ANKENY, Iowa — It’s been a year since Julie Jackowski brought her experience as senior vice president, corporate general counsel and secretary for Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa, to the NACS chair position.
Jackowski’s work overseeing legal, risk management, administrative services and other sectors of Casey’s legal operations equipped her with a unique perspective into the convenience-store business as the world was hit with the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some insights from the outgoing chair.
Q: How has the COVID-19 outbreak affected your time as chairperson for NACS?
A: One of the more visible elements of being chair is spending more time on the road—attending conferences or visiting members at stores. That’s obviously changed this year, but our board has remained active in weighing in on shaping fast-moving issues and policy debates.
Nothing beats the value of face-to-face communications. There is more energy, and there are always more ideas generated by that whole process because of the direct human connection. I can’t wait till I’m back on the road, talking and listening to everyone in our industry. It inspires me. But I will tell you that it’s also pretty amazing what you can get done with new communications options available. I have been on countless—and I say “countless” because I really haven’t counted—virtual calls and many more legislative meetings with congressional leaders. Normally, you’re lucky to get a 20-minute meeting in a Senate or House office, but I’ve had a few video meetings that were an hour. And it didn’t take me a day or two of travel to do it.
Just like with our businesses, we are trying new ways of conducting business, and we are demonstrating in our stores and communicating in our advocacy efforts that we are essential businesses in the communities we serve.
“Quite simply, we need to continue to be nimble as we constantly adapt to provide goods and services in a convenient manner.”
Q: What are the industry’s main concerns today?
A: It bears repeating: The word that we have seen crop up more than any other this year is “essential.” And we saw that word even before the full force of the pandemic. NACS conducted focus groups in February and we heard how our customers defined our offer as essential, as did 89% of our members in a recent survey. We heard people say they’d be lost if there weren’t convenience stores in their neighborhood. And that, of course, extended into the pandemic when our industry was defined as an essential business and requested to remain open and operational to meet community needs.
So, of course, the challenges all revolve around how we continue to safely provide these essential services during an unprecedented pandemic, with CDC and state guidance changing rapidly as conditions and data change. One area of focus involves liability protection for our essential businesses that have remained open and who have acted reasonably to protect team members and guests during these times.
But on another level, we also need to constantly think about how we can reinvent ourselves to remain essential. That means looking at what might change permanently in how our guests see convenience. More delivery? More curbside pickup? More cashierless transactions? There is a lot to process, and those are only three examples.
Q: What does the future look like for convenience and fuel retail?
A: It’s the same as it’s been for 90-plus years: We sell time and convenience. We have seen all kinds of innovations since the first convenience store in 1927, and we will continue to see more. The ones that will take root are the ones that put a focus on the convenience needs of our guests. Quite simply, we need to continue to be nimble as we constantly adapt to provide goods and services in a convenient manner.
Q: Any advice for fellow retailers?
A: I’ve been in the industry for almost three decades and have seen boom and bust cycles. And in every one of these down cycles, it’s difficult and some don’t make it. That doesn’t mean that they weren’t innovative or passionate or thoughtful. Sometimes there are obstacles beyond your control. So I’m not going to say that you can outwork every challenge we face. But the odds of success are a whole lot greater if you keep as positive attitude as you can, because it trickles down to your team and guests. And goodness knows we could always use some more positivity in our daily lives.
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