--- title: "FriendShip Kitchen President Touts Benefits of CStore Momentum" url: https://burnaze.com/article/5e5fd208-2b28-4358-a20e-2470fc0848cc source: "CStore Decisions" original_url: https://cstoredecisions.com/friendship-kitchen-president-touts-benefits-of-cstore-momentum/ author: "Erin Del Conte" category: "Restaurants" industry: "Restaurants" topics: ["People"] published: 2026-07-02T14:14:15.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:17:33.808Z image: https://cstoredecisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Friendship-logo-Greg-.jpg --- # FriendShip Kitchen President Touts Benefits of CStore Momentum **TL;DR:** FriendShip Kitchen President Greg Ehrlich emphasizes the importance of leadership development for young executives in the convenience store industry through professional networking and education, citing the benefits of the CStore Momentum conference. The conference provides young executives with access to industry leaders, peer networking, and expert insights to accelerate their development and prepare them for future leadership roles. *By Erin Del Conte, originally published in CStore Decisions on 2026-07-02. [Read the original](https://cstoredecisions.com/friendship-kitchen-president-touts-benefits-of-cstore-momentum/).* ## Story “ROI from sending our rising leaders to CStore Momentum has been incalculable,” says Greg Ehrlich, president of FriendShip Kitchen. As convenience retail continues to navigate shifting consumer expectations and operational pressures, preparing the next generation of c-store leaders is taking on increased importance for c-store chains. Greg Ehrlich, president of Beck Suppliers, which operates FriendShip Kitchen in Ohio, and board chairman of the National Advisory Group/CStore Connections board, has sent numerous young executives to the CStore Momentum conference over the years to help them grow as leaders and gain a greater understanding of the industry. CStore Momentum is an event especially created for young executives and next generation leaders in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, to help them meet peers navigating similar challenges and opportunities, develop as leaders and gain a deeper understanding of the c-store industry. This year’s **CStore Momentum** event takes place at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown, N.Y. , Aug. 19-21. Host chain Chestnut Market is set to pull back the curtain and take attendees through a deep dive into their c-store business from operations to foodservice and technology. Attendees will also participate in discussions on leadership topics, see Chestnut Market in action on store tours, network with peers, learn from educational sessions on a number of topics and enjoy a keynote address on leadership from Wawa’s Director of Store Operations Jason Read. CStore Decisions caught up with Ehrlich to discuss the role of CStore Momentum in helping to grow young retail leaders in the c-store industry. **CStore Decisions (CSD): Why is it so important for convenience retailers to invest in leadership development for their emerging leaders and young executives?** **Greg Ehrlich (GE):** Investing in emerging leaders has always been critical to prepare convenience retailers for the future. That need is greater now as changes in the competitive landscape, retailing in general and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) are occurring more rapidly than ever before. The strongest teams and companies are the ones where intentional development plans are in place for their next generation. Companies that fail to invest in their emerging leaders face the risk of losing talent to other organizations that value the development of their teams and their engagement over short term results. At Beck Suppliers and FriendShip Kitchen, Julie Claypool, VP of HR, is revamping the way our company recruits, onboards, trains and develops all team members to ensure we are not simply providing jobs, but building rewarding careers. **CSD: What opportunities does CStore Momentum provide that young professionals may not get through their day-to-day responsibilities at work?** **GE:** CStore Momentum accelerates team member development by providing access to industry leaders, peer networking and expert insights beyond participants’ day-to-day roles. The program fosters leadership growth, strategic thinking and a broader industry perspective while helping participants build valuable professional relationships. Each year when our team members return from CStore Momentum, they do so with renewed energy and enthusiasm along with fresh, actionable and meaningful ideas that lead to impactful change. **CSD**: **If you were advising a retailer who is deciding whether to send a high-potential employee to CStore Momentum, what would you tell them about the long-term value of that investment?** **GE:** For retailers evaluating whether to send a high-potential employee to CStore Momentum, the value is clear: participants return with enhanced knowledge, confidence, industry connections, and fresh ideas that strengthen their performance and leadership readiness. More importantly, they return more engaged and energized and serve as a catalyst for meaningful change. Authentic leaders are not born, they are created over time through training, mentoring, hard work and exposure to deep and broad-based learning experiences that pique their curiosity and passion for becoming the best versions of themselves. Our return on investment (ROI) from sending our rising leaders to CStore Momentum has been incalculable. We have seen it transform and accelerate their careers in ways we simply could not accomplish on our own. Go ahead and send one or two of your emerging leaders to this year’s CStore Momentum and judge for yourself the impact this unique experiential learning opportunity has on their confidence, engagement and performance. ## Entities - Retail (sector) - leadership development (topic) - CStore Decisions (publication) - Erin Del Conte (person) - Wawa (company) - Chestnut Market (company) - Jason Read (person) - convenience store industry (topic) - FriendShip Kitchen (company) - Beck Suppliers (company) - young executives (topic) - Greg Ehrlich (person) --- Originally reported by Erin Del Conte, CStore Decisions (https://cstoredecisions.com/friendship-kitchen-president-touts-benefits-of-cstore-momentum/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/5e5fd208-2b28-4358-a20e-2470fc0848cc).