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I am the Director of Sales for the Petroleum Retail Market at DTiQ. This covers c-stores, gas stations, and cardlock locations.

I got my start in the industry working as a sales associate for Petrosoft, a company that provides back office, fuel automation software, point of sale, and made to order food kiosks to the petroleum retail space.

Throughout my career, I’ve met people across the c-store industry, and therefore have been able to learn all aspects of the vertical. This industry is always changing, always advancing, and to have been able to learn from some of the industry’s best has helped me understand the marketplace and why DTiQ’s solution is such a great fit. However, DTiQ has only just entered this market, and there is a lot of work, education and growth still to come.

C-stores are DTiQ’s newest vertical. As a result, we have taken a very hands-on, ground-up approach while entering the market. I have attended as many of the regional and national tradeshows as possible, while working to grow the sales team and educate the market about DTiQ. It has been a multi-faceted approach, involving everything from getting face time at shows, to hitting the phones, to working with marketing to create educational and advertising pieces that raise awareness of DTiQ and our solutions in the Petroleum Retail vertical.

A Comprehensive Solution

Specifically, we offer a “one stop shop” or “all-in-one” solution to operators. Traditionally, in the Petroleum Retail Market, operators are piecemealing solutions together to come up with one operational solution. They will often have one company for security and surveillance, one for back-office, another for theft tracking, and yet another for operational and loyalty monitoring. DTiQ has the ability to tie all aspects of these operational needs together in a single solution for operators.

This solution is of particular interest to c-store operators. While loss prevention is important to the success of any business, it is absolutely critical to the success of any c-store. Unlike other retail and hospitality markets, c-stores are unique in the sense that they essentially have to do a lot more with a lot less. Often, locations are open 24/7, with only one employee on duty. The margins are slim, and theft (both internal and external) is significantly higher than in other industries.

A loss prevention system, such as the one that DTiQ provides, not only gives peace of mind to operators, but also can establish stability in operations, mitigate risk, reduce shrink, and prevent loss – which results in the ultimate goal of any operator: higher profits.

Driving Profit for DTiQ Customers

There are so many ways in which DTiQ’s services can drive higher profits for operators in the c-store industry, but if I had to choose three services/solutions that are the best fit for the industry, they would be: SmartAudit™ Reports, Remote Incident Support Archiving, and Triggers.

SmartAudit™ Reports are compiled by DTiQ’s Loss Prevention Auditors, who use video evidence to provide you with operational details that can make-or-break your profitability. Remote Incident Support Archiving helps operators mitigate risk by archiving critical incidents that occur on site. Operational triggers provide users with alerts when certain conditional events occur, such as unauthorized safe openings, or back door openings.

Operators use these services, and work hand-in-hand with DTiQ’s Business Consulting Group, to make changes that improve operational efficiency. The ability to tie these three services to the other loss prevention services that DTiQ provides creates a truly customizable and tailored solution for each c-store operator. Customization is crucial to our business, because in this industry, no c-store is run the same, or has the same loss prevention needs.

C-Stores & Foodservice

DTiQ has not only been the leader, but also a proven solution, in the foodservice industry for the past 20 years. Any c-store operator who is starting a foodservice program, or is thinking of starting a foodservice program, can rest assured knowing that, between our services and business consultants, DTiQ can assist, guide, and ensure that proper food handling and food safety procedures are being followed in your operation. Our auditing professionals work directly with our customers to discuss loss prevention strategies that will work for their specific business.

Convenience Stores Against Trafficking

Raising awareness about human trafficking has always been something that I have been extremely passionate about, and recently DTiQ partnered with C-Stores Against Trafficking to help combat the plight of human trafficking throughout the United States.

When I met Julianna Williams (the Program Director for CSAT) at NACS last year, and heard what CSAT was doing to raise awareness to fight human trafficking within c-stores, I knew DTiQ could help further their mission.

CSAT educates operators and their staff on how to spot victims of human trafficking. DTiQ can work with CSAT by providing evidence and footage of trafficking to authorities. Our auditors and LP team will be trained by CSAT on what to look for, red flag situations, and how our audits and forensic investigations can assist in these findings.

Together, we’re proud to be a part of the solution when it comes to ending human trafficking.