NYACS Bestows Hall of Fame Honors to Michael Newman, Jay Jones

Michael Newman

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Michael Newman of NOCO Energy Corp. and the late beer sales executive John "Jay" Jones III will be inducted into the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame.

In addition, Fran Duskiewicz of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes was named this year's Carl Trippi Award recipient, the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) announced.

All award recipients will be honored during the annual NYACS Chairman's Banquet on May 16 in Syracuse, N.Y. The awards ceremony is the closing event of NYACS' two-day Trade Show and Convention.

The New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame honors individual retailers and suppliers for exceptional achievement in the convenience store industry and exemplary service to NYACS.

Newman and his brother James are third-generation operators of NOCO Energy, which distributes petroleum and owns 40 NOCO Express c-stores throughout western New York. Newman has served on NYACS' Retail Board since 2004. He was appointed NYACS' Retail Board chairman in 2010.

Jones III was a veteran beer sales executive who was national chain account manager for Rochester, N.Y-based Genesee Brewing Co., later known as High Falls Brewing Co., for nearly 30 years. He served on the NYACS Associate Board for seven years, including as its chairman in 2002.

The Trippi Award, named for the late chairman of wholesale distributor Tripifoods Inc., honors a person who delivers "low-profile, high-impact" contributions to NYACS and the convenience store industry.

Fran Duskiewicz

Duskiewicz is Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes' senior executive vice president. He has served the 85-store chain since 1985, and also served as a board member for NACS, the Association for Convenience & Fuel Retailing. In addition, Duskiewicz was chairman of NACS' Research Committee for two years.

Albany, N.Y.-based NYACS is a non-profit trade group whose mission is to forge a favorable environment for New York State's convenience stores.