Bridgera, a company focused on streamlining and improving operational technology, has hired convenience retail industry veteran Ryan Oettinger as chief revenue officer, according to a Tuesday announcement.
Oettinger brings a wealth of experience with both convenience retailers and technology companies, including well over a decade at Chevron and several years at Pilot Company, as well as a stint with Vontier’s Gilbarco Veeder-Root subsidiary. Most recently, he was named CEO of Chestnut Market in January before resigning from the East Coast c-store retailer three months later.
In his new role, Oettinger will oversee revenue-generating functions at Bridgera, including sales, marketing and business development, he said in an interview with C-Store Dive. He took the role on June 1.
Oettinger said his experience in convenience and fuel retail should help Bridgera understand the industry’s customer base as the company moves more into the space.
“Having someone that really understands what convenience retailers and petroleum marketers and fuel equipment distributors are looking for, what their pain points and headaches are and how we can actually solve those in a fairly quick and disciplined and cost-effective manner with technology, is important,” said Oettinger.
Bridgera’s technology links any connected systems a business may have, like fuel pumps, coolers, food warmers, point of sale systems, to its proprietary AI agents, Oettinger said. The agent can not only alert the retailer to any potential problems, but also to take action to address some of those problems before they impact operations.
The system can address an estimated 70%-80% of routine operational decisions while keeping people in control of higher-risk exceptions, according to the press release.
Convenience retail companies are delving more into AI solutions across multiple store and forecourt functions. This year, the industry has seen Loop Neighborhood Market deploy an AI assistant, Urban Value Corner Store expand its AI-powered coolers and Casey’s General Stores expand the rollout of automated ordering agents.
