With the election of the nation’s first African-American president, the time is right to get a better understanding of our consumer base to make sure we’re meeting their needs. Things have been quite difficult for most Americans this holiday season. There have been thousands upon thousands of job layoffs, though the retail sector has weathered [...]
Embracing the differences that minority candidates offer can help stores attract new customers. I recently received a thin, white letter with the logo of my employer on it. While I have received many letters and packages from my employer, the thinnest of them all is, for me, the most important of them all. That’s [...]
A lack of mentors is affecting the advancement of women and minorities to executive positions. Even with the strain of oil prices and the reduction of in-store sales, convenience stores are a booming industry. But it has some work to do to continue reaching a profitable, untapped demographic: women. Women are a full 50% of [...]
There’s a place at the table in the evolving convenience store industry. By Tonya Brown The issue of diversity and inclusion in corporate America has been a topic of conversation for a long time. First, the issues around the table were about achieving diversity. Then the role of inclusion came to be and the issue [...]
Leaders need to modify their thinking and actions in order to truly unleash the human spirit in their store managers. By Tonya Brown Over the last 11 months, I have seen four District Managers (DM) take reign. Now of course, given that this is the retail industry, it was hardly a surprise. They came and [...]
The business of inclusion is as important as what’s sold on the shelves. Tonya Brown One might think that the convenience store industry is a microcosm of diversity. One would have to admit that the industry, at least from the lower operations level, would fit this mold. After all, the DNA at the lower level [...]