Not Goodbye
On July 1, I transitioned to the new role of Editorial Director Emeritus at Convenience Store News. As part of this transition, Editor-in-Chief Linda Lisanti assumed additional responsibilities, and Senior News Editor Melissa Kress became Executive Editor.
For at least the next year, I’ll still be around to collaborate with Linda and Melissa on delivering insightful content and growing audience engagement for the leading source of business intelligence in the convenience store industry.
It’s the beginning of a new and exciting era for CSNews. Linda is the only editor here who pre-dates me on the team. I couldn’t have had a more indispensable consigliore or right-hand-woman for the past 16 years. I know that in Linda and Melissa, I leave the editorial management in extremely competent hands. Also, in Paula Lashinsky, I couldn’t have had a better publisher to work with.
I’m so proud to have played a role in guiding, growing and championing CSNews’ journalism across our print, digital and event platforms for the past 16 years. Our team of editors has grown in both numbers and expertise. We’ve pushed past the competition to become the No. 1 c-store industry media brand in market share. We pioneered digital-first reporting and dedicated ourselves to providing breaking news and distinctive in-depth analysis.
We’ve identified and stayed abreast of emerging category trends, from energy shots to e-cigs to CBD products. We’ve broadened our coverage of growing topics like foodservice and technology. We’ve invested in new platforms to serve our audience better, such as our Top Women in Convenience program, our Future Leaders in Convenience awards, our Convenience Foodservice Alliance membership community, our Technology Academy online learning module, and our Diversity & Inclusion educational platform.
Over the past 40 years, I’ve led the editorial efforts of four business publications that covered many different retail industries, from apparel to drug stores to building supply and home centers to mass merchandisers and grocery stores. The c-store channel has, by far, been my favorite. No other retail channel can match the entrepreneurial spirit, the resiliency, the congeniality and the graciousness of the retailers and suppliers who work in the convenience channel.
When I finally ride off into the sunset, I want to be known not just for the editorial successes of the publications I led, but also for what I gave back to the companies I worked for, the editors and reporters who worked for me, and the retail industries I reported on and served.
