More than 150 Cenex^® retailers attended CENEXPO, a premiere learning event aimed at helping c-store managers and owners grow their business and develop their leadership skills. The two-day event, held June 18-19, 2018 in Sioux Falls, S.D., featured breakout sessions, networking opportunities and a keynote from former Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens player Matt Birk.

The event began with break-out, educational sessions that highlighted leadership and creating a culture of sales.

One session highlighted how store leaders can create a sales culture by offering ways in which every person the store’s staff can be positioned as a sales person. “Despite a person’s position at a Cenex store, everyone is an important piece of every sale,” said Tyler Benson, CHS Energy sales training manager, who led the session. “By creating a culture of sales, your entire staff can be on the same page about priorities and expectations.”

The other session, led by Jeff Goettl and Katy Winecke, CHS learning and development managers, facilitated an interactive session where participants experienced firsthand the process of building a team and the disruption turnover can cause. “When employees are engaged, turnover goes down and the customer experience is enhanced,” says Goettl.

Bryan Brignac, director of marketing and communications for CHS Energy, gave a presentation about the Cenex Powered Locally™ brand campaign and highlighted how retailers can take advantage of the national, award-winning campaign. “Our brand is unique in that our stores are locally owned and operated and are engrained in the communities in which we live and work,” says Brignac, who shared the tools and resources available to retailers for use at their store locations. “All Cenex retailers have access to these tools and by using these, you help our brand go to market with a unified approach.”

Day one ended with a networking event, which opened with comments from Darin Hunhoff, executive vice president of CHS Energy and Processing & Food Ingredients. “CHS Energy and the Cenex brand is a premiere provider of energy services across America’s heartland,” says Hunhoff. “Cenex retail locations are the customer-facing representation of our brand and we take pride in what our brand stands for – the people and communities that make our stores different from our competitors.”

Day two opened with a keynote from Birk, a six-time Pro Bowl center who won Super Bowl XLVII with the Baltimore Ravens. Birk talked about leadership, teamwork and learning from failures.

Following the keynote, attendees visited with nearly 70 vendors, allowing attendees to find retail solutions for their businesses and to make connections. “Our vendors help our stores and you as retailers stay on top of industry trends and ensure you’re responding to customer needs,” says Hunhoff.

“The CENEXPO event is all about the interaction between the CHS staff and the Cenex network, connection with our vendor partners and creating long-lasting relationships,” said Bob Christopherson, CHS Retail Solutions Manager.

To find out more about CENEXPO and how you can participate next year, contact the Retail Solutions team at energyretailsolutions@chsinc.com.