For Immediate Release
April 29, 2014
Contact: Gray Taylor; (512) 508-3469
TUCSON – Reflecting the increasing importance of connections and technology, the Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards (PCATS) has been rebranded as Conexxus, announced today at the association’s Annual Conference in Tucson.
The rebranding to Conexxus conveys how PCATS has evolved in it’s almost 20-year history — from NACS Technology Initiative, then an association advocating for data interchange standards, and now to one that connects people, industries and systems, and serves as the nexus of thought leadership on future technology and related policy. As productivity, consumer technology, data security and EMV mandates continue to dominate the retail technology agenda for the convenience and fuel retailing industry in the foreseeable future, Conexxus is re-positioned to address all of these emerging challenges.
“While serving the convenience and fuel retailing industry well for the past decade, the PCATS brand no longer encompassed the breadth of what we do or how essential our work is to providing industry leaders greater control of their IT agendas,” said Gray Taylor, executive director of Conexxus. “Our rebranding to Conexxus signifies the refocus of our mission as one that touches ever-changing disciplines within our retail segment, such as enterprise productivity, data security, mobile commerce and payments.”
Margaret Akins, business analyst at Pilot Travel Centers LLC and chairman of Conexxus, added: “I first got involved in this organization [PCATS] because I was looking for a solution and the technical standards offered made the most sense. It has provided a platform for retailers, wholesalers and solution providers to come together to discuss the needs within our industry and enable solutions. We do much more than document standards. We are an interactive community that can make things happen and it is time we move forward as Conexxus.”
“The shift in brand strategy for PCATS exemplifies changes that were well underway,” said Drew Mize, chief operating officer at The Pinnacle Corporation and chairman of the Conexxus Membership and Marketing Committee. “The Conexxus brand better describes the expanded activities and technologies innovation PCATS has been driving towards for some time, well beyond a general perception of focusing solely on data exchange standards, and best positions the organization to attract members both within and external to our specific industry that will help achieve and advocate those goals.”
The Conexxus Annual Conference is taking place this week, April 28-May 1, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. The industry’s leading technology experts and management are attending the event, which includes educational sessions and guest speakers such as Vish Ganapathy, IBM’s chief of retail technology. The agenda also includes face-to-face meetings and discussions with all of the association’s committees and work groups on data exchange standards in device integration, payments, enterprise integration, mobile commerce, supply chain and data security.
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About Conexxus
Conexxus (www.conexxus.org) is a non-profit, member-driven technology organization dedicated to the development and implementation of standards, technologies innovation and advocacy for the convenience store and petroleum market. Conexxus membership collaborates on key present and future industry challenges and innovations. Our work efforts improve profitability by reducing the cost of IT ownership and improving the competitiveness of our members.