A big treat for my brothers and I growing up was when our mother announced, spur of the moment, “Let’s get a Pepsi.” We piled into her Plymouth and headed to a mom-and-pop store that smelled of candy, tobacco and wood fire. Visiting was a delight. The owners remembered our favorites—a BabyRuth or PayDay for me—and opened our Pepsi or Coca-Cola bottles, all the while making our mother feel more like royalty than a tired young wife with four kids and tomatoes needing to be canned at home.

If the Valiant was running near-empty, we’d drive to a two-pump filling station, where the chatty proprietor himself pumped the gasoline. I’m betting neither of those stores spent much on branding, and yet, the warm welcome I received there as a child still resonates.

C-stores with spiffy forecourts have sprung up in their stead. One sells freshly made salads and sandwiches and offers discounts on gas through a mobile app. Another steps up the game with ice cream and made-to-order coffee drinks. These chains seem to be holding their own against a Food Lion, a Walmart Supercenter and not one but three Dollar General stores within a 10-mile radius.

As you already know, NACS members are some of the friendliest people you’ll meet.

It’s competitive threats like these, coupled with rising operating costs, the hunt for employees and the changing nature of retail itself that were interwoven into the 2019 NACS State of the Industry Summit. “The consumer is changing; technology is changing; the landscape is changing,” noted economist Anirban Basu on opening day. The message was clear: Don’t just think about tomorrow, think about what your business looks like 10 years from now.

In this month’s magazine, we delve into industry metrics for 2018 and highlight SOI Summit speakers, who discussed headwinds and branding, friction and delight. In the feature “A Brand Above,” experts share the building blocks of a great brand. For store operators struggling to find and retain staff—and who isn’t—don’t miss coverage of the NACS Human Resources Forum, along with advice on hiring people with disabilities.

For innovation inspiration this issue, consider China, one of the world’s fastest growing convenience markets with more than 100,000 c-stores. As NACS President and CEO Henry Armour observed at the 2019 NACS Convenience Summit Asia in Shanghai, China, “Retailers are using technologies to solve a problem versus technologies looking for a problem to solve.”

The April SOI Summit was my first, and I can say that I was wowed! Not only is convenience retailing a fascinating industry but, as you already know, NACS members are some of the friendliest people you’ll meet. A shout out to Jim Weber and the guys at Spinx who let me crash their breakfast and Connie Cooper of Quick Mart who shared a selfie with me, along with Renee Duszynski and Douglas Murphy of JTI, who brought back memories of my Philly days. Can’t wait for the NACS Show in October—registration is open, so sign up today!