People on the Move: EG America, CandyRific & Colonial Group Inc.
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: Casey's, EG America & Franke Coffee Systems]
Amazon.com Inc.
Rodney Blanton left his position as global head of proprietary brands at Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. to join Amazon.com Inc. as its new director of category management.
According to Store Brands, a sister publication to Convenience Store News, Blanton joined Couche-Tard in 2009 as Circle K's director of merchandising, marketing and category management. He subsequently held a number of roles, including most recently his lead in the retailer's private label efforts.
"Joining the forefront of global innovation alongside a talented new team is truly an honor, and I am incredibly eager to contribute to my new family of Amazonians in their fervent efforts of reshaping the way we experience everyday life," Blanton wrote on a LinkedIn post announcing his new position.
CandyRific
CandyRific hired Shayne Quinn as executive vice president of sales. He will be responsible for leading the sales organization, as well as the company's broker network.
"We are excited to have Shayne join the team at CandyRific and look forward to his leadership and contributions to CandyRific's continued growth," said BJ Ruckriegel, CandyRific president.
Quinn comes to CandyRific with 25 years of candy industry experience. In his previous positions in the industry, he managed all classes of trade including food, drug, mass, value, specialty and broker relationships.
"I am excited to join CandyRific and for the opportunity to represent the licenses of some of the most well-known brands in the world," Quinn said. "I look forward to driving sales and distribution of CandyRific's iconic products."
Colonial Group Inc.
Colonial Group Inc. promoted two within its executive leadership team: Bob Kenyon to the position of chief operations officer and Ryan Chandler to chief commercial officer. Colonial Group is the parent company of Enmarket convenience stores.
"All the companies within the Colonial family have experienced tremendous growth and change over the past several years," said Christian Demere, president and CEO of Colonial Group. "Expanding Ryan's and Bob's scope across the company will help us achieve our full potential and become the best in every industry we serve."
[Read more: Colonial Group to Relocate Corporate Headquarters]
In their new roles, Kenyon and Chandler will expand their involvement across the entire organization in operational and commercial strategy and standards, and unite all Colonial's business units under a new "One Colonial" approach while still maintaining the previous roles as president of Colonial Oil Industries Inc. and president of Colonial Terminals Inc., respectively.
Kenyon has nearly 30 years of experience in fuel operations. Prior to joining Colonial in 2022, he served as senior vice president, sales and marketing for Renewable Energy Group Inc. He is also the former president of Atlas Oil Co., where he led the company's nationwide sales, marketing, supply, operations and administrative resources spanning 20 terminals and more than 900 employees.
Chandler joined Colonial Group as vice president of business development in 2011 and became president of Colonial Terminals in 2020. Earlier in his career, he practiced commercial law and served as vice president of operations at TICO/Terminal Services, a terminal equipment manufacturing and outsourcing company.
EG America
Whitney Johnson joined EG America as vice president of loyalty and digital commerce, where she will spearhead the company's future growth through loyalty marketing and digital commerce.
"We are excited to have Whitney join EG America," said Brian Ferguson, chief marketing officer. "She brings the breadth and strength of experience we need in loyalty marketing, merchandising and digital commerce strategies to propel the business forward."
Johnson most recently founded Capstone Growth Advisors, a consulting firm focused on the consumer packaged goods, e-commerce and retail sectors that specializes in tailored growth strategies and c-suite advising services. She previously led grocery merchandising and category management for GoBrands Inc., and held several senior roles in merchandising strategy, loyalty and category management at Murphy Oil USA Inc. and Sunoco.
General Mills Inc.
General Mills will bring on board Asheesh Saksena as chief strategy and growth officer, effective Aug. 26. He will succeed Dana McNabb, following her prior appointment to group president, North America retail.
In his new role, Saksena will report to Jeff Harmening, chairman and CEO, join the senior leadership team and have global accountability for the company's comprehensive strategic planning process and for building long-term, sustainable plans and capabilities to accelerate growth.
Saksena most recently served as chief growth officer for Gap Inc., where he was accountable for operations, technology and the company's growth strategy. Prior roles include president of Best Buy Health and chief strategic growth officer at Best Buy Co. Inc., in addition to chief strategy officer for Cox Communications and deputy chief strategy officer for Time Warner Cable.
Haribo of America Inc.
Haribo of America appointed Shirley Ulrich as senior vice president of sales, where she will lead the company's sales strategy across all channels, aiming to elevate brand presence and serve customers with excellence throughout the United States.
Ulrich will also join the company's management team and play a key role in driving sustainable growth for the brand.
Ulrich has more than 30 years of extensive experience across fast-moving consumer goods, most recently serving as vice president of commercial for North and Central America at Ball Corp., where she oversaw a $6 billion commercial portfolio for the aluminum beverage packaging division. Prior to Ball, she held senior executive positions at Mars Wrigley, Nintendo, Johnson & Johnson and Pillsbury.
Paytronix Systems Inc.
Paytronix appointed Enverus Chief Product Officer Jimmy Fortuna to its board of directors.
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Fortuna's expertise in software sector product development traces back 30 years to his time with hospitality and retail technology provider Radiant Systems in 1995. After Radiant, he move onto NCR Corp. in July 2011, where he rose to vice president of product development for the company's hospitality division.
"We are thrilled to add Jimmy to our board as an advisor and partner to the business," said Jeff Hindman, CEO of Paytronix. "Jimmy's experience scaling successful software businesses, understanding of our industry, and long history of innovation and impact throughout his career will bring a wealth of experience to the Paytronix board."
Fortuna additionally owns 10 patents, many of which apply to point-of-sale mobility for restaurants, cryptographic transaction security for convenience stores, retail cyber security and fleet vehicle telematics.
Sugar Foods Corp.
Sugar Foods Corp. promoted company veteran Andrea Brule to the role of president and CEO. She succeeds Marty Wilson, who is retiring but will remain as an advisor to the Sugar Foods leadership team.
"I am deeply honored to serve as only the fourth CEO in Sugar Foods' 80-year history and am grateful to Marty for his many years of mentorship," Brule said. "I look forward to continuing to work alongside the rest of our leadership team as we continue to strengthen our customer relationships, enhance our capabilities across product categories and drive long-term growth."
During her 20-year tenure with the company, Brule has led strategy development and execution across Sugar Foods' sales channels, product categories, marketing, pricing, and research and delivery. In her most recent role as president, she guided Sugar Foods' strategic initiatives to expand its product portfolio, develop customer-focused innovations and execute the company's growth plan.