Our Team

A 40-year convenience industry veteran, Ed provides unique perspectives in creating and delivering world-class food and retail offerings through enhanced operations and store makeovers. Ed provides the un-biased analysis businesses need to improve.

A Background in Brand Development

His varied background holds one common denominator – Ed has dedicated his career to the convenience store industry with hands-on involvement that underscores his belief in the power of branding. He has served in a variety of capacities that included chief operating officer, vice president, director and senior director positions. Through his vast experience in operations, marketing and product development, Ed has helped many companies grow their sales and profits by reimagining their offerings. It is his solutions-oriented leadership that contributed to awards and recognition in notable industry publications over the years.

Ed honed his experience during his tenure at Wawa. His operational experience culminated in leading a team that was responsible for developing the proprietary fresh foods program that included hot foods, built-to-order Hoagies and the Sizzli Breakfast program. Eventually he was recruited to Petro-Canada to support its change from a dealer network to a company-operated network. During his 16 years at Petro-Canada, Ed helped create the Neighbours brand, which was positioned to change convenience retailing in Canada.

He then went on to found Burcher Consulting where he focused on improving results in foodservice, marketing and operational areas for other companies. This led to his most recent role as vice president of foodservice at Beck Suppliers (dba FriendShip Stores), where Ed helped infuse a complete re-branding strategy that was instrumental in launching FriendShip Kitchen and the updated FriendShip Brand. This launch encompassed the upgrade of all foodservice offerings that earned FriendShip Stores the “Best Foodservice Launch” designation from CStore Decisions in 2020.

An Insider Perspective of Change Management

Ed’s expertise is in creating positive change for stores, people, guests. His diverse experience has allowed him to support and lead transformation efforts for both large and small chains. Ed recognizes that both needs and tastes change over time, therefore he always ensures that new items and programs resonate with people to meet their everyday needs, both at the customer and associate level.

Intellectual Capital Available in a Customizable Format

Ed’s approach is straight-forward and honest, lending insight into current business practices by examining unique problems and processes. He believes that many organizations operate under the perception that food is easy, however it takes a quality product, advanced planning and solid processes to be able to deliver consistent product each and every time for the customer.