CST Making Several Changes to Leadership Team

SAN ANTONIO — More changes are on tap at CST Brands Inc. This time, the change is in its organizational chart. 

The retailer has created the position of president, retail operations, naming Hal Adams to the post. Adams previously served as senior vice president, chief marketing officer. The new position combines marketing and merchandising with operations, the company explained.

Tony Bartys, senior vice president and chief operating officer, will report to Adams.

In addition, Stephane Trudel, CST's senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions, will fill the newly created position of senior vice president, growth and strategy. This new position combines oversight over acquisitions, divestments, strategic planning and business analytics, construction and real estate, and the Canadian wholesale operations. 

Steve Motz, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, who formerly oversaw the Canadian wholesale operations, is retiring in the first quarter.

Adams and Trudel will report directly to CST CEO and President Kim Lubel.

According to CST, the goal of the company's 2020 vision is to grow its gross profit, while reducing its exposure to the volatility of commodity prices of oil and refined petroleum products. CST's 2020 vision is to increase gross profit with 70 percent of gross profit dollars coming from non-fuel sales and 30 percent from fuel sales. 

The strategy to achieve these goals is the company's four key growth pillars: 

• Increasing merchandise sales and margins though expanded in-store offerings, including higher-margin food offerings; 
• Increasing the larger store portfolio organically through new-to-industry (NTI) store construction; 
• Growing the larger store portfolio through strategic merger and acquisition opportunities; and 
• Maximizing fuel gross profit through purchasing strength and pricing strategies.

"By combining our operations, marketing and merchandising group under the experienced leadership of Hal Adams, we will have a unified chain of command to support our high-reaching goals of increasing gains in inside store sales and margins, and providing best-in-class operations in both our legacy and new stores," Lubel said.

She also noted that "by combining our organic NTI growth, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic planning and business analytics under [Trudel], we can better coordinate and allocate our capital and resources to achieve aggressive large-format store growth and expand our geographic presence, which are key components to achieving our 2020 vision."

Adams has more than 25 years of retail experience, having served as the vice president of retail merchandising at Valero Energy Corp. from 2001 until 2013, when he took on his most recent position as senior vice president and chief marketing officer at CST. He began his career as a "graveyard shift" store associate in a Stop N Go store in Ventura, Calif. 

Trudel has nearly 25 years of experience in the fuel marketing business, including 18 years of service in Canada. 

Motz will be retiring after 33 years of service in the fuel and convenience industry.

"From launching our Canadian company-owned retail operations to expanding our fuel supply business with new partners like Shell and Phillips 66 and numerous acquisitions along the way, [Motz] has touched every aspect of our company operations across his tenure. He has been an invaluable mentor and leader and will be missed by all," Lubel said.

Also retiring is Christian Houle, senior vice president of Canadian retail. After 20 years of service to the company and 40 years of retail experience, he will also retire in the first quarter. Houle has served as CST's lead executive in its Canadian Service Center since its 2013 spinoff from Valero. 

San Antonio-based CST employs more than 14,000 team members at approximately 1,900 locations throughout the Southwestern United States, New York and Eastern Canada, offering a broad array of convenience merchandise, beverages, snacks and fresh food. CST also owns the general partner of CrossAmerica Partners LP, a master limited partnership and wholesale distributor of fuels, based in Allentown, Pa.