CSNews' Single Store Owner Forms Wholesaler Advisory Board

Wholesale distributors play a critical role in helping single-store owners in the convenience store industry meet their customers’ needs and compete better against the larger chains. In recognition of that, Convenience Store News for the Single Store Owner has created a Wholesaler Advisory Board, composed of representatives from the largest wholesalers to the convenience channel.

These advisors will help Single Store Owner stay attuned to the informational needs of small retailers, while also better representing the wholesaler community’s role in the success of these small entrepreneurial retailers.

Each Wholesaler Advisory Board member will provide the Single Store Owner editorial team with updates on current business conditions, emerging trends and hot product categories, as well as identify challenges and opportunities faced by both c-store retailers and wholesalers in general.

Single Store Owner remains the only media vehicle totally committed to the informational and business needs of single-store owners in the c-store industry. “This new Wholesaler Advisory Board will help us be an even more valuable resource to this large segment of the convenience store industry,” said Editorial Director Don Longo.

The 2016 Wholesaler Advisory Board members are:

Kirk Leff, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, McLane Co. Inc.

Leff joined McLane in 1989 as the deli/fast food merchandiser for McLane Suneast. During his 26-year tenure with McLane, Leff has held various positions such as area sales manager, RMS manager, vice president of distribution, and vice president of sales.

In 2003, Leff was promoted to division president of McLane Northwest. Then, from 2004 to 2010, he served as president of the Northeast and Concord divisions. In November 2010, Leff joined the McLane sales team as vice president of business development. He assumed his current role as vice president of sales and marketing in January 2014.    

Jon Bratta, Vice President of Marketing, Core-Mark International Inc.

Bratta leads the product team focused against the development of the foodservice categories, the team responsible for the balance of the store categories, as well as the digital marketing team.

He joined Core-Mark in May 2015, moving his family from North Carolina, where he served as vice president of foodservice for The Pantry Inc. Prior to that role, Bratta led The Pantry’s packaged goods team as vice president of merchandising for packaged goods. Before joining The Pantry, he spent nearly 11 years with 7-Eleven Inc. in various leadership roles.

Jim Hachtel, Vice President of Strategic Insights, Eby-Brown Co. LLC

Hachtel began his career in retail in 1982, working in a range of functions for National Convenience Stores dba Stop-n-Go Markets. He joined ARCO ampm in 1994 as a district manager and served in a variety of roles including operations manager, training team leader, national merchandising manager, and senior category manager.

In his current role at Eby-Brown, Hachtel is responsible for working with retail customers to understand the competitive landscape and develop customized category management solutions using Eby-Brown’s SmartProcess category management program.