The Times, They Are A-Changin’

by Angela Holland / President, GACS
I love a good ole cliché, don’t you? Here are a couple pertinent to this last printed issue of GACS Today...“all good things must come to an end” and “change is inevitable.”  
 
This, my dearest reader, is the final GACS Today you will find in your physical mailbox. Moving forward, you’ll find these in your inbox. We have big plans for the inbox version. After much research and multiple focus groups, we’ve decided to integrate the new magazine format into the current GACS website. As such, we can offer you a much more robust online experience. See page 25 for more details on the new format. Great work by our team, Sharon, Dan, and David on their 18-month-long process!

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to quality holiday time with my family this season. And I’ll certainly need it!  Next year, when the legislative session starts on Monday, January 13th, your GACS staff will be working towards tort reform 24/7. There are multiple lobbying firms in the fight this year to change Georgia’s lawsuit landscape. As such, YOUR team will be ingrained in the process with both premises liability and trucking issues.  We hope that there will be some much-needed legal relief for our members moving forward which will continue to foster Georgia as the #1 state to do business.

In 2025, we hope that you’ll take full advantage of your membership in GACS.  In addition to lobbying, GACS offers several programs to help convenience store owners and operators succeed!  

UST A/B Operator Training – Georgia environmental Protection Division approved, meets the state and federal requirements for UST operator training and is offered through our in-house designed and built learning system.

Coming Soon – UST Monthly Walk-Through Online Forms, a digital version of the Georgia EPD UST 30-day walk-through checklist.

Lunch & Learn Programs – Programs are organized around the state, to bring in depth information about current topics relevant to retailers, and are free for GACS members.

ServSafe Training – Partnering with TSC Associates, GACS provides the ServSafe certification program to its members at a discount.

Healthiest You – This high quality virtual health care solution is designed to serve the unique needs of small businesses and their employees, by connecting individuals to physicians and providers for a wide range of needs.

PIX Credit Card Services – Offers discounted pass-through pricing, simplified daily and monthly statements, EBT and fleet card support, no contracts or annual fees, no PCI compliance fees, and more.

Points to Partners Loyalty Program – Once thought of as a high-end add-on that only large companies could afford, with Points to Partners loyalty programs have become a cost-effective marketing practice for retailers of all sizes.

Careers in Convenience – GACS members can view the latest Convenience Store related job postings on the Convenience Job Board, right on our website www.gacs.com.
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Online & Printed Membership Directory – GACS provides both online and print versions of its Directory to GACS members.

Online Quarterly Magazines – GACS Today provides current industry news, member updates, regulatory information and more, to over six thousand readers every quarter.

Scholarship Program – Each year the GACS Education Foundation awards scholarships to deserving young students who are GACS member employees, or dependents of GACS member employees.

Sign Program – GACS offers official mandated signs at discounted rates for members.  When you purchase your signs from GACS you save money.
So you see, your board consistently strives to provide ever more value for your membership, in addition to our lobbying efforts. Our doors are always open. Please tell us:  What else can we offer for you? What do you need that you can’t easily access for your business?
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And on the Home Front...A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I lost a dear, dear friend, Mark Hoptroff. My oldest child, Katie, said, “This is the first tragic loss our little family has ever experienced.” (You see, we’ve been fortunate, one grandmother lived to be 91, while the other (great-grandmother) had dementia – those losses weren’t shockingly tragic but expected.)  Hoptroff on the other hand was 67, lived a mile down the road, came by often, and during the night, his candle was unexpectedly extinguished.  He was ingrained in our daily lives. When unexpected things happened in our family either good or bad, my first question to my husband was always, “Have you told Hoptroff? What did he say?” My children loved him, and we all loved him and his wife, Cindy.
 
So, this holiday season, hug those you love a little tighter, chat a little longer, relax and enjoy the time together, savor the sweet moments, and love hard, because you never know when you or someone you love will draw their last breath.  I hope you each have a very happy holiday season, a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Joyous Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year.  Cheers to 2025!
Georgia Association of Convenience Stores.  All Rights Reserved.
168 North Johnston Street, Suite 209  |  Dallas, Georgia 30132
Phone: (770) 736-9723 | [email protected] | sitemap