At a time when family-owned convenience-store chains are challenged to keep the interest of next-generation leaders, Chris Hartman is eager to focus on his goals of bringing in quality talent to Rutter's. His promotion in early January to vice president of fuels, advertising and development at the York, Pennsylvania-based chain has also pushed him to learn more about what has placed Rutter’s among the most successful chains in the industry.
- Rutter’s ranked No. 84 in CSP’s 2022 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
Beginning at 13 years old, Hartman worked in Rutter’s stores each summer and gained knowledge of store operations. He returned to Rutter’s in 2018, after working outside the business for five years and receiving his MBA in finance from George Washington University.
Hartman continues to expand his role within the company and looks to build on the success of previous generations, the company said.
“My goal is to keep learning more about the business and growing my knowledge base of how do we do what we do now and better understand that in every area,” Hartman told CSP.
In his new role, Hartman will continue to be responsible for fuels, advertising, construction and real estate, while adding on the role of finding people to help direct these areas and managing them.
“I'm looking to get people that can manage day-to-day areas that I was previously managing, or currently managing, and trying to make sure that we have the team that can support the growth that we're trying to have here,” said Hartman. “Hiring the best people for those positions is critical, whether it's fuels or construction or real estate or anything else that's getting the best people.”
Rutter’s attention to not just one category, but each area of the store is prevalent in Hartman’s view of the company’s future.
“For the company, our goal was to continue to grow in new areas and to strive for the best customer service, the best food, the best convenience store and to provide the best amenities for our customers,” said Hartman. “And we're going to keep adapting our model to meet the needs of customers as we move into these new areas. And for us, we want to keep getting the best people onto our team, so that we can be successful as we do all of that.”
The convenience-store chain has employees that strive for success, Hartman said, and when people are competitive, smart, driven and fit into the culture of the company, the success builds on itself.
“We're going to continue to try and keep our culture strong, have the best people, and have the best product when it comes to our convenience stores and everything that goes along with it,” Hartman said. “That's going to really be what drives us to having a successful future for more generations and more customers.”
Rutter’s is a privately held chain of convenience stores based in York, Pennsylvania. It operates 84 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.