The First 6 Months With NACS President and CEO Frank Gleeson

By Jeff Lenard

Although he’s new to leading the organization, Frank Gleeson has been connected to NACS for over two decades, from attending a NACS Executive Education program in 2005 to becoming the 2018-2019 NACS Chairman, to his current role as president and CEO as of January 1, 2026. For the latest episode of Convenience Matters, I asked him what he’s learned so far at NACS headquarters and how it operates behind the scenes.

“It’s been an incredible six months,” he said. “There has been so much learning and so many interactions. I’ve been around NACS for 20 years, but until you’re in the Alexandria office day to day, you don’t fully appreciate the quality, commitment and passion of the people working here. …I can honestly say NACS is a great organization with great people who represent our industry strongly.”

With the NACS Show in Las Vegas approaching, Gleeson shared that the association has an immense amount of value beyond its flagship event.

“The NACS Show is amazing. It delivers a return on insight, investment and on inspiration. But visiting the NACS office and meeting the people here is also a powerful experience. People who come for committee meetings often say they had no idea how much happens beyond those four days in October” at the Show, he said.

We talked about the value of a fast-paced first and second quarter, from the leadership events to the NACS State of the Industry Summit and two global conferences, and the Industry Update Luncheons. Gleeson noted the importance of bringing NACS members together to help move the needle on today’s business opportunities and challenges, which was a great segway into an expertise and commitment to the industry that only NACS can provide.

“We have an important role to play in advocacy, looking around corners, making sure our members are well positioned and ensuring they are well represented. That is why our government relations work is so important,” he said, adding that he’s been on Capitol Hill to amplify our industry’s priorities and meet with members of Congress. “We need them to understand our issues, the role we play and the importance of a level playing field,” said Gleeson.

He touched on several key industry issues, such as preventing underage access to age-restricted products and stopping the proliferation of illicit vape products.

“The prevalence of illicit product is hurting farming, manufacturing and retail. We need to bring everyone together to address it because it is a social issue, and one the c-store industry has managed for years. We know how to sell age-restricted products, and we have a strong digital tool in TruAge®,” he said.

Two immediate issues—SNAP and the Credit Card Competition Act—“are vital to the industry,” said Gleeson.

“I am frustrated that SNAP does not allow hot food sales, especially because convenience stores are in every town and village and are often closest to consumers in disasters, food deserts and other moments of need,” he said, adding the convenience retailers “cannot be locked out of programs where consumers want to buy our products, especially as we continue selling fresh, high-quality food.”

Enactment of the Credit Card Competition Act will require “everyone to step up this year to help move this issue across the line,” Gleeson said as he amplified how the current system in the United States is grossly unfair.

“In the U.S., retailers pay an average of about 2.3% or more [of the transaction amount] to Mastercard and Visa. In Europe, that figure is about 0.3%. That two-percentage-point difference is a major margin hit for retailers and ultimately raises costs for consumers without justification,” he explained.

“In a competitive economy, we need a fair playing field on credit card fees. They represent our second largest operating expense,” he said.

I asked Gleeson to clarify an argument we often hear from Visa and Mastercard that lower card fees would mean consumers lose their points and rewards. I asked if anyone in Europe lost rewards even though credit card swipe fees are about two percentage points lower. The answer: No.

“There has not been additional fraud either. I have been on Capitol Hill asking what credit card companies are saying, and those claims are simply not true. The truth is that American retailers and consumers are paying more without justification,” said Gleeson.

Gleeson knows a thing or two about global payments issues. Prior to joining NACS, Gleeson served as a board member and chairman of Retail Ireland (the leading business organization representing the retail sector in Ireland), a board member and president of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and a board member of the Irish Transport Authority.

His call to action was this: “We need everyone speaking in unison to fix an unfair cost. The Durbin Amendment on debit showed that cost reductions were largely passed on to consumers.” With credit card swipe fees, our industry has “a strong moral and factual position, and we need to communicate it clearly. When NACS says we need industry support, members need to respond. If the industry responds and its voice is heard, we can win this.”