In the race to modernize, it’s tempting to chase new technology. But for Fidaa Morhez, senior director of operational systems at H&S Energy, a convenience-store chain based in Orange, California, chasing trends isn’t just risky, it’s expensive.
“Technology is not the challenge,” Morhez told CSP. “The challenge is choosing the right one, at the right time.”
- H&S Energy Group is No. 23 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-stores chains by store count.
During the pandemic, when c-store operators faced drops in fuel sales and labor pools, Morhez and his team leaned into innovation. Delivery came first, not because it was trendy, but because it met a real operational need, he said.
“Customers didn’t want to leave their homes. We had to bring the store to them,” Morhez said.
Since then, technology options in the c-store space have “exploded,” he said. What used to be a short list of vendors is now a flood of platforms, some of which are polished, some of which are premature.
“Now you’re dealing with the opposite problem,” he said. “You’re flooded with too many options, many of which aren’t ready for scale or haven’t proven ROI.”
For Morhez, the key was simple but not easy. Every tech investment has to check at least one of five boxes: reduce costs, increase revenue, improve customer experience, boost efficiency or raise profits. But before anything, his team runs ROI analysis and proof-of-concept pilots. That sometimes means walking away from shiny solutions if the timing or cost didn’t fit.
“We had to make decisions based on impact, not impulse,” he said. “One system took us four months to choose. We went back to paperwork in the meantime.”
That discipline has paid off, he said. For example, the H&S team invested in a lottery inventory tool not to generate revenue, but to save manager time and prevent losses.
“Our ROI projections were 100% accurate,” he said.
As the tech landscape continues to expand, Morhez cautions operators to prioritize real-world needs over novelty.
“Know your challenges. Make a priority list. And talk to other operators. This industry is competitive but collaborative when it comes to tech.”
For c-store leaders navigating the flood of solutions, his advice is: “Don’t jump too early, but don’t wait too long. The right time is everything.”
H&S Energy represents major fuel brands such as Chevron, Texaco, Shell and 76. Additionally, it operates as a franchisee of ExtraMile, with most of its convenience stores featuring the proprietary Power Market brand.
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