People on the Move: CDA, Core-Mark, EG America & NATSO
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.
Convenience Distribution Association
The Convenience Distribution Association named Jeff Eldridge, area vice president, Midwest States at ITG Brands LLC as its 2024 Dean of the Industry during the Convenience Distribution Business Exchange (CDBX) this fall.
The Dean of the Industry recognition highlights the value and importance of distributors' many trading partners. It honors manufacturers and other industry members who have demonstrated a strong, continual partnership with, and support of, the distribution class of trade.
Being involved with CDA has given Eldridge the opportunity to connect with distributors around the country, even those outside his area of responsibility at ITG. He has been an active member of CDA since 2015 when he attended CDBX in Chicago for the first time, representing ITG. He subsequently became the face of ITG at CDA events.
"Jeff is so well liked and well respected that almost everyone considers him a close friend," said Kimberly Bolin, CDA president and CEO. "Our members know that they can pick up the phone and Jeff will answer. Not only will he help solve a problem, he will do so with the highest integrity and a great attitude."
Creative Energy
Food-focused advertising agency Creative Energy added Jackie Silver to its account service organization is already benefiting its clients.
Silver brings nearly two decades of agency experience to the Creative Energy team, including stints at Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi and BBDO. At Leo Burnett, Silver served as account supervisor managing the ALDI supermarket account. At BBDO, she served as account executive for Lay's and Mars Petcare. Other client experience includes Johnson & Johnson, Exxon Mobile and USAA auto insurance.
Silver joins recently hired Director of Account Service Michelle Hartmann who similarly brings big agency experience and Vice President of Strategy Bradly Eshbach.
Diebold Nixdorf
Diebold Nixdorf appointed Edward McCabe as the new head of retail sales for North America. Arvin Jawa, who previously led Diebold Nixdorf's Retail Americas Sales team, will now fully focus on his key role in leading the company's Global Retail Strategy and Marketing.
McCabe will drive the expansion of the company's current market position in North America by further optimizing the go-to-market strategy to propel the implementation of Diebold Nixdorf's self-service technology and services in key verticals like grocery, general merchandise, convenience and fuel, and quick-service restaurants.
McCabe has more than 35 years of sales and sales management experience, most recently as executive vice president of sales at Spencer Technologies, focusing on delivering end-to-end solutions for retailers to improve profitability, efficiency and customer satisfaction. Prior to Spencer, he led retail sales in the United States at Zebra Technologies for nearly 10 years.
EG America
EG America welcomed three executives — Elizabeth Pierce, Diana Styles and Mendy Meriwether — to its leadership team this fall.
Pierce comes on board as chief operating officer; she will lead retail operations. Most recently, Pierce was President/CEO of Applegreen's U.S. operations, where she grew the business to a $1 billion enterprise across 18 states and 220-plus retail locations. She brings extensive experience in designing and executing complex business strategies, acquisitional growth and organic expansion, and developing multifunctional teams. Pierce previously held leadership and senior finance positions at Applegreen and was an executive board member of NACS.
"We are thrilled to have Elizabeth join our company and team," said John Carey, president and CEO of EG America. "Her expertise and strong leadership will ensure our retail organization continues to evolve and execute on the company's strategic goals and drive business performance and growth."
Styles joins the company as chief human resources officer, replacing Sandra Tierney, who recently retired. She will lead the development and execution of EG America's human resource strategy, which includes talent acquisition, talent development and management, change management, organizational and performance management, benefits and compensation, training and human resource data management. Styles, whose career spans more than 27 years, most recently led commercial human resources for Adidas where she supported 57,000 employees across retail, wholesale, franchise and e-commerce.
Meriwether joins as vice president of food, dispensed beverage and QSR. In this new role for the company, she will lead EG America's food and beverage strategy, which includes the development of innovative food and beverage offerings and promotional concepts, quick-service restaurant brands and foodservice support teams. Most recently, Meriwether was the director of fresh food and beverage at Wawa Inc., where she held a variety of roles for more than 20 years.
Hatco
Hatco appointed Erich Dussert as European regional sales manager for the foodservice equipment company. In his new role, he will oversee Hatco's sales strategy and operations throughout the European market.
With more than 20 years of experience in EMEA sales and regional management, Dussert's appointment is a significant step in advancing Hatco's strategic initiatives and presence across the region. His successful tenures at Parts Town – REPA, Filtrox, Revol and Welbilt, where he consistently drove growth and forged strategic partnerships, are a testament to his capabilities, according to the company.
Lula Commerce
Lula hired Justin Jackson as president and chief revenue officer. He has served as an advisor to Lula Commerce since early 2024, and now joins the company full time out of Austin, Texas.
According to the digital company, Jackson's experience in scaling teams, while leading the growth of digital services and operations at some of the most respected companies like Amazon and Uber, will serve Lula's customers well as it continues to meet growing demand.
At Amazon, he led the go-to-market of Amazon Webstore, an early SaaS platform focused on making customers successful through their own e-commerce channels. Additionally, he led the central region for Amazon Local, focused on growing retail customer acquisition through marketing offers, an effort which informed a later evolution into Amazon Restaurants.
Jackson also has previous experience leading teams across the United States and Canada for Uber Eats, focusing on restaurant launches and success on the platform and deepening his experience in local delivery and operations.
NATSO
NATSO, which represents the nation's truck stops and travel centers, appointed Gary Hoogeveen to its board of directors. Hoogeveen is president of Pilot Energy. His appointment brings the board to 19 directors.
"We are pleased to welcome Gary Hoogeveen to our Board of Directors," said NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings. "Gary's deep experience in the energy sector will be invaluable to NATSO and its membership as we pursue our member-driven policy priorities in the coming year as part of our mission to serve the nation's truck stops and travel center industry."
Hoogeveen, who was named president of Pilot Energy this April, oversees the company's integrated fuel supply chain, including upstream infrastructure and asset management, business development, procurement, logistics and transportation. In addition, he and his team lead the ongoing development and innovation of electric and alternative energy solutions.
Previously, Hoogeveen served as the president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power. He was also president of Kern River Gas Transmission Co. for four years and has held various leadership positions at Berkshire Hathaway Energy since 2000.
NexChapter
NexChapter, a strategic advisory firm specializing in helping convenience and grocery retailers navigate digital transformation, added Matt Riezman to its team. Riezman brings more than 15 years of experience in marketing leadership roles across the retail and consumer packaged goods sectors, and he will play a key role in helping NexChapter clients overcome marketing challenges and build more effective growth strategies, the company stated.
In his most recent role at Kum & Go, he led a comprehensive marketing transformation, launching a full brand refresh, overhauling the &Rewards loyalty program on a new technology stack and architecting the company's first always-on paid media strategy. His innovative work drove significant increases in foot traffic, digital engagement and food sales.
Riezman was named a Future Leader in Convenience by Convenience Store News in 2021.
"We are thrilled to have Matt on board," said Art Sebastian, founder and CEO of NexChapter. "Marketing is evolving faster than ever. Retailers are navigating a more complex landscape of customer data, digital engagement, and an exploding assortment of media channels. With Matt's wealth of experience and his track record of success, NexChapter is uniquely positioned to help convenience and grocery retailers modernize their marketing strategies and achieve meaningful growth."
In addition to his work at Kum & Go, Riezman worked in brand management at Kraft Heinz and consulting with Deloitte. He has also served on the NACS Strategic Communications Committee, where he advised on key communication challenges facing the convenience retail industry.
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