Roy Strasburger
Roy Strasburger
CEO, StrasGlobal
President, Compliance Safe
Roy Strasburger is an expert in convenience retailing and a thought leader in the retail industry. He is a frequent columnist, conference presenter, and webinar and podcast participant.
Roy is a fourth-generation retailer and is currently CEO of StrasGlobal, a retail support and consulting company based in Austin, Texas, USA. In this capacity, he oversees StrasGlobal’s retail, tech, and consulting businesses. He also serves as President for Compliance Safe – a business document management software solution that won the CSP Retailer Choice Best New Technology Product in 2020.
Roy attended Baylor University graduating with degrees in Marketing and Computer Information Systems. He obtained his JD degree from Baylor University Law School in 1984 and joined a British law firm based in the Caribbean.
After moving to England, where he started a publication company, Roy returned to the US to join Strasburger Enterprises, Inc. (SEI) as General Counsel. He later became President of SEI’s fuel division then, in 1994, he was named President of the International Division. From 2009 Roy ran SEI’s US and international convenience retailing businesses as well as heading up Cambridge-Myers, its consulting division. During his time with SEI, Roy was responsible for the development and/or operation of over 6,000 retail sites in 33 countries through the licensing of its systems and management agreements.
In 2012 Roy bought SEI’s retail business and continues to provide retail related services to multinational oil companies, financial institutions, investors, and independent operators under the StrasGlobal banner.
Roy is a co-founder of the Vision Group Network, where top level executives discuss current and future issues and share their perspective with the rest of the industry, and a co-founder of Resources for Retailers (RfR), an initiative that provides information, support and, most importantly, actionable plans for small retailers.
Roy is a member of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) where he served as Vice-Chairman on its Executive Board and Board of Directors and was a founding member of the NACS International Board. Roy is also a member of the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), and a past member of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) where he participated on the Legislative Committee, the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), and the Tribal Convenience Store Association (TCSA). He has also been a member of The Coca-Cola Research Council, the Consumer Goods Forum (formerly CIES), and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT).
Roy is the recipient of Convenience Store News inaugural 2021 Special Service award.
Roy is an Officer in the Priory in the USA of The Order of St John and is a member of The American Friends of St George and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter. Roy and Eva are based in Austin, Texas and they have four daughters, Selina, Chantal, Lorelei and Danielle. Along with other charitable endeavors, Roy and Eva focus on supporting global cultural and heritage projects.
The context: Dreaming of new ventures, exploring foreign markets, early mornings watching cities come alive, G&Ts at Bali sunsets, reading The Economist, long road trips with rock’n roll on the radio, or Texas two-stepping with his four daughters. Enjoying the moment.
Eva Strasburger
Eva Strasburger
President, StrasGlobal
CEO, Compliance Safe
Born in Tanzania, brought up in Vanuatu, Hong Kong and the Caribbean and educated in England, Eva Strasburger, brings an international perspective to everything she does. After graduating from Cambridge University, and a stint at Chase Manhattan Bank in London, she co-founded a publishing company with Roy Strasburger in Southern England before moving to the States in 1988. For fifteen years, she served as VP of International Client Relationships for Strasburger Enterprises, where she helped manage their convenience retailing clients in over thirty countries.
Eva is currently President of StrasGlobal. StrasGlobal had its own retail outlets until June 2022 and, for the last thirty years, has provided operational and infrastructure support and management consulting to retail operators. Eva is also CEO of Compliance Safe, a SaaS product that manages business-critical documents, and alerts retailers when permits should be renewed. Compliance Safe won CSP’s Retailer Choice Best New Technology Product in 2020.
Eva is co-founder of the Vision Group Network – where industry leaders meet to discuss current and future issues and share their perspective with the rest of the industry.
In 2020, Eva spearheaded the StrasGlobal COVID Task Force Team and the development of the COVID-19 Response Plan. Shared with retailers, the plan was featured by NACS, Convenience Store News, CSP and numerous state associations. Eva then headed up Resources for Retailers, a new initiative that provides information, support and, most importantly actionable plans for small retailers.
Eva is a member of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), and the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), and a past member of the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) and the Consumer Goods Forum (formerly CIES).
Convenience Store News named Eva as a senior-level leader in their 2021 Top Women in Convenience Awards.
Eva, is an Officer on the Board of Directors of the Caius Foundation of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University, an Officer of the Priory in the USA of The Order of St John and Vice-President of The American Friends of St George’s and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter. She is based in Austin, Texas with her husband, Roy, and they have four daughters: Selina, Chantal, Lorelei and Danielle. Along with other charitable endeavors, Eva and Roy focus on supporting global cultural and heritage projects.
The context: A unique Anglo-Goan background and perspective from a bygone era; a love of the exotic in design and beauty; a connoisseur of boutique hotels and travel itineraries; an aficionado of late-night dinner debates; a passion for collecting artifacts and their stories; a collector, connector, and disseminator of information; an initiator of creative experiences and an enthusiastic participator in any cultural ventures.
Lynne Schultz
Lynne Schultz, CEO
Tri-State Marketing
Lynne Schultz is a seasoned leader in the food service industry with an impressive 49-year career. As the CEO and co-founder of Tri-State Marketing, she has played a pivotal role in establishing the company as one of the nation's premier food service manufacturer's rep groups. Alongside her partner, Bart Gobioff, Lynne launched Tri-State Marketing 25 years ago with a vision to represent high-end, top-quality manufacturers. Under her leadership, the company has expanded across four key industry territories, earning a stellar reputation for excellence and innovation.
Beyond her success in the food service sector, Lynne is deeply committed to mentoring young adults, offering guidance in both business and life skills. Her passion for advocacy extends to her work as the founder of Harvest Moon Sanctuary, a nonprofit dedicated to the care and well-being of animals.
Adding to her diverse accomplishments, Lynne is also a published author of children's books, using storytelling to inspire and educate young readers.
With her vast industry expertise, commitment to mentorship, and dedication to philanthropy, Lynne Schultz continues to make a lasting impact on both the business world and the community.
Michael Sansolo
Michael Sansolo, President
Sansolo Solutions
Countless studies and years of work with some of the world’s most innovative companies gives Michael Sansolo a unique and diverse view of the changing nature of trends impacting shoppers, employees, competition, economics, supply chains and management. A long-time senior vice president of the Food Marketing Institute and now a consultant, speaker and author, Sansolo has traveled the globe working with companies on adjusting to new market conditions.
He currently serves as the research director of the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Councils of North America, working with these groups on emerging business topics such as social networking, emerging technology, store management and changing consumer wants and needs.
Sansolo recently authored Business Rules! a collection of diverse and useful lessons in business success. Stories are gathered from companies of all sizes and lessons from professional sports, Broadway Theater, a New York City catering company and pop star Lady Gaga.
Previously, Sansolo co-authored The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies, a book that identifies creative lessons in leadership, marketing and workplace dynamics gleaned from movies as varied as The Godfather and Young Frankenstein. Topics in the book include ethics, brand building, crisis management, outside-the-box thinking and diversity. Sansolo also writes a weekly column on wide-ranging business trends for www.MorningNewsBeat.com, a daily blog with nearly 35,000 readers.
Douglas New
Douglas New, Founder
New Edge Advisory
Doug has held C-level technology leadership positions in the retail convenience and fuel industry for 15 years, most recently as the Chief Information Officer at Nouria Energy, a 300+ chain, with responsibilities for defining Nouria’s strategic technology direction, leading the technology efforts related to acquisitions, including the acquisition of Enmarket’s 132 stores and 26 carwashes, business and technology initiatives, and ensuring effective day-to-day support to stores, car washes, and office personnel. Before Nouria, Doug served as Chief Technology Officer for Yesway, a $1.2B chain of 400+ convenience stores, including the integration of 305 Allsup’s stores as part of that acquisition. Prior to Yesway, Doug spent six years as Chief Information Officer for Tedeschi Food Shops, a chain of 190 convenience stores.
Before transitioning to his new career in convenience and retail fuel with Tedeschi’s, Doug held multiple executive-level technology positions at Putnam Investments, a Boston-based financial management firm, and has held senior-level technical positions at Computer Sciences Corporation, Verizon (Bell Atlantic), the United States Senate, and Northern Telecom. Doug served on the Board of Advisors for Conexxus for 15 years, including multiple terms as chairperson, and chaired the Conexxus Innovation Research Committee. Doug received his M.S. from George Washington University and his B.A. from DePauw University.
Doug retired from Nouria in 2025 and established New Edge Advisory to provide business and technology consultant services.
Don Longo
Don Longo, Former Editorial Director
Convenience Store News
Don Longo is Editorial Director Emeritus of Convenience Store News. He joined the brand in 2005 as Editor-in-Chief. With the highest recognition of any c-store industry media journalist, Don has given presentations to business groups throughout the U.S., Europe and South America, appeared as a guest on Fox Business News and National Public Radio, and is a highly sought source for major consumer and business news. For the past 40-plus years, Don has been making outstanding contributions to the development of editorial excellence in business media. In the course of his career, he has covered discount stores, drug stores, home improvement stores, supermarkets and, of course, convenience stores. Among other accomplishments, he co-launched the Hispanic Retail 360 Conference (the first conference recognizing the importance of diversity in retail media), the Top Women in Convenience Awards event, and the Convenience Foodservice Exchange
Kris Klinger
Kris Klinger, VP Auxiliary Services
Boston University
Kristian Klinger, Vice President, Auxiliary Services began his tenure at Boston University in October 2022. Kristian has more than 30 years of experience in hospitality and auxiliary services. He spent the previous two plus years as Senior Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services at Syracuse University. In this role, he oversaw operations in Food Services; Housing, Meal Plan, and I.D. Card Services; Parking and Transportation Services; Drumlins Country Club; Minnowbrook Conference Center; the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center; the Lubin House; the Syracuse University Campus Store and Trademark Licensing.
Prior to joining Syracuse University, Kristian spent 11 years as Assistant Vice President within the University of Southern California’s (USC) Auxiliary Services department. While at USC Kristian also taught an introduction to foodservice class that was part of a Master’s in Dietetics program through the USC Davis School of Gerontology. Kristian earned his EdD at the USC Rossier School of Education, his MBA at the USC Marshall School of Business and holds a bachelor’s degree in German and International Relations from the same university. Kristian is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps where he proudly served our country as an air traffic controller.
As Vice President for Auxiliary Services, Kristian and his team below have oversight and leadership responsibilities of Food Services and Convenience Stores, Housing, Parking and Transportation, Events & Conferences, Agganis Arena, Fitness & Recreation Center, Barnes & Noble @ BU, Vending Services and Trademark and Licensing. As Auxiliary Services touches nearly every aspect of University life, Kristian and his team collaborate with other campus and community leaders to advance a number of key initiatives in an effort to enhance the living and learning experience for the University’s diverse student population.
Jesse Hirsh
Jesse Hirsh, Punk
Eco Punks
Jesse Hirsh is a futurist farmer who brings an outsider's perspective and literal critical distance, operating from his farm in rural Eastern Ontario. Yet this is no ordinary farm. Wired up with high speed fiber optic Internet, the Academy of the Impossible engages in a wide range of research regarding agriculture, media, technology, and culture.
He has a Masters degree from Toronto Metropolitan University in algorithmic media, and his current work focuses on the rise of automated media, as well as the governance and ethics of artificial intelligence, data protection, and privacy.
Jesse is also a co-founder of the Eco Punks, a trans-disciplinary agency that analyzes the ecosystems and communities that our clients operate in, helping us identify opportunities resulting from, as well as responses to the ever changing challenges that are imposed on us by an increasingly unpredictable and unstable reality.
Jesse has an infectious energy that lifts spirits and enables creative critical thinking. He’s always learning, sharing, and helping others to do the same.