Welcome to the Convenience-Store Women (CSW) People Roundup, where women in the convenience-store industry are highlighted for career changes, promotions, retirements and more each month. Read on for news about retailers, suppliers, distributors and more.
Retailers
Scranton, Pennsylvania-based Onvo has named Stephanie Mihal as its new chief financial officer the company announced on LinkedIn. Mihal brings more than 20 years of experience as a certified public accountant with McGrail Merkel Quinn & Associates, the company said. She replaces former Onvo chief financial officer Fred Malloy. “Stephanie’s passion for her work and community involvement has led her to serve on various volunteer boards, such as the Outreach Center for Community Research and as the accounting department professional counselor at the University of Scranton,” Onvo said on LinkedIn. “When not at work or making a difference in the community, she enjoys attending sporting events, baking and spending time with her family, especially her sons.”
Onvo is No. 163 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.
Photograph courtesy of Pilot Co.
Pilot Co. has named Kari Irons as vice president of brand. New to the convenience-store channel, Irons previously was vice president of global brand marketing for Topgolf, a sports entertainment company. The Knoxville, Tennessee-based convenience-store company said Irons brings extensive retail-marketing expertise to her new role.
- Pilot Co. is No. 16 on CSP’s 2025 Top 40 Update to the 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2025 Top 202 ranking in the June issue of CSP magazine and in CSP Daily News.
Suppliers
Photograph courtesy of Ruiz Food Products.
Frozen Mexican food manufacturer Ruiz Food Products, Frisco, Texas, has named Jennifer Ginnetti as senior vice president, retail business unit. Ginnetti joins Ruiz Food Products from Nestle USA where she served as vice president of marketing for U.S. pizza in its pizza and snacking division. In her new role, Ginnetti will oversee the El Monterey brand strategy and sales execution that align with the company’s vision of sustained growth and innovation. Ginnetti will also lead the marketing and sales teams. “Jennifer is an experienced and innovative marketing leader who understands how to build food brands in complex environments,” said Kimberli Carroll, president and CEO. Ginnetti served in several marketing leadership roles during her decade with Nestle USA. As vice president of marketing for its U.S. pizza business she improved product quality, launched a variety of new innovations, reduced manufacturing complexity, and maximized return on investment. Ruiz Foods Products Inc. is a privately owned corporation co-founded by Fred Ruiz and his father, Louis, in 1964. Ruiz Foods employs more than 4,000 and has five manufacturing facilities in California, Texas and South Carolina.
Photograph courtesy of the Hershey Co.
Chocolate maker Hershey Co., Hershey, Pennsylvania, has named Stacy Taffet as its chief growth officer, effective April 14. In this role, she will be responsible for driving transformative growth strategies across the company's expanding snacks portfolio, which includes brands like Hershey's, Reese's, Jolly Rancher and Dot's Homestyle Pretzels. Taffet is a seasoned marketing executive with 20 years of transformative leadership experience, including 15 years in consumer-packaged goods. Her career spans multiple brand portfolios at PepsiCo—most recently as senior vice president of beverage portfolio strategy and marketing. "We are thrilled to welcome Stacy to Hershey's executive team,” said Michele Buck, president and CEO of the chocolate maker. “With deep expertise in brand strategy, innovation and commercial growth, Stacy brings strategic capabilities to accelerate our vision to become a leading snacking powerhouse.” In her new role, Taffet will spearhead the company’s enterprise strategy and key growth capabilities encompassing media and creative investments, marketing innovation, research and development, commercial and consumer intelligence, and brand reputation management.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.