LAS VEGAS -- The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has announced the election of four retail members to serve on its board of directors. The group named the new members to their positions during its board meeting at the NACS Show in Las Vegas.
The four NACS retail members elected to serve on the board of directors are:
- Lisa Dell’Alba, president and CEO of Square One Markets Inc., Bethlehem, Pa.
- Dee Dhaliwal, president of Dhaliwal & Associates, Pleasanton, Calif.
- Bill Kent, president and CEO, The Kent Cos., dba Kent Kwik Convenience Stores, Midland, Texas.
- Victor Paterno, CEO of Philippine Seven Corp., dba 7-Eleven Convenience Store, Mandaluyong, Philippines.
A member-driven organization, NACS is led by a 30-member board that includes three retailers from non-North American countries. In addition, the chairman and chairman-elect of the NACS Supplier Board also serve on the board.
Founded in 1971, Square One Markets operates nine convenience stores across five counties in Pennsylvania, and it also owns and operates a fuel wholesale business, Keystone Fuels. Dell’Alba began her career in the family's business as manager of the company's flagship location. She then served in a variety of roles before becoming human resources director and later vice president of operations. She was named president of Square One Markets in 2009, and is also the president of Keystone Fuels.
Dhaliwal & Associates owns and operates a chain of four convenience stores with gas and car washes, currently branded with Chevron fuel and Extra Mile stores. The family-owned company also operates several hotels, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and a small classic car dealership. Dhaliwal has been in the c-store industry for nearly 30 years. He has worked continuously in the family business, taking over as vice president in 1995. He serves on the boards of several organizations, including the California Independent Oil Marketers Association (CIOMA), the Pacific Oil Conference (POC) and the American Petroleum and Convenience Association (APCA), of which he is also a founding member. He is also a past president of the California Service Station & Auto Repair Association (CSSARA).
E. L. “Buck” Kent founded Kent Oil and Kent Distributors Inc. in 1957; today it operates more than 80 retail facilities, including 40 Kent Kwik convenience stores and travel stops, Huddle House restaurants, Rustic Cafe, Baskin-Robbins, Avis Lube fast oil change centers and Mr. Payroll check-cashing outlets. Kent joined the family business in January 1980. In 1984, he acquired 100% of Kent Oil and Kent Distributors from family through a leveraged buyout. Since then, the companies have grown from 75 employees to more than 1,100 team members. He is the current president of the Chevron Texaco Petroleum Marketers Association (CTPMA) and a member of the Chevron East Marketer Council.
Philippine Seven holds the license to operate 7-Eleven convenience stores in the Philippines. It opened its first store in 1984, and went public in 1998. In 2001, President Chain Store, 7-Eleven licensee of Taiwan, acquired a majority stake. Paterno, an engineer, joined the company at his father’s (the chairman) invitation as construction and maintenance manager in 1993. The assignment was supposed to be temporary, but finding challenge in the hidden complexities of retailing, he stayed on longer than planned. He was appointed president and CEO in 2005 by majority shareholders President Chain Store of Taiwan. The company currently has 1,500 stores and intends to maintain a 25% store footprint growth trajectory over the next 10 years.
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