Exploring Retail's New Horizons with Pilot Flying J's Allison Cornish

Our guest this week is Allison Cornish, VP of Store Modernization for Pilot Flying J, recorded live in the MarketDial podcast studio at the NACS Annual Show. Allison is deeply experience convenience store industry veteran who was also recently recognized as the Top Woman in Convenience.

In a wide-ranging conversation we unpack the evolution of the convenience store business model at the Berkshire Hathaway owned retailer and discuss which merchandise, process, and technology adaptations are most important to drive customer loyalty and store associate engagement We also delve into Pilot Flying J's innovation process, including the role of consumer research and prototyping to unlock new sources of guest and store operating value.

But first we dip into the week in retail news, including our take on the relative importance of Black Friday/Cyber Monday. We ponder the avalanche of discounts that are about to be unleashed upon us, particularly by Kohl's which appears to be in the worst inventory position. Then we dip into earnings reports where we learn that less bad is apparently the new good, as Best Buy and Nordstrom dropped a lump of coal into our stockings, but saw their share prices rise. Dick's Sporting Goods continues to shine, however, posting yet another quarter of sales growth. We close with quick takes on declines in Amazon's customer satisfaction and whether a bankruptcy filing from Bed, Bath & Beyond is inevitable.

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About Allison

Allison Cornish serves as Vice President of Store Modernization at Pilot Company. Cornish is a graduate of Maryville College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management. She joined Pilot Company as her first job out of college and throughout her career has held leadership positions in multiple capacities including Regional Manager, Chief of Staff and VP of Operations. Cornish is dedicated to mentoring young up-and-coming leaders and female colleagues across the business and its more than 650 company-operated travel centers.

About Us

Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.

Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks , The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext! You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.

Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling author of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the NRF as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2026 and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.