When people discuss vision and energy in convenience retail, the name Derek Gaskins naturally comes up. Over a career that has taken him from neighborhood store shelves to leadership roles in major national brands, Gaskins has consistently linked purpose, innovation and authenticity.
“I have always believed that everything begins with the guest,” Gaskins said. “If you focus on how people feel when they visit your stores, the rest of the business follows.”
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Now serving as head of guest experience at bp, Gaskins oversees the company’s merchandising and buying, food and beverage innovation, and store design and development teams across brands including Thorntons, ampm, Travel Centers of America, Amoco and Arco. The role combines creative strategy with operational excellence, making sure that what guests see, taste and experience at every location aligns with bp’s broader shift toward a more modern, connected brand.
He describes the challenge as both operational and emotional. “It is about making every visit feel intentional,” he said. “From the layout to the product mix to the service culture, everything connects back to how a guest feels when they stop at our sites.”
Before joining bp, Gaskins spent seven years helping to grow Yesway and its Allsup’s brand into a well-known regional leader. He joined the company in 2018 and played a key role in developing its marketing, merchandising and foodservice programs, helping to create a clear identity across more than 400 stores. He frequently emphasized tailoring each store’s offerings to the local community, a balance between consistency and local flavor.
A significant part of his legacy at both Yesway and Rutter’s has been advancing loyalty programs that connect data, personalization and storytelling. Gaskins was among the first in the convenience sector to see loyalty not just as a marketing tool but as a relationship platform. At Rutter’s, he helped modernize the brand’s digital rewards program and app experience, integrating foodservice promotions and fuel discounts into a unified ecosystem. At Yesway, he expanded that vision by blending mobile, social and in-store channels into one of the most interactive regional loyalty programs in the industry.
“Loyalty is really about recognition,” he said. “It is showing guests that we see them and value their choices. When you use data to make that experience more personal, you create a bond that goes beyond the transaction.”
