Ground Up! Key Steps When Building a C-Store (Part 2 of 2)

Outside picture of The Palms hotel and the Vegas strip

Not yet a TCSA member? Your first meeting is FREE.*

*Available to Tribes who are not (and have not been) TCSA members (or sponsors).

Event Description
Has your tribe talked about building a c-store? Join this membership meeting for the 2nd half of how to build a c-store. This meeting will cover the key steps from construction and design to the grand opening!

Member Mixer (1/17 @ 5:00 pm)
Nove Room at the Palms Casino Resort (Las Vegas, NV)

Member Meeting (1/18 & 1/19 @ 9:00 am - 4:30 p,m)
Ballroom 4-6 at the Palms Casino Resort (Las Vegas, NV)

CLICK HERE for the MEETING AGENDA!
— Pacific Time Zone —

$250 Raffle
To win, you must complete the online evaluation at the end of the day to be entered to win the $250. Must be present to win!

Hotel Suites* - Click here to make your online reservation!

*The guest room/suite rates quoted above are exclusive of the applicable Clark County Room
Tax at the time of stay, which is currently 13.38%, subject to change. A $32.00 daily Resort Fee plus the applicable Clark County Room Tax is applied to each Hotel room reservation

Triple/Quad Occupancy. The Guest Room Rates are quoted per Guest room, per night,
single/double occupancy. There will be an additional per-person charge of thirty dollars
($30.00) for triple/quad occupancy.

Date

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Time

5:00 pm–4:00 pm (Pacific)

Format

In-person + Virtual

Who

Members + Sponsors

Location

Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas

Registration closed

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Member Spotlight

Jake Jabusch

Executive Vice President, PNE Construction

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Jake Jabusch is the Executive Vice President of Construction for Pacific Northern Environmental. After graduating from George Fox College with a BA in Business, Jake spent the first 12 years of his professional career working for two national home builders in the Portland and Seattle markets. Since joining PNE in 2007, Jake has served in multiple capacities including Superintendent, Project Manager, Business Development, and General Manager prior to assuming the current role of VP.

Todd Bogart

Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing of PNE Construction

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Todd serves as our Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing of PNE. Todd holds more than 30 years of experience in sales where he has served in executive positions in sales, marketing, business development and mergers and acquisitions. He has deep experience in selling and managing customer-focused service organizations. Todd holds an undergraduate degree in Organizational and Mass Communication from Eastern Washington University.

Dylan Eng

Director of Sales LDC East, Harbor Wholesale Foods

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In eastern Washington, you can find Dylan Eng, our Director of Sales, who manages and oversees a high-achieving team of sales professionals and merchandising support. Dylan is responsible for Harbor Wholesale’s service and programs, customer experience, and comprehensive business development for greater eastern Washington inclusive of Idaho, Montana, and NE Oregon. Dylan’s approach to creating and delivering solution-based sales relationships and outstanding service to a wide array of Harbor customers in very different areas from extremely rural to the high-growth Spokane metro and Tri-Cities markets is the core focus of his leadership in the region.

Raised in eastern Washington, Dylan’s retail and wholesale roots go back to his experience at Bur-Bee Distributing as Director of Operations and then an additional 16 years with us here at Harbor, starting as a Territory Sales Manager and promoting to Regional Sales Manager and building further achievements as a General Sales Manager and now a Director of Sales in which he has created a multi-dimensional approach to operating with Harbor’s core values of strong relationships, transparency, and trust.

Dan Willows

Vice President of Purchasing and Category Management, Harbor Wholesale Foods

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If you’re looking for a true Pacific Northwest grocery guy and a top trade and vendor consultant, Dan is your guy. He’s our guy, too. As Harbor’s Director of Procurement & Vendor Marketing, his passion for helping independent retailers thrive in the marketplace is unmatched. Dan directs a resourceful and savvy team of 19, comprised of Category Managers, Buyers, and Analysts who are committed to creating great programs to optimize all the latest consumer trends for our customers. The most important element to Dan as a leader of one of Harbor’s largest departments is that every person has the opportunity to reach their potential for excellence, with integrity and transparency being the daily glue among a talented, diverse, and varied team.

With an academic background in computer science, Dan’s work experience started in retail (Safeway, Olson’s) and continued in distribution with leadership roles at Associated Grocers, Unified Grocers, and Northwest Grocers.

When not at work thinking up great marketing ideas, Dan and his wife Diane can be found enjoying an active outdoors lifestyle visiting the various destinations that the Northwest offers while occasionally traveling abroad.

Paul Sanchez

Sr. Commercial Director - Nevada, Anheuser-Busch

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Paul began with Anheuser Busch, beginning in 2013, and has held several roles throughout. He began as a merchandiser, working through a pathway of different sales pillars including being a rep and managing people at an AB operated wholesaler for the first 9 years of his career. After, he made his way to Las Vegas where he now partners closely with wholesalers in Nevada to bring the Anheuser Busch commercial strategy to life, covering the full umbrella of the business for the state. Paul specializes in a consumer-first mindset that supports delivering the priorities and standards at Anheuser Busch.

During his length of time at Anheuser Busch, Paul has experienced all channel segments of the market, with the majority of time being spent in the off-premise – both grocery and c-store business.

Outside of work, Paul enjoys time spent with his wife, daughter, and dog Buddy. He spends time playing and watching sports often. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Oregon.

Bryan Schroeder

Director of Revenue & Sales Capabilities, Nevada Beverage

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Bryan joined Nevada Beverage in 2022 after spending 7 years at Anheuser-Busch in a variety of roles including Analytics, Pricing, Sales, and Strategy. He focuses primarily on building strategies to help our retail partners achieve profitable growth within their beverage categories in an ever-changing business climate.

Elizabeth Glenn

Nisqually Indian Tribe Building Department Senior Project Manager, RA

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I am an architect licensed by the state of Washington. I have been working as an architect in the private sector for the last 18 years. My specialty was tribal work and I’ve worked with several tribes in WA State. I have a history of working with the Nisqually Indian Tribe and recently became a full-time employee of the tribe’s Building Department. I am now the Senior Project Manager for construction and development projects on and off the reservation.

Presentation+

“Where to get started” - The purpose of our presentation is sharing information on how to take the idea of a gas station through the initial planning and development phases.

Kyle Curtis

Vice President of Strategy and Growth, Cougar Den

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Kyle’s roots start in White Swan located on the Yakama Nation where he resides today. He comes from a family that includes a long line of entrepreneurs who work and live in Indian Country. Kyle’s grandfather is Kip Ramsey, Sr. (“Punia”) who is the Yakama Tribal Member credited with the Supreme Court Victory regarding the Yakama’s right to travel and trade.

Kyle graduated from the University of Washington with degree in finance and American Indian Studies. His academic achievements include studying abroad in China and completing a Harvard Business School Executive program through the Native American Finance Officers Association (NAFOA).

Kyle returned home to Yakima 5 years ago were he took on the role of Chief Financial Officer for Cougar Den, Inc. Cougar Den is a 100% Indian Owned company that provides Indian Country with quality petroleum products, exceptional services, and unique tribal expertise that allow tribal fueling stations to meet their full potential.

Kyle places a personal emphasis on service above self, giving back to his community as a member of the Yakima Downtown Rotary and recently elected as County Commissioner for Yakima County.

Presentation+

"Fuel Category: To Brand or Not to Brand"

Is a Branded or Unbranded station right for you? The answer is……. it depends. In this fun session we will discuss the strategy, the pros and cons and the outliers of what makes a high performing station and how a Brand can either help or detract from your tribal station’s goals.

Brian Chace

Retail Fuels Sales Manager, Wilcox & Flegel

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Northwest native, growing up in Longview WA. Attended Central Washington University- BS Business Administraion; I’ve been in the Retail Fuels business for 24 years, all with Wilcox & Flegel, started at age 25.

Presentation+

Brian will answer questions regarding his and Wilcox & Flegel’s experience with different equipment types (dispensers, EPOS, etc). Any other relevant industry subjects.

Jordan Tanasse

Petroleum Sales, NW Pump

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Jordan Tanasse has been in the petroleum industry for four years and has been working with tribes on building and upgrading c-stores for two years. He is part of Northwest Pump’s outside sales division, and has helped with tribal projects throughout the western US. He thoroughly enjoys the relationships he’s made with his customers and the challenges/opportunities that come with building bigger and better fueling sites. Jordan resides in Portland, OR with his wife Kaitlyn, and two sons, Everett and Warren.

Presentation+

Attendees should expect to learn about different equipment manufacturers, how lead times have been affected by supply chain disruptions, underground tank options, and what to keep in mind while planning for your fueling equipment.

Sam Nigro

CEO of Loss Prevention Group

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Sam Nigro is the founder and CEO of Loss Prevention Group (LPG), a full service retail investigation and loss prevention agency. LPG specializes in internal theft investigations, theft prevention/detection solutions, and site security. LPG has offices in Washington and Arizona. LPG services clients in 8 Western states. Loss Prevention Group celebrated a 30 year anniversary in 2021.

Presentation+

"Security: Current C-Store Loss Trends"

Recent retail theft trends and outlook for 2023.

Del Oliver

Western Sales Manager, Points to Partners

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Spent 26 years in specialty construction, filled every role from entry to President along the way. The last 15 years in Corporate Department Management and President of Business Units. Specialty was rebuilding businesses which had been neglected through employee development and leadership. Now enjoying applying those learned skills in the C-Store and Truck Stop industry

Justin Shank

Principal / CEO, Shank Marketing

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Justin launched Shank Marketing in April 2017 to provide tribal enterprises, casinos, and small businesses more accessible digital marketing resources. He brings an operations-driven perspective to marketing and advertising with career experience in casino marketing, hospitality, event management, advertising, and as a publicist for movie studios. He specializes in public relations, marketing strategy, social media, reputation management, influencer marketing, and marketing technologies.

The growing team at Shank Marketing work with tribal enterprises, casinos, entertainment venues, restaurants, resorts, bars, c-stores, golf courses, healthcare centers, and more. Their clients are currently in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Justin enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and relaxing with his wife, Mackenzie and their dog, Bruce Willis. His bachelor of arts degree is from Western Washington University.

Cameron Goodwin

President/CEO Samcor Inc. - Samish Indian Nation

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Cameron Goodwin has been a senior-level executive for 18 years in Indian Country, as a CEO, CFO, General Manager, and/or Consultant at various tribal enterprises. He has also participated in various projects at the Tribal, Local, State, and Federal levels, representing Tribal interests.

Cameron’s current projects for TWG incorporate his knowledge in management and administration finances, convenience store operations, tobacco manufacturing, and Tribal gaming.

In Cameron’s free time, you can find him spending time with his family, out geoducking/fishing/hunting, or enjoying a baseball game.

Sam Roark

Chehalis Tribal Enterprises

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10 years working in Indian Country

Former Director of Island Enterprises (Squaxin Island Tribe)

Former Regional Director (Travel Centers of America & Petro Stopping Centers)

Former Director of Retail and Fuel Operations (Primm Valley Resorts / Terrible’s Stations)

Shell Oil 1% Global Retailer

Josh Kilen

Digital Marketing Specialist, Hemisphere Design and Marketing

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Josh Kilen handles digital marketing at Hemisphere Design and Marketing. He’s has more than 20 years of experience managing digital marketing campaigns, from digital ads to social media marketing, for clients in retail, non-profit, and professional services.

Brad Halverson

Principal, Clearbrand CX

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Brad started Clearbrand CX in 2015, providing retail growth & transformation led by Brand and end-to-end Customer Experience [CX] design. He brings a customer-centric and data-driven approach to Brand Platforms, Marketing Strategy, Customer Journey, Fixture Planning, Interior Design, Signage, Décor, Digital, and Loyalty programs. Brad’s 22+ years in retail include sales, marketing, product management, and store development leadership, including at one of the most admired independent grocers in the United States.

Clearbrand CX provides services to grocery stores, convenience stores, product CPG brands, and universities in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Alaska, Colorado, Utah, Illinois, Texas, Mississippi, and Virginia.

Brad and his family enjoy the Pacific Northwest outdoors, winter sports, traveling, and finding good food in every possible corner of the country. He has a Bachelor of Arts from North Park University, Chicago, Illinois.

Tony Liberal

TCSA Vice-Chairperson

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I currently work for the Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation(MCEC) a Nisqually Indian Tribe business. My current role is Director of Operations for MCEC and I have oversite of our retail division Nisqually Markets.

I started working for Nisqually in 2014 and I was introduced to the Legend Ron Myers. Ron invited me to my first meeting as a guest. I found the organization's educational sessions very helpful and informative. I was also able to network with dozens of members that have been in the industry for many years. TCSA was a perfect fit for training and best practices and I had to make sure Nisqually Markets was involved.

My first experience with TCSA was a board meeting where I attended as a guest with Ron Myers. I was able to witness firsthand how a meeting was planned and executed. I was actually amazed at how much work went into a meeting. Board members making sure there was real-world value for the tribe members in regards to speakers and content. The next day was the actual meeting and seeing all the tribes together learning, networking, and sharing best practices was amazing to me. After that, I knew at some point I wanted to get involved and bring my experience to the board.

I have a passion for coaching football and I devote countless hours volunteering and coaching youth tackle football programs and youth specialty football clinics. Along with coaching, I volunteer and serve on multiple nonprofit youth football programs' boards of directors. I enjoy every minute of coaching and mentoring young student-athletes.

Lesa Cashman

Director of Supply Chain, Marine View Ventures

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Lesa joined the MVV team in May of 2013 as Supply Chain Manager and was subsequently promoted to Director of Supply Chain in 2017. Her experience centers around inventory control, category management, promotion planning and purchasing in retail, distribution, manufacturing and production planning work sectors.

Scott Abraham

Business Development, Midax

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With over 16 years of experience in the customer loyalty and digital marketing arena, in 2014 Scott started customizing a program specifically designed to meet the unique demands of Tribal operated C-Stores and Travel Centers.

With 8 years of experience working in Indian Country, Scott has been inspirational in leading the Midax team in developing custom programs such as Tribal Discounting that eliminate the gas tax for tribal members, as well as interfaces to major casino players' management systems that allow players pay for gas directly at the pump using their players' points.

Scott brings a customer-centric and data-driven approach to providing a web of overlapping incentive structures when designing your customer loyalty and digital marketing program that is right for your properties.

Charie Coulliette

Retail General Manager, Nisqually Markets

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I am the Retail General Manager for the Nisqually Markets. Nisqually has 6 locations, with 4 of them being fuel stations. I have been with the Markets since June of 2014. I am a part of the day-to-day operations and growing our current locations—exciting things to be done in the c-store industry and the economic growth for the Nisqually Tribe.

I joined TCSA because I wanted to be a part of such a dynamic team. This platform has done amazing things for me, such as networking capabilities and sharing ideas, and getting ideas from other members. The relationships I have formed have been a true blessing. It is a gift to be apart of this organization.

I wanted to join the Board because I had seen a need for diversity, and after talking this over with Chris Richardson, he encouraged me to run. I want to learn from fellow members about what works and what doesn't work. How do we continue to provide educational material and stay relevant as c-store operators? Ways to improve are ever-evolving. The passion that I had witnessed was invigorating.

I have two children that are my reason for challenging myself every day. I have a beautiful dog Max who I consider my 3rd child. When I'm not cleaning up Max's hair, I love to watch football and spend time with family and friends.

Chuck Brewer

Sales Account Manager, SSCS

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Chuck Brewer has been a senior sales representative at SSCS for more than 20 years. During that time he has developed and fostered relationships with more than 40 Tribal Enterprise Groups and Governmental Organizations who have installed and implemented the SSCS Back Office program in more than 80 Tribal C-Stores and Travel Centers.

Justin Tarbell

Executive Vice President, Tarbell Management Group

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Justin Tarbell is an enrolled member of the Mohawk Territory known as Akwesasne in upstate NY. His grandmother opened the first gas station on the Mohawk reserve back in 1953, Bear’s Den. His father, Eli Tarbell, added 2 more c-stores and helped blaze the trail for Indian gaming as we know it today. His brother, Brandon Tarbell, has grown the tribal member owned enterprise into several industries and verticals while leading a passionate team of over 250 FTE’s as President and CEO.

Justin earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and has over 25 years of experience working in Indian Country. He is a Top 40 Under 40 award recipient from the National Center of American Indian Economic Development (NCAIED). He has served as the Akwesasne Convenience Store Association President for 8 years, the Trinity School Board for 2 years, and various other associations and boards over time. Justin is currently the SVP of Business Development for their company, Tarbell Management Group, LLC.

Justin was instrumental in developing the company’s tobacco division, including their state of the art manufacturing operation Ohserase Manufacturing, LLC (OM). Since 2006, OM has grown from 8,000 square feet to over 80,000 and produces a variety of cigarette, filtered cigars, and pipe tobacco products for both domestic and international markets. SIGNAL is the company’s flagship brand and has become the #1 All Natural Native Made brand in the world.

The Tarbell family of companies has grown over the years to include convenience stores, quick-serve restaurants, a hotel, fitness center, cell phone towers and fiber optic communications, petroleum wholesale and transportation, and tobacco wholesaling and manufacturing. Justin enjoys learning about new markets and developing new relationships. He likes to spend his free time watching his kids play sports and doing outdoor activities as a family.

Amanjyot (AJ) Munday

Sales Account Manager, Shell Oil Company

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AJ began his career with Shell nearly eight years ago, gaining experience across the value chain from Chemicals/Manufacturing, Trading/Supply, & Marketing/Sales . He now represents Shell as a Sales Account Manager and is based in Seattle. AJ manages nine customer relationships by driving Shell's branded fuel customer value proposition to protect our current portfolio, win new business and grow responsibly in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. Alongside his wholesaler partners, AJ has supported the growth of Shell’s market share to over 25% in Washington (2022, OPIS).

AJ graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business Economics & Finance. He was born in Baltimore, MD to immigrant parents who came to the United States from Punjab, India. From there, his family moved to Sugar Land, TX and have remained there ever since.

When he’s not working, AJ enjoys traveling, learning about foreign cultures, pushing his limits physically through fitness & hiking, and trying to lower his golf handicap.

Athena Lopez

Human Resources Generalist at Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation

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My name is Athena Lopez, an enrolled member of the Chehalis Tribe, with familial ties to the Nisqually Tribe. I was born and raised on the Nisqually Reservation.

In November 2022, I joined Medicine Creek Enterprise Corporation (MCEC). I’ve been working for the Nisqually Tribe and MCEC for over twenty years.

My role primarily focuses on the onboarding process, providing support to the management team, current employees, and potential employees.

Marie Murray

General Manager, Samcor Fuel & Tobacco

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I have been a member of TCSA since the beginning. Ron Meyer, Bob Solomon, and I sat at a picnic table one afternoon and discussed how Bob and I were constantly getting asked questions on how to perform certain procedures while operating a gas station/ Convenience store by other curious tribes. We also discussed how starting some kind of organization that could help and represent all tribes would be a great asset to the tribal community. Ron Meyer, as always wanted to help us to move forward with this idea. Ron then talked to Jamie Bouslak. We then had a meeting with five tribes being represented. That was back in 2008. The rest is history.

I joined the board because I love helping others. Networking and sharing great ideas are what we had envisioned from the beginning. I love working with the tribes and being a part of their culture. The growth that has happened with Native American Tribes in the past twenty years has been an amazing ride.

I have two grandsons and one granddaughter. I love spending time with them more than anything. I am an artist and love to paint. I also love to garden and grow my own herbs to cook with. I am a very quiet person usually. I think that would surprise most people that I network with.

Joe Crommes

Senior Project Manager, Nisqually Construction Services

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Joe Crommes is a Sr. Project Manager for Nisqually Construction Services (NCS), a Tribally owned construction company. Joe joined Nisqually Construction Services (NCS) in 2014 and has 30+ years experience in the construction industry including multiple Tribal C-Store / Fuel Station projects. Joe has a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Washington State University.

Mike Mason

Economic Development Director, Nisqually Tribe

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Mike has had over 30 years’ experience in economic development planning, program development, and administration for the Tribe and others, and has a strong background in community development issues. Mike has spearheaded the retail enterprise for the Nisqually Tribe. Mike has extensive background and hands on experience in all phases of retail development; inter-governmental relations; community development project planning and management, and fundraising.

Mike worked with Squaxin Tribe with their Tobacco factory as their Tribal Tobacco representee and was one of the founding members of TCSA when it was created and worked with many of the Northwest Tribes.

Mike is currently the Economic Development Director for the Nisqually Tribe as well as having the new Fiber Communications / Broadband program under him.

Mike has always worked with TCSA to help move the program forward. To progress the Tribal Nations.