NACS welcomes seven new members to its supplier board.
Jay Ard, vice president of national sales, convenience retail, at The Coca-Cola Co., has been named 2017–18 chairman of the NACS Supplier Board.
“Being a member of the NACS Supplier Board over the past five years has been invaluable to my overall understanding of the Industry and our customers,” said Ard. “I have had numerous interactions with convenience retailers and suppliers that couldn’t have happened any other way.”
Ard joined Coca-Cola in April 1979 as a route driver for the Rainwater Coca-Cola Bottling Group. Over the next 15 years, he held numerous positions, each with increasing responsibility. In 1994, he relocated to New Orleans to serve as the area vice president for south Louisiana and was later promoted to general manager of the Gulf States Division and general manager of the Florida division. In 2005, he assumed his current position as vice president of national sales, convenience retail.
Dave Riser, vice president of external relations at RAI Trade Marketing Services Company, was named chair-elect and will succeed Ard as 2018–19 chairman. Ard and Riser were named to their positions during the NACS Supplier Board meeting at the NACS Show in Chicago.
Riser joined R.J. Reynolds in 1983 as a sales representative for the Indianapolis region. He held various field trade marketing management positions before being promoted in 1989 to division manager in St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1992, he was promoted to manager–sales training at the company’s Winston-Salem corporate headquarters. Following positions in the human resources and marketing departments, Riser was promoted to assistant region sales manager in California in 1995, and region sales manager in Detroit in 1996. In 2000, he returned to Winston-Salem as director of human resources–sales and marketing. In 2001, Riser was promoted to area vice president of sales for the western area, and later became area vice president for the mid-west area in 2004. He assumed his current position in 2006.
The NACS Supplier Board is comprised of individuals from NACS supplier member companies that represent different product and service categories in the convenience store industry.
Three vice chairmen also were elected to the five-member Supplier Board leadership team:
Drew Mize, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Retail, PDI
Tim Quinn, Vice President Trade Development, Mars Chocolate North America LLC
Rick Brindle, Vice President Industry Development, Mondelēz International
In addition, seven new members were elected to the NACS Supplier Board:
Blake Benefiel, Director, Trade & State Relations, Altria Group Distribution Company
Tony Gaines, Senior Vice President, Sales, Advantage Solutions
Sharon Porter, Senior Director of Marketing, Convenience Retailing Channel, Kerry Convenience
Vito Maurici, Senior Vice President of Sales, McLane Company
TJ Powers, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Eby-Brown Company LLC
Chuck McDaniel, Vice President of Facilities, QuikTrip Corporation (Retailer Liaison)
Art Stawski, President, Loaf ‘N Jug (Retailer Liaison)