Airport Experience® News - ACDBE Issue 2025

of folks don’t have,” he says. “You really have to work on building those relationships with the prime, with your lender, with everybody.” Derryl Benton, chief development officer for Avolta North America , says Sandy and Terri Roberts are longstanding Hudson partners who embody partnership and operational excellence. “We are tremendously proud to work with them at numerous airports across the U.S.,” says Benton. “Throughout our partnership, they have continuously flexed to meet diverse airport needs and have proactively engaged other small businesses and vendors to participate in airport opportunities, lifting up local entrepreneurs to help them grow in our industry.” The co-owners say Hudson was an important mentor, especially in the early days of operation. “We started as neophytes in this business,” Terri Roberts says. “Dealing in the airport environment is a totally different animal.” Now with nearly two decades of experience in airports, Onsite Retailers is diversifying. Since 2021, the owners have sought to expand into food and beverage alongside retail in-line with changing airline offerings and passenger preferences. Their travel convenience stores carry a larger selection of grab-and-go options while new expansions focus even more on food, they say.

AT A GLANCE NAME OF COMPANY: Onsite Retailers HEADQUARTERS: Baltimore, MD OWNER(S): Sandy and Terri Roberts YEAR FIRST AIRPORT LOCATION OPENED: 2007

AIRPORTS: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) CONCEPTS OPERATED: Around 30 retail concepts including the flagship Onsite News stores. NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 300 FUTURE PLANS: Onsite Retailers is focused on growing and diversifying their offerings across new airports. Incorporating food and beverage into retail offerings is a key component of their strategy for growth.

“When you look at the various departments, the top used to be magazines and of course candy, snacks, and beverages,” Terri Roberts explains. “But now, we have a huge presence with grab-and-go. That department has grown substantially.” Sandy Roberts notes that diversifying is especially important: “I promised myself I wouldn’t be pigeonholed into one brand. I want the benefit of having some diversification where if one brand is struggling, it’s offset.” Recent ventures on the West Coast have showcased the Roberts’ focus on collaboration. In 2021, Onsite Retailers joined four other minority and ACDBE operators to form Concord Collective Partners , which now serves as the prime operator for 12 dining concepts at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). “CCP is one of the first instances where a group of ACDBE partners got together and took over a prime contract,” Sandy Roberts explains. “The size of the contract is fairly large, and that got everyone’s attention in the industry.” Despite launching during pandemic related disruptions, Sandy Roberts says the initiative is now beginning to pay dividends. Meanwhile, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), CCP has partnered with another larger operator on 16 additional F&B locations. “Food and beverage for us is extremely challenging because it’s kind of new to us and it has a huge labor component… there’s so many moving pieces and parts” says Sandy Roberts, “but when you’re in an airport, you’re usually looking for food, not necessarily a shirt.” Mentoring the Next Generation With their beginnings as mentees under Hudson, the co-owners have expanded extensively across airport concessions. Throughout their journey, they’ve made

mentorship and collaboration a cornerstone of their business; these days, the pair say they’re trying to continue the cycle. “We try to make it a point to mentor other operators. We’ve had the opportunity with one airport director in particular who would reach out to us often and ask us if we could spend time with new operators that are coming in,” Terri Roberts says. The ask was to “just kind of show them the ropes and make sure they don’t hit the same bumps in the road that we had to hit.” The commitment to incorporating other small businesses extends to Onsite’s merchandising strategy. Terri and Sandy Roberts say they prioritize local vendors to provide a stronger sense of place in their retail locations. “We had the opportunity to really be on the street and look for items that give you a sense of place wherever you are,” Terri Roberts notes. “We work really hard to represent the region and pull in vendors that are local so you can tell that story.” Looking Ahead As Onsite Retailers looks to the future, its leaders say they are focused on growing and diversifying their offerings across new airports. Sandy notes the growth in the F&B side seems to be coming at them “fast and furiously.” The pair continues to build their retail travel and convenience options, but food concepts are becoming an increasingly important part of the strategy. For other operators looking to forge a similar path, Terri Roberts offered some encouragement: “We hope that other ACDBEs consider operating as independents,” she says, “or at least explore, or maybe partner with other smaller ACDBEs… to help them grow and not be afraid.”

Below: In addition to operating news and gift stores, Onsite News also operates various specialty retail concepts.

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AX NEWS JUNE 2025