People on the Move: Delek US, Eby-Brown & NCA

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, CSNews Online runs down the most recent executive changes, new hires, promotions and people achievements happening in the industry.

Delek US Holdings Inc.

Delek US Holdings appointed William J. Finnerty to its board of directors effective April 1. He has more than 40 years of experience in the petroleum and refining industry.

Finnerty served from 2011 until 2012 as a member of the board of directors of CVR Energy Inc., where he chaired the Energy, Healthy & Safety Committee and was a member of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. From 2005 to 2010, he served in different capacities with Tesoro Corp., including executive vice president of strategy and corporate development, and chief operating officer. Finnerty began his career with Texaco in 1970.

Eby-Brown Co. LLC

Geno Kurolapnik will replace long-time Eby-Brown veteran Ralph Kallmann, who is retiring, as customer merchandising manager. Kurolapnik joined Eby-Brown in June 2011. He is currently responsible for managing Eby-Brown’s Vendor Day Program and overseeing SmartProcess interface with the sales department.  

Prior to his current responsibilities within the merchandising department, Kurolapnik spent time in various positions within Eby-Brown’s sales and procurement departments.

Gilbarco Veeder-Root

Steve Moule was recently named president of Gilbarco North America, reporting to Martin Gafinowitz, senior vice president and group executive for Gilbarco Veeder-Root.

Moule was most recently president of Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). He has held significant leadership positions within the company since 2007, with his first role as managing director, UK. As President of Gilbarco Veeder-Root EMEA, Moule grew the core business and spearheaded acquisitions in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Germany and Africa.

“Steve brings strong industry knowledge, as well as a proven focus on our customers and the needs of the c-store market,” said Gafinowitz. “We are pleased to have him leading the North America team.”

National Confectioners Association

The Board of Trustees of the National Confectioners Association (NCA) appointed John H. Downs Jr. as president of the trade association. Downs, a senior advisor to the president of Coca-Cola Americas for The Coca-Cola Co., will succeed Lawrence T. Graham, who will have served the NCA for 22 years when he retires later this month.

In his most recent position at Coca-Cola, Downs focused on strategic stakeholder engagement, government relations and public affairs in North America and Latin America. Prior to this role, he was vice president of global government, diplomatic and stakeholder relations for The Coca-Cola Co. He also has broad experience in public affairs, government relations, communications, association management, international affairs and corporate social responsibility.

Downs will assume the role of NCA president this summer. He will be responsible for managing both strategic direction and daily operations.

Ohio Association of Convenience Stores

Jeffrey Erb, president of the Ohio Association of Convenience Stores (OACS), was appointed to the Northwest Ohio Community College Board of Trustees by Ohio Gov. John Kasich for a five-year term that began April 11.

Erb is the general manager at Saneholtz-Mckarns Main Stops, which has 14 locations throughout the northwest Ohio region. He has served as president of OACS for more than six years and is a strong advocate for the convenience store industry.

VMR Products 

VMR Products, maker of V2 electronic cigarettes, appointed product management, chemical and technology expert Fred Lu as its vice president of products. In this role, he is responsible for the planning, organization and engineering of existing and new products.

Lu brings more than 20 years of experience and success to the position, including broad expertise in go-to-market strategy, product management, engineering, quality assurance, product marketing and business development in chemical, electronic sensor and automation technology fields.

Prior to joining VMR, he led product and digital marketing campaigns as global director of marketing at Danaher Corp.