Casey’s Makes 10 Leadership Changes as Part of Three-Year Growth Plan

Casey’s is reshaping its executive leadership team to streamline operations as the company navigates a period of significant growth.

The moves, according to a statement provided to CStore Decisions, are designed to “strengthen strategic execution, build organizational resilience and support long-term growth as the company prepares to embark on its next three-year strategic plan.”

Leadership Changes

The changes, which went into effect on June 28, include:

• Sam James, vice president, sourcing and procurement, has been promoted to senior vice president, finance and investor relations.

• Brian Johnson, senior vice president, investor relations and business development, has stepped into a role exclusively focused on mergers and acquisitions as senior vice president, business development.

• Steven Robins, vice president of finance, has transitioned to vice president, real estate.

• Kendra Meyer, vice president of real estate, has moved into the role of vice president, sourcing and procurement.

• Chris Stewart, vice president of merchandising, has assumed a newly created role as vice president, fuels.

• Fareed Siddiqui, vice president of CEFCO Merchandising and Marketing, has been promoted to vice president, merchandising (grocery and general merchandise).

• Pierre Hakim has taken on an expanded role as vice president, enterprise strategy, data and AI.

• Doug Means, senior vice president of supply chain and efficiency, has moved into the role of senior vice president, chief information officer.

• Josh Gondek, senior director of grocery transportation, has been promoted to a newly created role of vice president, distribution operations.

• Dave Johnson retired from Casey’s effective April 30, concluding a distinguished career with the company. Following his retirement, Kim Lippert was promoted to division vice president.

“These leadership changes help position Casey’s to continue delivering sustained growth while advancing our strategic priorities over the next three years,” said Darren Rebelez, president and CEO, Casey’s. “We congratulate these leaders on their new roles and thank Dave for his contributions to Casey’s.

Growth Strategy

Casey’s revealed its three-year strategic plan to the public in late June. The chain is doubling down on three operational initiatives — accelerating its food and beverage program, expanding and scaling, and enhancing operational efficiency.

“Our success over the last three years reinforces what makes Casey’s unique: a differentiated model that brings together restaurant-quality food, best-in-class convenience and fuel at scale,” said Rebelez at the time. “As we enter our next three-year plan, we are focused on expanding our food business, growing our store base and leveraging technology to improve efficiency and execution. We believe these priorities will enable us to continue gaining market share, driving profitable growth, and delivering long-term value for our shareholders.”

On the foodservice front, the company is increasingly investing in its made-to-order program. While historically Casey’s has been famous for its pizza, over the next three years the chain plans to roll out a new chicken wing program across its network. About a third of Casey’s stores have already rolled out the offering, Rebelez said in a media briefing. The chain is also adding fries to the menu to account for customer demand.

“Our food business is at the center of Casey’s three-year growth strategy and continues to be one of our strongest differentiators,” said Tom Brennan, chief merchandising officer at Casey’s. “Prepared foods and nonalcoholic beverages are driving strong inside sales, and we’re continuing to build on the loyalty we’ve earned through our more than 40 years in the pizza business with new offerings like wings and fries. In Des Moines, where wings have been available for more than a year, sales are up 20% year over year, reinforcing the significant opportunity we see as we expand the platform across our nearly 3,000 stores and further establish Casey’s as a food destination.”

Notably, Casey’s shared plans to grow its footprint by 400 stores over the next three years. The sites, Rebelez said, will come in the form of both new builds and acquisitions.

The chain’s growth strategy, according to chief operations officer Ena Williams, is “expanding Casey’s Country in a disciplined way.”

“We’ve shown that we can grow through both new stores and acquisitions,” said Williams. “That includes the successful integration of CEFCO, our largest acquisition to date, which strengthened our presence in Texas and expanded Casey’s reach across the South. That flexibility allows us to pursue the best opportunities as market conditions evolve.”