Darren Rebelez left his post as president of IHOP in 2019 to helm Casey’s General Stores Inc., embarking on a massive transformation that has reimagined nearly every aspect of the Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience-store chain’s business.
It is thanks to those transformative efforts that CSP has named Casey’s CEO and President Rebelez its 2024 Retail Leader of the Year. And now c-store retailers can join the celebration of his achievements at the annual RLOY dinner in Las Vegas.
“In his modest ways, Darren is arguably the most impactful CEO in the c-store channel today,” Mitch Morrison, CSP’s event content director and vice president of retailer relations, said. “Less than five years ago, Darren took the reins of a successful company and completely reinvented it, making Casey’s one of the most food-focused, enterprising and lucrative companies in the c-store industry.”
Casey’s General Stores Inc. is No. 3 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by store count.
Rebelez joined Casey’s in June of 2019, following four years with casual dining restaurant chain IHOP. Before IHOP, he served as executive vice president and COO at 7-Eleven. Rebelez also spent six years in leadership posts at ExxonMobil.
How to Join the Celebration
CSP will celebrate Rebelez’s leadership and achievements with family and friends at a formal dinner and award presentation during the NACS Show on Oct. 7 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Las Vegas. The reception will start at 7:30 p.m.
Convenience-store retailers can register for the dinner here by using the code “Casey’s.”
Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores operates more than 2,650 convenience stores in the greater Midwestern states under the Casey’s and GoodStop brands and in Texas under the Lone Star Food Stores brand. The company is the third-largest convenience-store retailer, the fourth-largest holder of liquor licenses and the fifth-largest pizza chain in the United States. In July, it announced it would acquire 198 CEFCO convenience stores.
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