Georgia Association of Convenience Stores
Governor Kemp declared a State of Emergency at 3:09 PM declared for the following 12 counties - Brantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce & Wayne Counties.
August 23, 2019
Top Kevin Kirby to Join GACS After several weeks of searching for the perfect candidate - again we are a very fortunate association - we’ve found him!
We are thrilled to welcome Kevin Kirby, IOM as the new Manager, Events & Administration. He comes to us with a wealth of industry related experience. Having earned is Institute for Organization Management designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in 2013, Kevin served as Director of Member Services for the Paulding County Chamber of Commerce. Prior to that he spent nearly 20 years as the CFO of a family owned and operated business. He is a lifelong resident of Dallas, Georgia, and a graduate of Kennesaw State University
Kevin will be a great asset to our team. He has the nimbleness and skills it takes to work with members, while still orchestrating the details of this role to meet the GACS standard of excellence in meeting programming and administration. Kevin started his new role at GACS earlier this week and states, “It is an honor to join the great team at GACS to help facilitate the education and advocacy for the convenience store industry,” Kirby said. “I’m looking forward to working with all the members to ensure they get the most out of their membership.”
In the coming week, he will transition into the main contact for tradeshow exhibitors. Until then, rest assured Jennie & Kevin are working to make this transition as seamless as possible for all GACS members, exhibitors, advertisers and associates. Please welcome Kevin to the GACS Family!
July 26, 2019
The Georgia Association of Convenience Stores (GACS) earned a 2019 ASAE Power of A Summit Award for its Convenience Stores Against Trafficking (CSAT) program dedicated to eradicating human trafficking by training workers and providing tools and resources association members.
ASAE honored the program that encourages convenience stores to serve their communities by registering for CSAT, a no cost program focused on equipping convenience store employees with proper training and materials to safely recognize the signs and report human trafficking. Materials include Freedom stickers for restroom stalls, as well as an education video produced by their partner, IN OUR BACKYARD (IOB).
July 16, 2019
This year the GACS Educational Foundation awarded $26,000 to member company employees and/or their children. The Foundation was founded in memory of Past Chairman Reed Schmeelk’s daughter Brittany.
Congratulations to our 2019-2020 GACS Education Foundation Scholarship Recipients!
Sydnee Batzlaff, Blue Bell Creameries
Christopher Bell, McLane Company
Patrick Boyd, Flowers Foods (Nominated Scholarship)
Sera Clower, RaceTrac Petroleum
Sydney Davidson, Jet Food Stores of Ga Inc. (Jim Tudor Scholarship)
Devlin Dolph, Swedish Match North America
Payton Harper, SRP Cpompanies
Jose Hernandez-Maldonado, RaceTrac Petroleum (Flowers Bakeries Scholarship)
Sarah Hubbard, The Kroger Co. (Flowers Bakeries Scholarship)
Bernadette Jacob, The Kroger Co. (Nominated Scholarship)
Noah Little, RaceTrac Petroleum (Hayes Bryan Scholarship)
Kinsley Lupton, Sav-a-Lot
Lauren Mikell, Georgia Lottery Corporation (Laura K. Glover Martin Scholarship)
Rachel Mittal, The Kroger Co. (Brittany Schmeelk Scholarship)
Loreta Murataj, Gate Petro
Dev Patel, Susie Q Foods
Sanny Patel, Susie Q Foods
Na’Imah Rasul, The Kroger Co. (Circle K Scholarship)
Julia Reese, Guardian Fueling Technologies, Inc.
Aleah Sanchez, Circle K (Circle K Scholarship)
Sabrina Stein, Enmarket
Daniela Villaroel, The Kroger Co. (Nancy Bivings Scholarship)
Next year’s scholarship application will be open January 1 - April 1.
July 11, 2019
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Omni Amelia Island for our “Rising Tides” Convention. Attendees were able to build camaraderie, hear from industry experts and state legislators, and participate in our tabletop show.
Congratulations to our Supplier of the Year Winner Laura Byrd, Georgia Lottery Corporation (pictured).
A Special Thank You to Our Convention Sponsors!
Diamond:
Altria Group Distribution Company * Coca-Cola Bottling Company United * PepsiCo * R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Platinum:
Core Mark International * Eagle Rock Distributing Company * MillerCoors * Swisher International, Inc. * Variety Amusement
Gold:
Eby-Brown Company * Georgia Beverage Association * The H.T. Hackney Co. * Snyders-Lance, Inc.
Silver:
Anheuser-Busch, Inc. * Colonial Coffee Roasters, Inc. * Georgia Lottery Corporation * Swedish Match North America
Bronze:
Charles L. Ruffin of Baker Donelson * CITGO Petroleum Corporation * Corona Extra * Flowers Bakeries / Mrs. Freshley’s * McLane Company * MECO of Atlanta, Inc. * Point to Point Environmental * Royal Cup Coffee & Tea * S & D Coffee & Tea * Scandinavian Tobacco Group-Lane Limited * Stewart Distribution * Turkey Creek Snacks * Utz / Golden Flake Snack Foods
Patron:
BIC Consumer Product * Florida Rock & Tank Lines, Inc. * Lil Drug * North American Money Order Company, Inc. * S&ME, Inc. * SRP Companies * Valero Marketing and Supply * W. L. Petrey Wholesale Co., Inc.
Thank You to Our Silent Auction Donors:
Atlanta Beverage * BIC Consumer Products * Campbell Snacks/Snyders-Lance * Clipper Petroleum * Colonial Coffee * CSC ServiceWorks * Eagle Rock * Eby-Brown Company * Essentia Water * GACS * Georgia Lottery Corporation * Golden Pantry Food Stores * The H.T. Hackney Co. * Kellogg’s Company * Leon Farmer & Company * MECO of Atlanta, Inc. * Monster Energy Company * National Tobacco * Omni Hotels * Patriot Capital * Peanut Patch Boiled Peanuts * Pepsi Beverages Company * Point to Point Environmental * Reed Schmeelk & Family * S & D Coffee & Tea * Scandinavian Tobacco Group * Sea Glass Fine Art Photography * Sharon Shuford * SMART Software * Valero Marketing and Supply * Variety Amusement Services, LLC