CHICAGO —CSP is proud to announce the finalists in its 2021 Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) Awards, nominated by the convenience-store supplier community. These are the best of the best from independent, midsize and large chains across the United States.
Between now and Feb. 1, CSP is asking supplier partners to cast their votes to recognize the c-store industry's finest category managers. Winners are chosen in nine key c-store segments, as well as the "multiple category” group, which highlights those category crusaders who juggle more than one product segment.
Winners will be announced during the 2021 Convenience Retailing University Community, which kicks off Feb. 23 online. The winners will be featured in a special section of CSP's April issue.
“Category managers are integral to getting the right product on in the right place to drive sales. That’s never been more important than it was in 2020, when store traffic slowed, the people shopping in c-stores changed and the variety of products sought went in entirely new directions,” said Steve Holtz, content director for CSP. “As I’ve gone through the process of informing these retailers that they’re finalists for a CMOY award, I’ve been overwhelmed by their expressions of gratitude and excitement. It’s great to see these retailers earn recognition they deserve for driving sales and building traffic for their chains.”
Suppliers nominated dozens of potential finalists at the end of 2020 and, with the help of CSP editors, finalists were chosen based not only on bottom-line results, but also on the knowledge and forecasting abilities of these category managers, who arguably know more about today's consumer than anyone else.
The 2021 finalists for Category Manager of the Year are:
CENTER STORE | |
Robyn Gettleson | United Pacific |
Kelley Gutierrez | MAPCO |
Tim Young | Newcomb Oil |
BEER/ALCOHOL | |
Sean Hickox | Circle K - South Atlantic |
Michael MJ Simons | MAPCO |
Chuck Sanders | CAL’S Convenience Inc |
PACKAGED BEVERAGES | |
Dawn Barnett | Circle K - Midwest |
Chris Borota | Circle K - Heartland |
John Herbert | True North |
FORECOURT/OPERATIONS | |
Jake Comer | Casey's General Stores |
Brian Renaud | Sheetz |
FOODSERVICE | |
Justin Hill | BP/AMPM |
Andrew Kintigh | Casey's General Stores |
Marissa Tinoco | Army-Air Force Exchange Service |
DISPENSED BEVERAGES | |
Michelle Cram | 7-Eleven |
Connie Kelehan | Kum & Go |
Jessica Tritten | Love's Travel Center |
CBD | |
Jon Bunch | Hucks |
Brad Campbell | Sheetz |
Michael Tirey | Circle K |
BEHIND THE COUNTER | |
Sean Carroll | G&M Oil Company |
Kevin Harder | Yesway |
Cory Robinson | EJ Pope |
DELIVERY/LOYALTY | |
Eric Rush | QuickChek |
Yaqub Baiani | 7-Eleven |
Chris Rose | Little General |
MULTIPLE CATEGORIES | |
Lynn Cleveland | Clipper Petroleum Inc. |
Kim Jenks | Kwik Trip Inc. |
Jack Lewis | GPM Investments |
Click here to vote for the finalists. The 2021 Category Manager of the Year Awards are sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co.
CSP’s 2020 Convenience Retailing University conference will dig deep into category sales trends and best practices. We’ll also name our Category Managers of the Year. Click here to register now.
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