articles, podcasts, webinars—you name it.
Q: What does the future look like for convenience and fuel retailing?
A: The future is always determined by finding new ways to provide what the customer wants. They always want the basics, and keeping stores fully stocked and staffed has been a challenge. At the same time, customers are redefining what they want from convenience. They want delivery. They want self-checkout. They want convenience wherever they are, not wherever you are. I truly believe that our industry has changed more over the past three years than the previous 10 years combined.
I don’t think that anyone could have predicted the past three years, so I can’t imagine predicting 10 years out. But I will say that I like our odds of continuing to be the industry that best adapts to change—and lead it—because of the strength of our industry, especially when we collectively come together.
Q: What advice have you been offering to fellow retailers?
A: If you expect to thrive in changing times, you have to be prepared to change. And that means accepting potentially radical ideas. Earlier this year, our entire leadership team convened for two days of half-day meetings to discuss how we can tackle this labor issue.
We said that we wanted to start a clean slate; we didn’t want current operations or thinking to get in the way of addressing challenges and finding opportunities.
Everything was open to discussion and ideation. The beauty of this process is that we got a lot of ideas than if we only looked within our current operations. Will we implement every idea? Of course not. But the process led to some great short- and long-term concepts to test.
We’ve taken similar looks at other issues. If there’s anything I’ve learned during my time in the industry, it’s that the best ideas come from our team members when they have a safe place to present new ideas.