The National Advisory Group (NAG), a retail trade association for convenience store and petroleum operators, is proud to announce that Derek Gaskins, the senior vice president of merchandising and procurement for Yesway, has joined the NAG board of directors.
As a member of the NAG board, Gaskins will use his extensive industry experience to help the board identify burning issues for upcoming NAG Conferences, select speakers and serve as a NAG ambassador for new and existing NAG members.
“I am excited to join the NAG board. The organization is at the forefront of thought leadership and best practices in the fuel and convenience retail industry,” Gaskins said. “I am grateful to have an opportunity to join other leaders in the industry and assist NAG in their efforts to increase engagement.”
Gaskins has extensive experience in all facets of the convenience store and petroleum industry. His current responsibility is to direct all marketing, merchandising and procurement efforts for the Yesway brand, as well as to develop relationships with Yesway’s supplier partners.
He leads efforts to establish a marketing and merchandising playbook to improve the organizations go to market strategic plan. He also helps to further cultivate the growth and stewardship of the fast-growing Yesway brand with a keen focus on ensuring the organizations social, mobile and loyalty initiatives are best in class.
Prior to joining Des Moines, Iowa-based Yesway, Gaskins served as chief customer officer for York, Pa.-based Rutter’s convenience stores. He was instrumental in developing their award-winning customer engagement programs and positioned the brand as one of the best in the retail industry.
Before Rutter’s, he served as senior vice president of marketing and merchandising with Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores (MACS) and led the development of the Circle K brand. Before joining MACS, Gaskins served as vice president of marketing with NACS.
His other industry experience includes leading the brand marketing for Giant Eagle, where he oversaw the development of the GetGo chain of convenience stores, and launched the Fuelperks fuel rewards loyalty program.
Outside of retail, Gaskins also worked for companies including Nabisco Foods, Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble. He is an experienced brand developer, chief marketer, merchant and innovator that has launched numerous packaged goods, retail brands and store formats.
“Our NAG board represents a wonderful mix of the very best retailers in the convenience store industry,” said John Lofstock, executive director of NAG. “We are honored to welcome Derek to the board and look forward to working with him to continue our mission of serving small, mid-sized and family-owned chains in the competitive convenience store industry.”
Gaskins holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa and an MBA in finance, marketing and real estate from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is married to Tina, with two children, Gigi and Godot. He is a tireless worker who is committed to his family, job and community.
NAG AT WORK FOR THE INDUSTRY
NAG is a retail trade association driven by retailers for retailers and is an organization committed to building profits and relationships. NAG is aimed at small, mid-size convenience and family-owned convenience store chains and the executives who run them. NAG members meet annually to examine pressing issues affecting the convenience store and petroleum industry.
Recognizing the role next-generation leaders play in the competitive convenience store and petroleum industry, training the young executives is more important than ever before. NAG relaunched the Young Executives Organization (YEO) in 2012 to help young executives have a group that is solely focused on exchanging personal experiences with peers in their age group.
Please plan to join us at the 2019 NAG Conference in Minneapolis Sept. 8-11. Speakers for this world-class event include Wawa, Sheetz, Kum & Go, Verc Enterprises, GetGo, Alltown and a dozen other leading convenience store chains. For information about NAG, YEO or the 2019 Conference, contact NAG Executive Director John Lofstock at [email protected]. To register for the NAG Conference, visit nagconvenience.com.
The 2019/20 NAG Retail Board members include:
- Doug Gali, Crosby Reid Stores, Lockport, N.Y. (Board Chairman)
- Mary Banmiller, Warrenton Oil, Truesdale, Mo.
- Derek Gaskins, Yesway, West Des Moines, Iowa
- Greg Ehrlich, FriendShip Food Stores, Columbus, Ohio
- Joe Hamza, Nouria Energy, Worcester, Mass.
- Brent Mouton, Hit-n-Run Food Stores, Lafayette, La.
- Peter Tamburro, Clifford Fuels, Canastota, N.Y.
- Vernon Young, Young Oil Co., Piedmont, Ala.