Welcome to CSP’s C-Store Women’s Event e-newsletter. This new newsletter is a culmination of industry news with women leadership at the forefront of its focus.
The newsletter, which deploys monthly, will contain a blog post from a member of the c-store industry that hits on a new perspective regarding equity in the workplace, a podcast where c-store leaders talk about how to better support women in the industry and career- and diversity-related news roundups.
The first newsletter in July features a CSP story on diversity in leadership and opportunity for women at the c-suite level. Next, in a blog post, Myra Mouton, leader of training and development at Parker Cos., Savannah, Georgia, shares her ideas on mentorship. The newsletter also includes a podcast with insights from Amanda Buehner, senior vice president of communities and retail conferences at Winsight LLC, about CSW. And to keep up to date on the strides happening in women leadership, check out CSP’s business and career shift roundups.
Leading up to and following the C-Store Women’s Event, this content will provide a home for news and goals to drive c-store women leadership forward.
The C-Store Women’s event, led by CSP and Leading NOW, is a year-round commitment kicked off by a conference Nov. 8-10 in Napa Valley, California. The CSW initiative will explore how and why women can succeed in the convenience industry. It will feature career development, education, problem-solving and networking. CSW will educate industry leaders and rising stars with general sessions, keynote speakers, panel discussions, breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, mentoring strategies, team assignments and activities.
Anyone from industry organizations who has leadership potential and is committed to career growth is welcome to request an invitation. Men and women are encouraged to participate. Two people from an organization must commit to attend—one leader and one upcoming manager star, and one person must be a woman. All attendees will sign a Commitment to Change that will place each person on an eight-person (four retailers/four suppliers) team that will meet for quarterly working sessions year-round.
Members will spend time with their teams on site at CSW then will meet quarterly via a one-hour digital meeting to discuss goals and next steps. Following the offsite meetings, your team will be interviewed by a CSP editor about the team and its work.
“Share ideas. Support each other. Shift opportunities. Winsight and our founding partners know it takes more than two days to make actual change,” said Buehner. "This event focuses on business and financial acumen, and our Power Teams will meet throughout the year to tackle real issues that face our industry. This program is not just about optics but creating a real shift in the industry.”
CSW is presented by CSP and Leading NOW, a women-driven enterprise with the intent to empower and develop women in leadership. For more than 20 years, Leading Women, a division of Leading NOW, has been shaping the future of workplace dynamics by advocating women’s advancement and engaging male allies to bring gender balance to leadership.
“We are excited to partner with CSW to create a full day of learning content for this first-of-its-kind event for the c-store industry,” said Julia Lazzara, president of Leading NOW. “We know that most women are not mentored properly, nor do they have the same opportunities for advancement as their male counterparts. The two career level tracks we have developed for the c-store event are designed for leaders and rising stars to ensure we are preparing them for succession as future women leaders in the industry.”
The four founding partner companies—Altria Group Distribution Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Keurig Dr Pepper and McLane Co. Inc. have committed their support for the first annual conference.
This title partnership will allow the founding partners to show their support and advocacy in empowering women and changing the face of leadership within the convenience industry, combined with career development training.
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