Members of the Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) will gather at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville - Universal CityWalk®, on Tuesday, January 27, 2009, to celebrate five years of progress and success. The commemorative 5th Anniversary event is part of the 2009 Annual Conference, January 26-29, at The Florida Hotel and Conference Center in Orlando. All PCATS five-year members will be recognized as they have played an instrumental role in advancing the organization.
PCATS, a not-for profit dues-based association, was formed by members of the Technology Project at The Association for Convenience & Petroleum Retailing (NACS). PCATS opened its doors as a separate entity on January 1, 2004, and is the trusted third party bringing competitors together in a neutral setting to work on technology standards initiatives. PCATS enables efficient and effective solutions for business process improvement. PCATS offers a robust collection of standards, built upon a simple to understand, develop, and implement language - eXtensible Markup Language (XML).
Sponsors for the PCATS 5th Anniversary Celebration include Anheuser-Busch, Inc., CMi Solutions, Inc., Flash Foods, Inc., Gilbarco Veeder-Root, KickBack Rewards, PepsiCo, Inc., VeriFone Inc., and W. Capra Consulting Group. Kraig B. Adams, director of collaborative customer capabilities of The Coca-Cola Company stated, "As PCATS Vice Chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the companies that have come forward as sponsors for the Annual Conference. Without their financial contribution, events like this would not be possible. The interaction that PCATS facilitates is extremely valuable to us all." A complete listing of Annual Conference sponsors can be found at http://www.pcats2009.org/Sponsors/Sponsors.aspx.
"We look forward to acknowledging all of our hard-working members at the PCATS 5th Anniversary celebratory dinner at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. It is important to recognize the companies that have been committed to the PCATS mission since its establishment. The longevity of PCATS depends upon ongoing membership involvement and support," said Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Senior Manager of E-Business Solutions and PCATS Membership & Marketing Chair Scott Rockafellow.
"It is a distinct honor and pleasure to serve an association that works tirelessly to help level the playing field for retailers like myself. PCATS provides access to expertise that is hard to find and a forum for me to personally connect with industry leaders. I have gained valuable knowledge and cultivated key business relationships at PCATS networking events such as the one being held at Margaritaville," said Jenny Bullard chief information officer of Flash Foods.
Scott E. Hartman, president & CEO of CHR Corp (dba Rutter's Farm Stores) stated, "It is hard to believe that all of this began with a handful of retailers and suppliers at NACS with a common vision. As one of the founding members of PCATS, it has been a very rewarding journey to champion this initiative along with my fellow retailers. There are many significant possibilities ahead for PCATS."
Turkey Hill Minit Markets Vice President of IT/Petroleum and PCATS Vice Chair Gabriel Olives said, "I am proud to participate in this cohesive and dynamic organization which is industry directed and managed. PCATS provides retailers of any size with the ability to revitalize their businesses with standards that have been tested and implemented successfully by others. I hope that more industry members leverage the cost-effective solutions that this formal standards body has to offer as well as the programs that have been developed within last few years."
"Since its inception, PCATS has brought about many positive initiatives and we're looking forward to building on them throughout the coming years," added retiring John C. Hervey, executive director and CEO of PCATS. "We want to continue to provide the necessary tools for our members to remain successful and profitable in the industry. We are grateful to have such dedicated members. PCATS looks forward to continuing to be an integral part of the industry's bright future."
To view the full 2009 Annual Conference agenda and register to attend, visit http://www.pcats2009.org or http://cms.pcats.org/ac2009. The 5th Anniversary exclusive two-hour event is being held at the 12 Volt Bar and Balcony starting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2009. For more information about Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville - Universal CityWalk®, please visit http://www.margaritavilleorlando.com/. The 2009 Annual Conference is open to all retailers, solution providers, and suppliers in the industry regardless of membership status.