People on the Move: ADS-TEC Energy, Georgia-Pacific & Grabango Co.
NATIONAL REPORT — Retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in the convenience store industry are only as good as their management teams and employees. In this special roundup, Convenience Store News runs down the most recent executive changes at the top in the industry.
[Read more: People on the Move: Altria Group Inc., Circana & DAS Cos. Inc.]
ADS-TEC Energy
Fast charging systems manufacturer ADS-TEC Energy appointed Renato Gross to the position of senior vice president of the company's subsidiary ADSE Inc. He will oversee the growth and expansion of the company in the United States.
Gross has held senior positions in both global and U.S. companies, with a focus on manufacturing, management and sales for more than 20 years. This includes roles in production and technical sales in the automotive industry.
"Renato Gross has an impressive track record of setting up production facilities, rapidly scaling up greenfield facilities and managing product deliveries, which has led to sales in the tens of millions of dollars," said Thomas Speidel, CEO of ADS-TEC Energy. "His skills and commitment to excellence are well aligned with our needs and goals, and we are pleased that he is now part of our company."
Coinciding with its appointment of Gross, ADS-TEC also announced the first installation of its ultra-fast charging solution ChargeBox at the Marina Palms Yacht Club and Residences in North Miami Beach, Fla.
Georgia-Pacific
Katie Hindman, senior director of foodservice national accounts with the consumer products group of paper products manufacturer Georgia-Pacific (GP), was named as a 2024 Change Maker by the Women's Foodservice Forum (WFF) during the association's recent Leadership Conference in Dallas.
WFF supports ambitious, talented women in foodservice, with its Change Makers award honoring women nominated by their employers for their outstanding contributions and exceptional promise as rising leaders who are committed to expanding opportunities for everyone.
"In her 11 years with Georgia-Pacific, Katie has demonstrated a remarkable depth of industry knowledge, has eagerly accepted every new opportunity and challenge, and has served as a valuable mentor to other women both at GP and throughout the industry," said Brooke McKillop, vice president of Foodservice National Sales at GP. "I am so proud of her for earning this recognition and delighted to call her a colleague and friend."
Hindman began her Georgia-Pacific career as a category manager in the company's foodservice division in 2013 and took on increasing responsibility from there. Today, she and her team deliver value-added solutions to some of the largest burger, chicken, sandwich and pizza chains in the United States. Prior to joining GP, Hindman served as a merchant for The Home Depot and as a brand manager at Newell Brands.
Grabango
John Hyun joined checkout-free technology provider Grabango as chief financial officer (CFO), bringing decades of software industry finance and operations experience.
Hyun has led multiple financing, initial public offering (IPO) and merger-and-acquisition transactions representing more than $6 billion in value. He joins Grabango from Mode Analytics, a leading SaaS analytics provider, where as CFO he led finance and corporate development, expanded internationally through mergers and acquisitions, and led the sale of the company for more than $200 million.
Hyun previously served as vice president of finance at Rocket Lawyer, a SaaS legal tech company, and YuMe, a video advertising technology provider, where he helped lead IPO readiness. He also has experience as an investment and corporate banker with clients including The Kroger Co., US Foods, Nike Inc. and Harry & David LLC.
Hatco Corp.
Lorne Deacon was promoted to the role of president and CEO of Hatco Corp., taking over from David Rolston, who retired April 5.
After 30 years at Hatco and nearly 20 years as president and CEO, Rolston initially announced the turnover in June 2022. He then spent most of the next year facilitating a smooth transition of leadership for the 800 employee owners of the Hatco employee stock ownership plan. He will remain on the company's board of directors.
Deacon joined Hatco in 2018 as director of global marketing and product development. He was promoted to vice president of global marketing in 2019 and vice president in 2021, before being named president in 2022. He started his career in the banking and financial sector, then joined the foodservice industry in 2013, eventually working in a leadership role with Middleby Corp.
M&G Realty
M&G Realty Inc., part of Rutter's Holdings Inc., named Chris Hartman its new president. He succeeds Tim Rutter, who retired at the end of 2023.
The new role for Hartman will be in addition to his management responsibilities with the related Rutter's convenience store chain.
"The addition of Chris to our senior management leadership team has been fantastic and a key to our innovation and energy that a 277-year-old company needs," said Scott Hartman, president and CEO of Rutter's Holdings and father of Chris.
Chris Hartman is the 11th generation to join the Rutter family business since the founding of the Rutter's family farm in 1747. He began his Rutter's career at 13 years old, working in one of the chain's convenience stores. He returned to the business in 2018 after five years working for a national food brokerage company and earning his MBA from George Washington University.
NATSO
Industry association NATSO installed its new slate of officers following its 2024 spring board of directors meeting.
Joe Zietlow, industry and trade association manager for Kwik Trip Inc., was appointed as the new chairman of the board. Zietlow succeeds Jim Hays, owner of Dodge City Petro, who will now serve as immediate past chair. Matt Mildenberger, president and CEO of Mittens Travel Center, Oakley Kansas TA, was approved as chair-elect.
Additional appointees to the 2024 NATSO board are:
- Debi Boffa, CEO of Travel Centers of America
- Ted Augustine, president 24/7 Travel Stores
- Herb Hargraves, chief operating officer for Victory Marketing, which owns Sprint Mart
- Bruce Morgan, chief commercial officer of QuikTrip Inc.
[Read more: NATSO Connect 2024 Rewind: Technology is 'Mission-Critical']
Marko Zaro, Road Ranger CEO, will continue to serve as secretary/treasurer.
Heather DeBaillie, vice president of marketing for CAT Scale Co. and Iowa 80 Group, will also continue to serve as the NATSO Foundation chairman of the board in 2024.
ResultStack
C-store industry veteran Charles Jarrett joined ResultStack as executive vice president of consulting practice. In his new role, he will oversee ResultStack's consultants, assist with company growth and supervise project teams.
Jarrett joins ResultStack from Flynn Restaurant Group, where he oversaw digital strategy and more than 200 employees for one of the restaurant industry's largest franchisee group, which owns well-known brands such as Applebees, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Panera and Pizza Hut. He also led internal digital systems projects that resulted in more than $10 million in cost savings or revenue.
Prior to joining Flynn, Jarrett served as senior vice president and chief information officer for Cumberland Farms, where he oversaw more than 75 IT professionals and a capital budget of more than $8 million. Among other awards he earned while at Cumberland, he was recognized as the 2018 Technology Leader of the Year by Convenience Store News.
Before Cumberland Farms, Jarrett served as chief information officer for Murphy Oil USA, where he led all nonretail procurement operations and digital systems and was instrumental in modernizing IT operations to prepare for Murphy's successful IPO in 2013.