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Technology Tools for Multi-Site Environmental Compliance and Facilities Managers
By Tony Caputo, Warren Rogers

Some of the most-challenging positions within a multi-site c-store or travel center operation are in the areas of environmental compliance and facilities maintenance. Often, corporate staff can wear both hats as the company grows in both size and location count. For compliance managers, keeping up with the recurring inspections and tasks to meet environmental regulations can be daunting and difficult to keep up with. It also comes without saying how busy a maintenance manager can be keeping forecourts running smoothly while addressing ATG alarms, filter changes, tank cleanings, underground equipment, and dispenser repairs.

Today, environmental and maintenance managers may be reliant on spreadsheets and reminder notes to track their site equipment, repair needs, and required compliance testing. When the company was smaller in size, this tracking method may have been adequate, but may now result in missed deadlines, notices of violations, avoidable stress, and expensive, last-minute reaction to inspection and repair needs. In addition, forecourt performance can suffer with down dispensers, red tags, NOVs, and slow-flowing lanes through delayed or overlooked repairs.

Once a fuel operation reaches a certain size, an investment in technology can make a huge difference in managing the cost and complexities of compliance requirements and maintenance needs.  Today’s technology can help lean organizations to better-track, assign, and ensure that required inspections and repairs take place as expected. With the use of a web-based diary and document storage process in place, less issues can go unaddressed or overlooked.

Here are a few areas to consider in your search to improve technology within your company.

Document Storage

First and foremost, an efficient compliance and maintenance department needs easy access to documentation and the ability to […]

Fuel operators fully-realize the costs of maintaining fuel inventories at their retail locations. At $3+ cost per gallon, an average retail c-store can have over $50,000 of inventory on-hand at any time. At a travel center, this inventory can exceed $200,000 or more!

Much mystery still surrounds what happens to fuel products as they are received from the terminal, dropped into the underground tanks by the hauler, rests underground in the tanks and lines, and how accurately the fuel is being dispensed.

Many operators may still rely on tank gauge testing and statistical inventory and delivery accounting to track their fuel purchases, sales, and underground inventories. Traditionally, this has been a fine practice, but may not give you the immediate notice that you need when shortages, theft, leaks, or losses occur. Oftentimes, it can be as long as 30 days before large variances or shortages are detected. But, if an operator is below the 1%+130 gallon variance allowed by most states, then that may be considered good enough.

Fortunately, growing technology does exist to better-automate inventory reconciliation and add addition depth and metrics to the equation.  As companies grow and advance into the future, investment in data analytics and increased technology can pay off handsomely.

For example, with automated continuous inventory reconciliation, you can obtain the most accurate and complete picture of your fuel operation — from every underground tank and fuel line, and dispenser, into your customers’ fuel tanks. A robust system can feature real-time, continuous reconciliation technology and is also ideal for high volume sites equipped with automatic tank gauging systems (ATG) and advanced dispenser pump controllers. However, no matter the volume or size of a site, a serious issue can still cost the operator thousands […]

Announcing the Winners of CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest
Winners were determined based on key factors to success at c-stores, including innovation, packaging and more.
Link to article: https://cstoredecisions.com/2022/09/23/announcing-the-winners-of-cstore-decisions-2022-hot-new-products-contest/
By Emily Boes | September 23, 2022

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In the convenience store industry, thousands of new products and services are launched each year. But how can retailers predict which of those new products will ultimately be successful with customers?

CStore Decisions’ 2022 Hot New Products Contest evaluated a number of new product launches and is awarding the products set for success at c-stores this year.

This year, CStore Decisions received more than 100 entries across dozens of categories. A panel of retailer experts judged this year’s entries. Winners were determined using a point system that looked at key factors to success including innovation, packaging and more. New products/services are defined as having launched in 2022.

Introducing the 2022 CStore Decisions Hot New Products contest winners:

Technology Fuel
Gold: Dover Fueling Solutions — Ovation Multi-Hose Dispenser with Anthem UX and DX Promote

Silver: Warren Rogers Fuel System Diagnostics — fuelWRAp

Bronze: Techniche — Maintenance Management System for EV Charging Stations

Adult Beverage
Gold: Constellation Brands, Inc. — Modelo Oro

Silver: E&J Gallo Winery — High Noon Pineapple and Peach Flavors

Bronze: Coppa Cocktails — Coppa Cocktails Mojito
Beverage
Gold: Keurig Dr Pepper — Dr Pepper Zero Sugar

Silver: La Colombe — Nitro Extra Bold Cold Brew

Bronze: The Coca-Cola Co. — Minute Maid Aguas Frescas
Beverage Functional/Energy 
Gold: Body Armor — KiwiStrawberry Lyte

Silver: Bluetriton Brands — Ac+ion Water

Bronze: C4 Energy — C4 Energy Skittles
Candy
Gold: Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks — Chamoy Sour Neon Worms

Silver: Candy Dynamics — Sour & Chewy Bears Theater Box

Bronze: GLK Foods — OH SNAP! Spiced Pineapple Bites
CBD
Gold: CBD Living — CBD Living Mango Guava Sparkling Water

Silver: Paragon Corp — Single Serve Exotic Hemp Cannabinoid Gummies

Bronze: iDELTA Pure CBD Vapors — iDELTA8 Diamond Disposable Vape Pen
Foodservice
Gold: Tyson Foods — Tyson Hot ‘N Spicy Chicken & Waffles Sandwich

Silver: Chester’s Chicken — Extra Creamy Cheddar Mac […]

Retail fuel operators have many factors to manage on their journey to reasonable profitability. Labor, marketing, maintenance, housekeeping, foodservice, and logistics to name just a few.
When it comes to fuel inventory management, today’s $5 to $6 average gasoline and diesel retails do not make matters any easier! Every gallon of fuel loss can have dramatic and negative impact on the bottom-line.
The largest potential fuel loss areas for any fuel reseller are based on how well they manage their wet-stock inventories. An average underground fuel tank may have $15,000 or more in liquid fuel at any one time and a load of fuel can be worth well over $30,000. Without good controls and measurements in place, fuel losses could grow dramatically, even without your knowledge. While it is commonly perceived that an operator may not have much control over their fuel-related “shrink” or loss, some steps can be taken to better-manage the impact.
The 4 most-common factors resulting in fuel loss include:

*Delivery Shortages
*Fuel theft
*Environmental or temperature factors
*Meter drift

In this article, we will briefly look at each factor and suggest ways for better management.
Delivery Shortages
Loss can be inherent in the fuel delivery process without strong oversight. If your fuel loads are unintentionally shorted by the terminal supplier or your fuel hauler, the loss can be substantial. A delivery loss due to a terminal short is often a result of terminal meter drift, or the fuel tanker not receiving the expected fuel load.
Many fuel operators depend on the store’s ATG, or automatic tank gauge, to capture the delivery amount. However, depending on the brand, model, and options on the ATG, this delivery estimate may not include transactions that occurred during the 30-60 minute timeframe […]