Accomplished Leaders Honored at 2024 Convenience Store News Hall of Fame Gala

Carroll, who has more than 30 years of experience in the food industry and joined Ruiz Foods in 2001, credited the work of many women and men, both retailers and suppliers, who have elevated and evolved foodservice in the convenience channel. 

"Even before I started with Ruiz Foods, even before we launched our Tornados platform and even before our El Monterey burritos, tacos and empanadas were in the cold case, the Ruiz family and the team were committed to c-stores," Carroll recounted during her acceptance speech. "One of our earliest entries was in the West in small-format stores and community stores. So, we've dedicated many, many years to ensuring that we could evolve through the channel."

On behalf of Ruiz Foods, she thanked the industry for this recognition, and the Ruiz family for supporting her and believing in her as a leader. Carroll also expressed gratitude for her husband, Chris, as well as the team members at Ruiz Foods "who work so very hard to make great-quality food and who continue the passion and dedication to service this wonderful industry." 

Continuing the Legacy

Bob Myers, former president, CEO and board member at Casey's, presented Rebelez with his award and spoke of the remarkable transformation Casey's has undergone under Rebelez's leadership. 

Rebelez, a U.S. Army veteran, took the reins as president and CEO of Casey’s in June 2019. Prior to that, he served as president of IHOP Restaurants; worked at 7-Eleven Inc. as executive vice president and chief operating officer; and held numerous leadership roles within ExxonMobil Corp. 

Myers shared several significant milestones of Rebelez's tenure thus far: 

• Delivering exceptional performance results to shareholders. Stock prices have accelerated from $134 per share in 2019 to $409 a share in 2024.
• Completing and integrating several significant acquisitions, including the largest in the company's history, bringing Casey's current store count to 2,900. Today, Casey's is the third-largest convenience retailer in the United States.
• A brand modernization and refresh, as well as the introduction of the company's first rewards platform that currently boasts 8 million members.
• Accelerating the retailer's food business through pizza innovation and new offerings. Today, Casey's is the fifth-largest pizza retailer in the U.S.
• Achieving the company's highest team member engagement rates yet. 

"And while Casey's has emerged in recent years as one of the most relevant acquisition companies in the industry, what stands out to me is how the company has become a best-in-class retailer," Myers added. "Knowing Darren, I expect he'll tell you all that this was achieved by a team of really good people. And he's right — it takes a committed team with diverse experiences and perspectives to evolve and accelerate as it has in the past several years. That is the result of the culture and team that he created. Darren is a true servant leader and a leader worth following."

Upon his induction, Rebelez thanked his industry peers, Casey's founder Don Lamberti, Casey's board members and his wife Holly for sharing in the moment. He expressed gratitude for continuing the legacy for Casey's, noting how special it was to have this year's Hall of Fame gala on the convenience retailer's home turf of Iowa, where it was founded nearly 60 years ago.

"We continue to evolve into a bigger and better version of ourselves. Everything starts with our purpose and that's to make life better for our communities and guests every day. It's our team who delivers on it," Rebelez said. "So, I want to thank the entire Casey's team. My name may be on the award, but I'm just one person up here representing all the work of 45,000 team members across our 2,900 stores, many of whom are working tonight as we speak to take care of our guests and our communities."

Rebelez highlighted Casey's commitment to winning as a team and living by a set of values that encourages teamwork and mutual respect above all else. 

"Thank you for trusting me, believing in our vision and having the confidence in our plan. And more importantly, thank you for putting that trust and confidence into action to serve our guests, impact our communities and create a great place to work," he said. 

Leaving His Mark

In addition to inducting Carroll and Rebelez into the Hall of Fame, CSNews recognized Maggelet as the Retailer Executive of the Year. This award honors an industry leader who in the past year has exemplified business acumen, outstanding leadership, dedication to the industry and commitment to community. 

Prior to his retirement on May 1 of this year, Maggelet was at the helm of Maverik for seven-plus years. During that time, he spearheaded the creation of a new company purpose — having fun together building the coolest convenience experience on the planet — and upheld Maverik’s mission to be a great place to work, a great operator for its customers and a great growth company. 

Under his guidance, the Salt Lake City-based convenience store chain acquired Des Moines-based Kum & Go last year. When the deal closed in August, Maverik more than doubled its footprint throughout the western U. S. and Rocky Mountain region. Today, the company has more than 800 stores and 15,000 team members across 20 states. 

Outside of that transaction, his tenure also saw Maverik grow sales by roughly 100%, about double its fuel volume and reduce turnover rates by about a third. 

"Earlier today, me, Darren and Kim sat on a panel [as part of the 2024 Future Leaders in Convenience Summit] where we answered some questions and gave feedback on what it's like to be a CEO. What I found absolutely interesting is that none of us aspired to become CEO early in our careers," Maggelet shared during his acceptance speech. "I think that's a really, really cool thing because instead I saw this [common] aspiration to serve and an aspiration to be really, really good at what we do and to be outstanding for whatever it is that helps to make us and convenience retailing great."

Maggelet thanked his wife Crystal, who became Maverik's new CEO and Chief Adventure Guide this July, as well as "the best executive leadership team in the world." He also acknowledged Maverik's vendor partners, suppliers and competitors for helping make the chain "better" in the eyes of the company's customers and helping Maverik create the coolest convenience experience on the planet.

"I accept this award for the 15,000 team members who every day come to work, they provide for their families, they serve our customers more than a million transactions a day," Maggelet expressed with great emotion. "I'm super fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with all of you. Thank you."

The 2024 CSNews Hall of Fame was sponsored by Altria Group Distribution Co., Mondelēz International Inc., Reynolds American Inc. and The Hershey Co.