Technology Takes a Seat at the Table

Amazon's Ian Rasmussen (left) and CSNews' Don Longo (right) presented the Technology Leader of the Year award to Travis Sheetz.

Industry leaders talk all things innovation at the 2022 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable

By Melissa Kress

TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVES from across the convenience channel gathered to discuss the industry’s digital transformation, share insights on the latest technology trends and communicate pain points at the 2022 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable, held Oct. 1 in Las Vegas.

As part of the annual event, guests also honored one of their own, Sheetz Inc. CEO Travis Sheetz, as he accepted the CSNews Technology Leader of the Year award on behalf of the company. Ian Rasmussen, head of U.S. business development, enterprise convenience for Just Walk Out Technology by Amazon, presented the award which recognizes a technology leader that not only contributes to the success of their organization, but also to the advancement and growth of the convenience store industry as a whole.

Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz, operator of more than 640 convenience stores throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina, changed how it thought about technology a few years ago by making the decision to move the service outside of its IT group. The retailer now approaches technology as an added value for the business and not just an internal service. accepting the award. “When we talk about convenience, how can we not talk about technology?”

The Transformation Journey

The Technology Leadership Roundtable also welcomed leaders from TravelCenters of America Inc. (TA), who spoke about the company’s transformation journey. The travel center operator embarked on this journey in early 2020, and technology sits firmly behind many of the key changes being made throughout the organization.

However, as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Sandy Rapp noted, the evolution is not just about technology, but the business as a whole. “It is always: What are we doing for the business?” she explained. “Technology is a piece of the transformation.”

At the core of this mindset is embracing new ideas within the framework of an established 50-year-old business. “It is not just about replacing technology. We are challenging ourselves to reimagine technology,” said Rapp, who joined TA a little more than two years ago.

The first year's of TA's transformation journey began with planning and preparation. The second year focused on investing in growth.

In 2022-2023, TA is concentrating on resilience and growth.

From an IT standpoint, the company has compiled a planning list of roughly 130 items, many of them in the remedial column. The changes around technology are crafted around two key questions: Where does the company centralize things, and where does it unify things? As Rapp noted, technology needs to be seamless across the organization.

Key to the success of this project is staying aligned and focused on priorities, she said. Every department at TA has its own initiatives. And at the heart of this transformation journey is the guest — both the professional driver and the everyday motorist. However, their needs are not necessarily the same. “Who do we want to serve? Both,” Rapp said.

Among the company’s IT accomplishments to date are a 10 percent adoption rate for self-checkout, a 51 percent adoption rate for mobile loyalty point redemption, and a 50 percent reduction in downtime due to site infrastructure refreshes.

As TA takes steps to position itself for success in its next 50 years, the company is developing several partnerships to take its operations to the next level. On the technology front, this includes collaborations with Xendee, an energy system platform; Nikola, a designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, and energy supply and infrastructure solutions; DataRobot, a next-generation artificial intelligence company; and Daugherty Business Solutions, an advisory services and technology consulting firm.

TA is also addressing the changing mobility landscape. With locations on large parcels along interstate highways, the company is in a unique position to be a leader in energy transformation, according to Sharon Foster, TA’s senior director of marketing.

“What is our energy offer, and how do we develop the guest experience regardless of their method of mobility? We need to be adaptable,” Foster said. Westlake, Ohio-based TA is the largest publicly traded travel center business in the United States, operating principally under the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express banners. Its network totals 280 locations, which sold roughly 2.3 billion gallons of fuel in 2021. The retailer also has 450-plus quick-service restaurants and more than 150 full-service restaurants.

Leaders from TravelCenters of America discussed the retailer's digital transformation journey over the past two years.

“When we talk about convenience, how can we not talk about technology?”

— Travis Sheetz, Sheetz Inc.

Technology Trends

TA is not the only industry player thinking about the changing mobility landscape. During an open discussion on technology trends, attendees spoke about the shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and the issues coming to light in the channel — for instance, how do you control the customer experience? The group agreed that it takes a lot to make the EV charging experience work.

Other top-of-mind trends are loyalty programs, disruptions in the supply chain, prioritizing technology dollars, the rise of omnichannel, frictionless convenience, workforce management, labor challenges, working with legacy equipment, and mobile payments.

And when asked what keeps them up at night, the unanimous answer was data security.

The 2022 Convenience Store News Technology Leadership Roundtable was sponsored by Invenco, Just Walk Out Technology by Amazon, PayiQ (formerly LedgerPay) and RELEX Solutions. CSN