Five years ago, Andrew Cairl was working in the entertainment industry as a wedding DJ, photographer and videographer. He was booked on the weekends, but “I needed something stable during the week to keep the bills paid,” he said. He applied to the Casey’s across the street from his apartment in Waite Park, Minnesota. “I never would have imagined then what it’s become now.”

Cairl has held several roles as he has grown in his career at Casey’s and is now a district manager. A major accomplishment in his tenure was competing in the company’s most recent pizza competition, where he created a pizza that was a tribute to the pickle wrap—pickles wrapped in cream cheese and ham, a popular appetizer in parts of the Midwest.

His pickle wrap-inspired pizza appeared as an LTO menu item in Casey’s locations in Minnesota and northern Iowa last fall.

He spoke with NACS about:

What he loves about working in convenience

I love being in front of people and getting to engage with them. When you’re in a convenience store, you have a lot of regulars. There are a lot of people that depend on your store and rely on you for the important parts of their day-to-day life. You get an intimate opportunity to connect with the community around you, and you don’t get that in a lot of other jobs, even in similar retail jobs.

Participating in Casey’s pizza competition

I wanted to do something to represent Minnesota and the Midwest that had a hometown feel. We kicked around a lot of ideas but narrowed it down to four pickle-focused recipes and let employees in some of our stores taste test them. The pickle wrap won every time.

I also wanted to make sure the pizza was simple to build and didn’t stress team members out to make. What our team members want to eat and make translates to the guest—if the team is happy to be making the product, the guest is going to get a better product too.

When I was contacted about putting my pizza on the menu, that was a special moment. I was really honored. It was another thing that helped me feel like what I do for Casey’s matters.

Why he would encourage someone to work at a c-store

There are so many different opportunities within the convenience world. It’s not just a straight ladder to climb. There are sidesteps in different areas of expertise or departments—there is something for everybody.

Part of what keeps it fresh is how challenging it can be at times. There is a lot going on but I enjoy a challenge and that is what keeps a job from getting stale, right? In convenience, the possibilities are endless.