Cause for Celebration

The Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience (TWIC) awards program celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. As I take a moment to reflect on this milestone, I am struck by just how much this program has evolved since its inception.

We launched TWIC in 2014 with 30 honorees. The inaugural class included 15 senior-level executives, eight rising stars and two store managers, along with five leaders selected as Women of the Year. They were recognized at a simple breakfast event held at the Las Vegas Convention Center at 7 a.m. Less than 100 people were in attendance.

This year, we received roughly 300 TWIC nominations from across the industry's retailer, distributor and supplier communities. The judging process was tough as the nominations were simply outstanding. After much deliberation, our judges decided on 86 winners.

The 2023 TWIC class is comprised of 39 Senior-Level Leaders, 35 Rising Stars, seven Mentors and five Women of the Year. They will be honored the evening of Oct. 4 at an awards gala and party at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. A sold-out crowd of more than 400 is expected.

For a 10th anniversary, the traditional gift is tin or aluminum. It is meant to symbolize strength, resilience, flexibility, and the capacity to be bent without breaking. These same adjectives can certainly apply to this year's Top Women in Convenience winners and the 505 TWIC honorees who have preceded them.

The c-store industry has come a long way and I am excited for the future as more women keep rising up the ranks and advancing into higher positions of authority.