Alvin Fortson

Practice Lead - Wholesale Fuels and Logistics

IT Management/Strategy, Project Management, ERP Systems, Retail Systems, Point of Sale, CRM, Business Process Improvement, Supply Chain, Logistics, Enterprise Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence & Analytics, Acquisition Integration 

Alvin Fortson has what it takes when it comes to information technology. With over 30 years of experience in IT, the past 20 of those in the petroleum/convenience retail industry, Alvin has developed an unrivalled set of skills. Impact 21 clients benefit from his expertise through a wide range of projects. The retail systems and programs he implements include accounting, back-office software, commodities trading and risk management, fuel pricing, time and attendance, labor scheduling, help desk, document imaging, workflow, enterprise data warehouse, supply chain, and point of sale. He oversees all IT activities, from IT strategy, project management, retail systems, application development, to enterprise architecture, help desk, and pricebook.

As Senior Principal Consultant with Impact 21, Alvin has led multiple, large-scale IT implementation projects with a major petroleum/convenience retailer for multiple years. He has led and supported initiatives involving back-office, CRM, fuel management, logistics, Point of Sale, and data warehousing, as well as acquisition integration activities for enterprise accounting. Alvin also led a major commodities-trading and risk management solution implementation. This application supported front-to-back office workflow from deal capture to risk position reporting, logistics, settlement, and accounting.

Alvin shares his expertise through various industry venues as a panelist, speaker, and author. He is a current and longtime contributing member on the Board of advisors of CONNEXUS (formerly PCATS – Petroleum Convenience Alliance for Technology Standards), serving with many committees to solve key issues in the industry today like EB2B (Electronic Business to Business), lottery, retail, data matrix, and motor fuels. Alvin is also on the board of Society Information Management for Research -Triangle Park Chapter and a past member of the Association of Retail Technology Standards (ARTS). He authored “How to Fit Apps into an IT Platform” for CSP Convenience Store and Fuel News. He took part in the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI), to help raise awareness and provide real solutions for the more than 400 million vulnerable children worldwide.

During his career, Alvin has served in several senior IT management positions operating The Pantry and Quick Stop Food Stores in the Mid-Atlantic region. Alvin served as CIO/VP of IT, Director of Network Systems Development, as well as Director of Enterprise Applications Systems. Through strategic planning, Alvin has implemented multiple systems and programs in business retail locations, including PDI/Enterprise, PDI/RMS, JDA, fuel pricing, time and attendance, labor scheduling, help desk, document imaging, workflow, enterprise data warehouse, and point of sales systems. He has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and was responsible for planning the transition of all systems for numerous M&A activities while at The Pantry.

Alvin has accomplished much over the years following Winston Churchill’s adage, “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” Growing up in DC and Florida, he was a go-getter from the start, delivering newspapers and mowing lawns at the age of 10. He went on to graduate from Mercer University, Macon Georgia. Now settled in North Carolina, Alvin seeks out relaxation through sailing, fishing, kayaking, and BBQing. He finds time to give back through volunteer work at his church and other nonprofits and raising awareness for cancer research.