People on the Move: Beck Suppliers, Kum & Go, CDA, Diebold Nixdorf, GATE Petroleum & Parker's
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.
ADD Systems
Advanced Digital Data Inc. (ADD Systems) announced Linda Carrer, customer support manager, retired after 30 years with the company. According to ADD Systems, Carrer instilled in her support team the importance of being good listeners, always seeking to understand client needs to give the best support possible.
With her retirement, ADD Systems promoted Steve Tymikiw to customer support manager. He joined ADD Systems more than 23 years ago and brings a wealth of software knowledge, as well as a great deal of experience working directly with ADD clients.
Previously, Tymikiw worked as an application and integration manager in the Implementation & Training Department. In that role, he worked closely with clients, managing high priority projects. Prior to that he gained valuable industry experience as an accountant with two large energy marketers.
Beck Suppliers
Justin Jeffers joined Beck Suppliers as vice president of fuel supply and logistics. Jeffers will lead the company's fuel transportation division as well as its propane and fuel oil division. The fuel transportation division is responsible for delivering approximately 200 million gallons of motor fuel annually to Beck-branded fuel customers, the company's wholesale division, and FriendShip Kitchen, the company's retail arm.
Jeffers comes to Beck from Mansfield Energy Corp., where he held the position of vice president of logistics and transportation. Prior to Mansfield, he spent 18 years with Kenan Advantage Group, where he served in multiple capacities of increasing responsibility.
Convenience Distribution Association
The Convenience Distribution Association (CDA) announced Kellie Janssen, Henry's Foods Inc., was elected as chair for 2022 at the association's Annual Membership Meeting.
Janssen joined Alexandria, Minn.-based Henry's Foods in 2012 as director of business development and rose to the title president. She has served on the CDA board of directors and various committees over the years, and is currently on the association's executive committee.
Diebold Nixdorf
Diebold Nixdorf Inc. added William A. (Bill) Borden, corporate vice president of worldwide financial services for Microsoft Corp., to its board of directors.
A veteran leader in the global financial services industry, Borden brings a wealth of experience to Diebold Nixdorf's board. For more than 20 years during his career, he has held various senior leadership positions at some of the largest banking institutions in the United States, including Bank of America and Citigroup. As Microsoft's thought leader in financial services, he is responsible for leading the development and execution of the company's global financial services strategy, supporting its customers in their digital transformation journeys.
Borden is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, a membership organization for the development of global Black leaders. He is committed to helping the communities in which he lives and works through board membership, volunteering and mentoring. For Diebold Nixdorf, Borden will serve on the board's audit and technology committees. His appointment expands the number of the company's directors from 11 to 12.
GATE Petroleum
GATE Petroleum Co. announces promoted Lucas Hildebrand to vice president, finance and administration, secretary and treasurer.
In this role, Hildebrand is responsible for the financial reporting of GATE Petroleum. He also provides support for the company's administrative functions and oversees the company's banking relationships. Hildebrand has been with GATE for 15 years, and previously served as corporate controller.
GATE Petroleum Co. announces promoted Lucas Hildebrand to vice president, finance and administration, secretary and treasurer.
In this role, Hildebrand is responsible for the financial reporting of GATE Petroleum. He also provides support for the company's administrative functions and oversees the company's banking relationships. Hildebrand has been with GATE for 15 years, and previously served as corporate controller.
GPM Investments
GPM Investments LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp., welcomed Justin Odom as senior category manager.
Prior to joining GPM, Odom spent more than four years as an associate category manager and category manager at 7-Eleven Inc. where he was responsible for the profitability and growth of assigned categories in 3,000-plus stores throughout 12 states. Before 7-Eleven, Odom spent nearly two years as a category specialist for Sunoco LP.
As senior category manager, Odom will oversee all center store categories across all of GPM's family of community brands. Categories include candy, salty snacks, meat snacks, and sweet snacks. In his new role, Odom will be responsible for setting category strategy, and driving overall sales growth and profitability. He will have one associate category manager and one category manager reporting to him.
Impact 21
Aaron Simpson joined Impact 21 as its newest senior principal consultant. In his role, Simpson focuses on helping Impact 21 clients improve and refine their marketing strategies by providing best practices and insights gained from his career as a marketing executive, which spans over two decades.
Prior to joining Impact 21, Simpson served as vice president and chief marketing officer at Maverik, where he helped build a brand experience that has created thousands of followers and loyal customers. He led a team of 50 associates responsible for customer strategy and program execution, including customer engagement/loyalty, category management, foodservice, merchandising, and marketing to deliver consistent growth in quarterly sales and profits.
Kum & Go LC
Kum & Go welcomed Brian J. Beckett as chief financial officer (CFO). He brings with him more than 15 years of experience driving bottom-line performance initiatives and leading active, engaged teams. He will report to CEO Tanner Krause.
Beckett succeeds Erin Kuhl, who has transitioned to the role of CFO for Kum & Go's parent company, Krause Group. Expanding the Krause Group leadership team gives the full enterprise a strong financial strategy team dedicated to each business and working collaboratively across the Krause Group portfolio, according to the organization.
Beckett most recently served as the vice president of finance and treasurer at Vertex Software. Prior to Vertex, he worked for Athene USA as a senior director on the Accounting and Transaction Advisory Group.
McLane Co. Inc.
McLane Co. Inc. named Michelle Patterson as vice president of marketing and communications. Patterson's appointment is a crucial talent acquisition as McLane advances grocery and foodservice solutions for convenience stores, mass merchants, drug stores, and chain restaurants, the company stated.
Patterson has more than 20 years of experience as a strategic marketing executive. Since 2007, she and her husband, John, have co-owned and operated ShakeWell Creative, a strategic creative agency in Austin, Texas. Under John's leadership and a board of directors, the agency will continue developing and executing marketing and branding strategies that have positioned diverse Fortune 500 companies for long-term growth. Over the years, clients have included McLane Co., KINEXO, Fluence by OSRAM, Aramark, Webber, Fourth, Texas Health Action and Kind Clinic.
Patterson will continue to serve as the board chair for The Pangea Network, an international nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls through proven education and empowerment programs.
Parker's
Parker's recently hired Brittany Burcham as director of communications and community outreach. In her new position, Burcham focuses on internal communications at Parker's, supporting the entire workforce across 71 stores as well as overseeing community outreach.
Before joining Parker's, Burcham served as the senior communications manager, Global Franchise Learning for Marriott International, where she created and executed communications plans, launched learning webinars and established branding standards. She previously worked at Marriott International as a senior communications manager and special projects communications lead.
Earlier in her career, she served as a senior communications specialist with Macrosys LLC, as a public relations and marketing consultant for Children's National Health System, and as director of community marketing and public relations for Hospice of Montgomery.
Stephenson Wholesale
Stephenson Wholesale Inc. Co, dba Indian Nation Wholesale Co. (INW), named Greg Cross president. He is the third generation of the Cross family to take this role.
With the change, Corey Cooper stepped away from day-to-day operations after more than 11 years as president. He remains remain with INW in a new role, focusing on driving strategic ventures that promise to bring exciting opportunities for our customers.
Cross has spent most of his adult life serving in a variety of roles at the family-owned company, most recently spending the last two years as the chief operating officer (COO). As COO, he focused on modernizing INW's operations and looks forward to continuing those efforts as president.
Visual Marketing
Visual Marketing Inc. (VMI) hired Tom DeLucia as account executive. In this role, he will report to Vice President of Sales & Marketing Randy Moderhack. DeLucia's primary responsibility will be to sell VMI's AIM Tobacco Display System.
Prior to joining VMI, DeLucia spent nearly 30 years in the tobacco industry starting out with Brown and Williamson and then R.J. Reynolds after the two companies merged. He held numerous roles in field trade marketing early in his career and then moved on to corporate roles that included responsibility for merchandising and point-of-purchase development and retail contract strategy.
Delucia finished his career as a marketing director managing the global drive brand Pall Mall and most recently, he was responsible for the successful launch of Lucky Strike.
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