Schedule (Preliminary and Subject to Change)

The Intercontinental at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport

Wednesday, October 29

NATSO Foundation Fast Forward Focus Retail Tour
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm      

NATSO Foundation retail tours provide attendees with an opportunity to tour best–in–class retail locations, gather great ideas from successful travel center operators and network with other travel center operators in attendance! Attendees will tour the Kwik Trip Store #662 in Eagan, Minnesota. Pre-registration is required by October 8, 2025.

Dessert Welcome Reception 
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm      

Thursday, October 30

NATSO Foundation Board of Directors Meeting 
8:00 – 9:00                  

How to Best Appeal to Economic Developers: Executive Briefing with Breakfast
9:15-10:00 am    
Speaker: Aaron Brossoit, CEO, Golden Shovel      

When travel center companies embark on expansion, they must find the best location and persuade communities to invest in their vision. Golden Shovel Agency helps economic developers attract businesses, investment, and workforce talent to deliver economic growth for communities. Using his 20+ years of economic development expertise, Golden Shovel Aaron Brossoit, will advise attendees on how to best wow economic developers and some of the commonly available tools and resources for identifying the right location. 

Brossoit will share:

• What economic developers are looking for and how to put your best foot forward;
• Technology tools for analyzing traffic, regional assets and customer expectations;
• How to work with economic developers to find available land and incentives; and
• Tools to evaluate the long-term economic prospects of the surrounding area to ascertain potential for future growth and expansion.
  

Mergers & Acquisitions In The Truck Sop Industry
10:15-11:00 am         
Speaker: Kolby Jones, Director, Caliber Company

Travel centers are evolving every day, from their size to offerings to branding. Kolby Jones, director, Caliber Company, will explore the role mergers and acquisitions have in the future of the travel center industry.

During his presentation, he will explore the opportunities within mergers and acquisitions, new project opportunities, competition, pricing, and the overall mergers and acquisitions market.  There is much to discuss around the demand and supply of sellers and buyers, and who is active in the market. Fast Forward Focus attendees will leave the sessions with an understanding of the pricing, challenges, and rewards of transacting on truck stops. 

Lunch and Table Discussions: Travel Center Technology Roadmap
11:15 – 12 pm
Moderator: Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation
Panelists: Tony Caputo, Director of Business Development, Warren Rogers; Erika Curtis, Delivery Lead, W. Capra; Meghann Erhart, Executive Vice President, Relay Payments; Jeremie Myhren, Cofounder and CIO, Onramp; Chris Oliver, Chief Marketing Officer, Trucker Path; Peter Rasmussen, CEO & Founder, Convenience & Energy Advisors

What technology does the travel center industry need?
What technology is poised to impact the industry drastically?  
What technology should you be investing in now?

The NATSO Foundation’s Technology Steering Council has developed a new Travel Center Technology Roadmap that will answer these questions and more.  

During the working session, the Steering Council will quickly present their findings, and then attendees will reflect on the roadmap and create new insights together with the industry power players at their table.

NATSO Board of Directors Meeting
12:15-4:15 pm         

Education at Fast Forward Focus is offered by the NATSO Foundation. The NATSO Foundation is the research education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO Inc. Interested in speaking? Reach out to NATSO Foundation Executive Director Amy Toner at atoner@natsofoundation.org.