Women emerging as leaders in the oil and petroleum industry traveled from across the United States this November, coming together for a joint cause: the inaugural conference of C-Store Women (CSW), hosted by Winsight CSP. Selected by invitation only, women representing the retailer and supplier sides of the convenience store industry met for career development opportunities and walked away with a year-long commitment to creating change. During this interactive event, these women, all of whom work hard in this trade to be the best, convened for three days in the crisp, wine country of Napa Valley, CA.
Celebration of Women Everywhere
In a year celebrating the aspiring woman, publications at every turn had a list of successful women: Forbes and Time Magazine, and industry periodicals like Convenience Store News, StoreBrands magazine, and Winsight CSP, each featuring women leaders in top positions. They were recognized for trailblazing a path in their individual companies, where their intellect informed the choices for the direction their companies chose. At the intersection of key decision-making and resiliency, these women paved the way for a reality of success at their respective companies.
CSW kept the momentum strong by hosting this first–of what we hope will be many– conferences. Celebrating women’s achievements in the c-store arena while creating a space for rich learning and a little R & R, the over 160 participants (some of whom were men) heard from tenured professionals who had a thing or two to share about career growth. Attendees were inspired by messages about mentoring, climbing the ladder from middle rungs to the top, using knowledge in the areas of business, strategy, and finance to equate to business success, and using the power of tactical and strategic relationships to build the business.
A Winning Campaign
Winsight’s 2023 chosen slogan for CSW was “Share. Support. Shift”. Among the movers and shakers in the crowd, convenience store leader in inventory auditing, Quantum Services, had two of their senior level leaders taking part. Rachell Bernhardt, Director of Human Resources, and Andrea McMaster, Senior Operations Manager, immersed themselves in learning and growing. Bringing their perspective and expertise in inventory audits, they joined other women in leadership positions throughout oil and gasoline companies, from the likes of Sheetz and BP, both clients of Quantum Services among others. Rachell says, “Shift was mentioned the most at the event; that we are making a shift within the c-store industry toward more women in higher-level positions. For me, it’s about elevating women in whatever position they are in and breaking down barriers to meeting their personal goals.”
Stretch Goals
Rachell and Andrea will now stretch beyond their current limits to delve into a year-long project to fulfill the “shift” aspect of the conference. Their “power team” is a curated team split equally between four women in retail and four women as suppliers. As their project has just been revealed to them, we will have to wait for the next installment in this blog series to learn what it is. According to Andrea McMaster, “I hope my power pairing team will allow me to gain focus, support, and knowledge to help give opportunities to other women and men at Quantum Services.” For now, Quantum Services wishes Andrea and Rachell all the best as they embark upon this journey–the road is straight ahead.
