TruAge Retailer Webinar

TruAge's Retailer Webinar
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TruAge is the most secure way to verify age, not only ensuring that age-restricted products stay out of underage hands, but also protecting your consumer’s privacy better than other solutions available.  It combines the 50-year history of age-verification advances developed and supported by NACS, with cutting-edge technology developed by Conexxus, its standards-setting partner. And TruAge is free to retailers, consumers and point-of-sale (POS) providers.

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About the Webinar

The new TruAge age-verification program, the most heavily researched and tested initiative in NACS’ history, will officially launch in mid-2023.  

Convenience stores process 54 million age-restricted transactions every day and are leaders in age verification, conducting 20 times more ID checks daily than the TSA.  With an increasingly complex product landscape, ever-changing legal requirements and the introduction of volume limits, the current manual approach leaves too much room for error. And this leaves your business and employees at risk.  

TruAge is the most secure way to verify age, not only ensuring that age-restricted products stay out of underage hands, but also protecting your consumer’s privacy better than other solutions available.  It combines the 50-year history of age-verification advances developed and supported by NACS, with cutting-edge technology developed by Conexxus, its standards-setting partner. And TruAge is free to retailers, consumers and point-of-sale (POS) providers.

Join the TruAge team to learn:

  • How key product features protect you and your employees, while maintaining access to profitable age-restricted product pipelines
  • What technical options are available for retailer customization
  • When POS providers will have TruAge available for you 
  • Which retailers and manufacturers sit on the TruAge Board of Directors
  • How new competitive entrants in age verification could create an age “interchange” fee
  • And most importantly, how consumers reacted to TruAge during in-store pilot tests 

About the Speakers

Kyle McKeen headshot
Kyle McKeen
Chief Executive Officer
TruAge Solutions, LLC

Kyle McKeen has decades of leadership in retail, including serving as president and CEO of Alon Brands, which owned and operated hundreds of convenience stores in Texas and New Mexico.

Patrick Abernathy headshot
Patrick Abernathy
Manager Retail and Systems Engagement
TruAge Solutions, LLC

Patrick Abernathy manages the retailer adoption of TruAge through the communication of the importance of digital age verification to preserving existing and future category sales, culminating in retailers joining the program.  Actively seeks retail platform support of TruAge through enlistment in the developer program and works with each platform vendor to expeditiously integrate and release TruAge capability in their products.  Abernathy also participates on the executive team to establish aggressive adoption of TruAge by retailers through enrollment, platform adoption, state policy endorsements, and new retail segments outside of just the convenience retail stores.     

Prior to joining TruAge Solutions in April 2022, Abernathy has accumulated more than 35 years of experience in the technology sector with more than 20 years specifically in the Convenience Store industry.  He worked at Sapp Bros Truck Stops as the IT Manager and helped establish their initial IT department and implemented PDI Retail systems.  Most recently he worked for Jacksons Food Stores as their Director of IT and Director of Retail Technology focusing on retail technology systems, including back-office PDI systems, EPOS, dispensers, DVRs, ATGs, data networks, fuel brand credit networks, device setup, and developing standards and policies.  He also managed all related vendor relationships, contracts, system features, and future feature enhancements.   Currently, he is serving as the SIGMA IT Share Group moderator and throughout the years, served on several advisory boards and support groups such as the chair of Conexxus API Focus Group, the chair of the Verifone Petroleum Advisory Council, a steering committee member for PDI’s Retail and Wholesale Users groups, and the chair of the Client Advisory board for Acumera.

Jeff Lenard headshot
Jeff Lenard
Vice President of Strategic Industry Initiatives
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)

Jeff Lenard oversees NACS’ industry-wide external communications campaigns to advance the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social, and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. Lenard also serves as lead spokesperson and has conducted more than 6,000 media interviews about trends and innovations at the nation’s 148,000-plus convenience stores. In addition, he is the creator and host of the association’s award-winning weekly podcast, “Convenience Matters,” and oversees the long-running video series “Ideas 2 Go.”

Prior to joining NACS in 1999, Lenard served in communications and marketing functions for several energy-focused associations. He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. in marketing from Syracuse University. Lenard currently serves on the Board of Directors of both the National Safe Place Network and In Our Backyard.

Lisa Rountree headshot
Lisa Rountree
Head of Marketing & Customer Experience
TruAge Solutions, LLC

Lisa leads development of TruAge’s brand & marketing strategy across all channels for both B2B and B2C stakeholders to maximize product adoption.  She is also responsible for identifying and leveraging key consumer insights to shape TruAge’s product design and pipeline prioritization, as well as retail execution. Rountree is also a member of the Executive Team, contributing to overall program strategy, cross-channel retail adoption, and partnerships/sponsorships. Lisa has been with TruAge since its inception in 2020.

As a senior marketing executive with a successful history of strategic leadership building great brands, driving change and delivering sustainable growth, Lisa has worked across a wide range of consumer categories and brands in her 25+ years in marketing, holding leadership positions with The Walt Disney Company, The Hershey Company, and Capital One.  She brings rich experience in general management, marketing strategy, global brand management, consumer relationship management, customer experience design, innovation, insights and business development.

Lisa received her BS in Journalism from Northwestern University, and her MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.  She currently resides in Richmond, VA with her husband and daughter.
 

Stephanie Sikorski headshot
Stephanie Sikorski
Vice President, Marketing; Executive Director
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS); NACS Foundation

Stephanie leads the development of integrated marketing campaigns and executes strategies to effectively grow the organization’s global brand and advance convenience and fuel retailing. In marketing NACS programs, products and events, her focus is centered on educating, engaging stakeholders, and activating supporters—as well as those who strive to influence social behaviors—to benefit the industry and the communities it serves.

Stephanie has been working in the Marketing and Communications field for nearly 20 years. Prior to NACS, Stephanie led consumer education campaigns around eyewear and eyecare for The Vision Council, and has experience across a variety of categories, from the City of Tallahassee, Florida, to Napier Outdoors and Creative Arts. She has been an active member of the American Marketing Association’s D.C. Chapter (AMADC)—the fourth largest chapter in the nation—having served as President in 2018-19. 

Sikorski holds degrees in Business Administration and Marketing from Niagara College Canada, an honors B.A. in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations from George Mason University, and a Master’s degree from Georgetown University in Integrated Marketing Communications. She resides in Alexandria, VA.