Jac Moskalik, who joined Global Partners in February 2024, obsesses over her team.
- Global Partners is No. 21 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.
“It's really easy to get burnt out as a food person” said Moskalik, vice president of food, innovation and strategy. “And so it’s all so important to make sure that you’re having fun while you’re working. I obsess over team dynamic, emotional intelligence within my team, etc. I always make sure I have the right team.”
Another strength is breaking down silos with other departments, she said.
“We all have to work together, and you cannot move forward unless you have partners, and I’ve done that,” Moskalik said. “We all have a great working rapport, and I have no doubt that when I launch something, it’ll be supported.”
The nature of Waltham, Massachusetts-based Global Partners, whose retail chains “are built off of acquisition—multiple brands in different states,” is giving her the opportunity to learn, Moskalik said. Global Partners has more than 400 c-stores under brands including Alltown Fresh, Honey Farms and XtraMart.
“It’s been very interesting having divergent food programs for multiple formats and banners, but I love it because it allows me to learn about the areas better stores are in for future development,” she said.
Moskalik notes that acquisitions provide “fun stuff” that accompanies different franchises, distributors and partnerships.
“It’s just wrapping my arms around all of that and reviewing their food programs,” she said.
Moskalik said she’s grown up through the food business, “so every job on my team, I’ve done in some capacity.”
This knowledge of every role helps build morale on her team of more than 30, she said.
“If your team understands you understand what they do, whether it’s you just start doing dishes in a kitchen in a store, all that stuff, they look at you as though they work with you, they don’t necessarily work for you. That’s how I look at it,” Moskalik said. “We joke all the time that I’m like a captain, and I run a pirate ship, because it’s so much fun.”
Moskalik said it’s important to celebrate the wins in developing new food products and dispensed beverages.
“And the losses are OK as long as you fail fast—admit it and move on,” she said. “In food, you cannot have a team that’s afraid to fail; you’ll never move forward. And so you have to foster that environment.”
Global Partners owns, operates or supplies more than 1,700 retail locations across the Northeast states, the Mid-Atlantic and Texas, of which 353 are company owned. Brands include Alltown Fresh, Honey Farms and XtraMart, among others.
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