CSP is proud to announce the finalists in its 2026 Category Manager of the Year (CMOY) Awards, nominated by the convenience-store community. These are the best of the best from small, midsize and large chains across the United States. Finalists represent a wide range of c-store chains from OXXO to Southwest Georgia Oil Co. to TXB and more.
This year, finalists in each category are broken into two segments—one for chains with 201 or more stores, and one for chains with 200 stores or fewer.
The seven categories are behind the counter, center store, dispensed beverages, foodservice, loyalty + tech/operations, nonalcohol and alcohol.
Between now and Jan. 12, CSP is asking supplier partners to cast their votes to recognize the c-store industry’s finest category managers. The category managers who receive the most votes in each chain-size bracket will be the winners. Winners will be announced during the 2025 Convenience Retailing University conference, to be held Feb. 24-26 in Austin, Texas.
The 14 winners will also be featured in a special section of CSP magazine’s April issue.
To vote for the winners, click here. Only c-store suppliers, not retailers, may cast a vote. See the "Frequently Asked Questions" section below the finalists for more information on the nomination and voting process.
The 2026 finalists for Category Manager of the Year are:
Behind the Counter
Large chain
John Galvan (OXXO)
Tina Badger (CrossAmerica Partners)
Alex Kupper (bp)
Small chain
Jessica Starnes (Weigel's)
Shawn Holmes (Hot Spot)
Melanie Zahller (Southwest Georgia Oil Co/SunStop)
Center Store
Large chain
MJ Simons (OXXO)
Michael Burke (BP)
Gary Lyons (Yesway)
Small chain
Rebecca Gregory (Weigel's)
Christopher Preble (Quality Oil Co.)
Mark McCarty (Clark's Pump-N-Shop)
Dispensed Beverages
Large chain
Stephen Murray (Sheetz)
Yarelis Benitez (Murphy USA)
Emily DePaula (Maverik)
Billy Colemire (Majors Management/MAPCO)
Small chain
Matthew Rogers (OnCue Marketing)
Scott Morris (Southwest Georgia Oil Co./SunStop)
(This category has four large-chain and two small-chain finalists.)
Foodservice
Large chain
Donald Berra (OXXO)
Kate Weisman (EG America)
Karen Campbell (Global Partners)
Small chain
Holly Mason (Reid Petroleum Group/Crosby’s)
Madison Malone (Southwest Georgia Oil Co./SunStop)
Brandon Frampton (Loop Neighborhood)
Loyalty + Tech/Operations
Large chain
Jacqueline Crowe (EG America)
Lanna O’Connor (RaceTrac)
Justin Mitchell (Refuel)
Small chain
Abigail Cerra (Chestnut Market)
Andrea Worley (Cenex Zip Trip)
(This category has two small-chain finalists.)
Nonalcohol Beverages
Large chain
Danna Engelbrecht (Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores)
Gary Evans (OXXO)
Daniel Hartono (Majors Management/MAPCO)
Small chain
Dan Razowsky (Rmart)
Aaron Hirt (S&G)
Daniel Scott (Sampson-Bladen Oil Co./Han-Dee Hugo’s)
Alcohol
Large chain
Mark Buonomo (Global Partners)
Nick Gierer (Sheetz)
Christian Rogers (Maverik)
Small chain
Kathy Williams (Campbell Oil Co./Minuteman FM)
Joe Clark (TXB)
Seth Carter (OnCue Marketing)
Frequently Asked Questions
How were the finalists determined?
Retailer, supplier and wholesale partners could submit their nominations for the industry’s best category managers through Dec. 1. Anyone could make a nomination. Separate nominations were made for a category manager from a chain with 200 or fewer stores and a chain with 201 or more stores. Store counts were determined by using CSP’s 2025 Top 202 list of largest c-store chains by U.S. store count.
After nominations closed, the six finalists in each category with the most votes, three finalists for smaller chains and three finalists for larger chains, moved on to the final round of voting. CSP editors vetted the finalists before moving on to the final round.
How can I nominate someone next year?
In October, CSP will post a story and voting link for the c-store community to make their nominations for the 2027 Category Manager of the Year awards. The best way to stay up to date on this is to subscribe to CSP’s Daily News newsletter here: https://www.cspdailynews.com/subscribe-all-newsletters.
Who can vote for the winners?
Only supplier partners may cast votes for the final round—not retailers. There will be two winners for each category, determined by who receives the most votes for retailers with 200 stores or fewer and retailers with 201 or more stores. CSP editors will review the votes to make sure the winners are in the appropriate category and store-count range.
Please only vote for one finalist in each section.
When and how can I vote for the winners?
Voting is open through Jan. 12. To vote for the winner, click here.
When will I find out if I’ve won?
Winners will be announced and recognized at Convenience Retailing University (CRU), which will be held Feb. 24-26 in Austin, Texas.
How do I attend Convenience Retailing University (CRU)?
Visit this page for more information: https://informaconnect.com/convenience-retailing-university/.
If I am a 2026 CMOY finalist, do I need to do anything?
You should have already received an email from a CSP staff member if you are one of the 2026 CMOY finalists listed above. If you did not receive an email, please contact CSP Executive Editor Hannah Hammond at hannah.hammond@informa.com.
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