What did you want to be when you grew up?
That is one of the questions CSP’s Vice President of Content Strategy Abbey Lewis asked Scott Hartman, president and CEO of Rutter’s, on stage at CSP’s Outlook Leadership conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.
“I grew up in a family business, and I wanted to be a successful businessman,” he said.
Hartman, who has led the York, Pennsylvania-based Rutter’s for the past 34 years, is this year’s 2025 Retail Leader of the Year. The c-store chain’s humble beginnings included a horse-drawn carriage milk delivery business in 1921. Now it operates 90 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.
When asked what leadership decision of his contributed to the retailer’s success, Hartman shared that a “willingness to get out on the edge and build new and big stores” is what he is most proud of.
“I remember sitting in a board meeting after we opened our first superstore in 1995,” he said. “We called it a superstore because it was a whopping 3,500 square feet.”
He recalled how his his uncle asked him what he was going to put in a store that size and that he told his uncle not to worry.
Since that conversation, Hartman said the store has been remodeled and is now about 8,000 square feet.
"We're building 14,000-square-foot stores now because we always find something to fill them," he said.
When asked what needed to fill those stores, Hartman said foodservice was a main priority.
“We were way early in the curve on foodservice and it’s done well for us,” he said.
- Rutter’s is No. 79 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.
Rutter’s menu includes made-to-order subs and wraps, burgers, seafood, salads, Mexican fare, bowls, pizza and breakfast sandwiches. It also features trend-driven items and local favorites such as pork belly and pepperoni rolls.
When asked about the company’s philosophy in creating exceptional customer experiences that other retailers might overlook, Hartman said it strategically starts at the top.
Hartman said the chain's slogan, “Rutter's: Why go anywhere else?” is fundamental for inside the company and applies to the customer as well.
“We want everybody inside our corporation to live that slogan because we don’t want somebody to go to a competitor if we can do it better,” he said.
He also said that one of the biggest reasons why people choose where they’re going to be a customer is not only location but how they are going to feel after they’re in the store. Hartman said it’s amazing when he hears customers telling him they were greeted and are having fun going in the stores.
From a regional player to operations across multiple states, Hartman also unpacked the biggest challenges and how to navigate these moments.
He said having confidence, but not being “overly” confident, is important. He also said that recognizing a mistake and trying to fix it as quickly as possible is another key factor.
“It’s not dwelling on those mistakes, either,” he said. “It’s about having to focus on where we want to go and how we want to get there.”
When it comes to his leadership style, Hartman said he is a “benevolent dictator.”
He said he can sit there and help, but “I don’t want to be the one driving everything—my team is driving it and it gives me clear confidence that I can rest on their shoulders.”
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