Darren Rebelez’s servant-leadership style dates back to when his children, Kelsey Burrows and Brandon Rebelez, were young. CSP’s 2024 Retail Leader of the Year drove his kids to convenience stores and restaurants on holidays to thank the employees, said his wife, Holly Rebelez, at the Retail Leader of the Year award dinner on Oct. 7 at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Las Vegas.
The CEO of Casey’s and the 2024 Retail Leader of the Year award winner also stops at Casey’s every morning for a cup of coffee.
“He still spends many days and weekends in the stores engaging his team on the front lines. It’s who he is to his core,” Holly Rebelez said.
Rebelez Inspires Greatness
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.
Tom Brennan, chief merchandising officer at Casey's, referenced his common bond with Rebelez, both being graduates from the United States Military Academy at West Point, along with Rebelez’s wife and daughter. Rebelez shows up every day with positivity and confident humility—characteristics he acquired from military school, Brennan noted.
“Our CEO is a reflection of our rural small-town roots, as his low-ego approach shows up in simple acts… [and] higher stakes moments.” —Tom Brennan, Casey’s
At work, Rebelez has a knack for asking unanticipated questions—not to put anyone on the spot but to ensure they are in the best position to succeed.
“The most effective leaders are those that show the respect that is due to others, and in so doing, inspire great regard for themselves,” said Brennan.
He is the catalyst for the amazing Casey's culture that celebrates diversity, confidence and trust, and he ensures that team members are caretakers in maintaining it. He chooses the harder right over the easier wrong, and to be a part of his team requires strategic clarity, clear accountabilities, discipline processes and appropriately challenging expectations.
“Under Darren’s leadership, we are on the transformational path of making our almost 60-year-old brand into a bigger, bolder, more contemporary version of itself,” said Brennan. “Our CEO is a reflection of our rural small-town roots, as his low-ego approach shows up in simple acts, like joining a group of team members for lunch in our cafeteria or always parking his truck furthest from the store support center so that he has the longest walk in, to higher stakes moments, like being the last one to land on topics of substance during team meetings, ensuring that his team and himself are constantly pressure testing the best course of action.”
Servant Leadership Shines Through
In true servant-leadership fashion, Rebelez thanked and honored the entire Casey’s team.
“I’m just one person up here representing the achievements of the 45,000 team members we have across our 2,700 stores; many of whom are working as we speak to take care of our guests in our communities. We're here to celebrate them,” he said.
While some of the leadership team at Casey’s are tenured and others have joined during Rebelez’s five years as CEO, they are an incredible group of diverse talent and good people, he said.
Notably, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many leaders moved to Iowa, he said, taking on new roles and accomplishing things that Casey’s had never taken on before.
“You took a leap of faith to get behind our vision and the next chapter of Casey’s,” Rebelez said to his employees. “What really makes this team so special is not just that they're exceptional talents, but their absolute commitment to winning as a team by living by a set of values that encourages teamwork and mutual respect for one another above all else.”
Along with the trust and commitment from the team at Casey’s, Rebelez highlighted the camaraderie in the convenience-store industry, pointing out that it’s unlike any other sector.
“We all operate stores and teams that make a positive impact on people's lives every day, and we couldn't do what we do without some amazing support from our supplier partners, so I'm grateful to see so many of you here tonight as well as our team,” he said. “Casey's really appreciates your continued partnership as we grow and evolve to make life better for our communities and guests every day.”
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