WEST DES MOINES, Iowa -- Convenience-store retailer Yesway is "redefining" and expanding its marketing team with the appointment of Derek Gaskins and Jeff Keune to senior management positions, the company told CSP Daily News.
Gaskins has been named senior vice president of merchandising and procurement, and Keune has been named senior vice president of foodservice and innovation. The two veteran c-store industry experts are collaboratively assuming and elevating the traditional chief marketing officer (CMO) role, the company said.
BW Gas & Convenience, doing business as Yesway, is based in West Des Moines, Iowa. It is an affiliate of Beverly, Mass.-based Brookwood Financial Partners, a real-estate and private-equity investment and asset management company. Yesway is one of CSP’s Top 202 c-store chains.
“We have spent the past seven years studying industry best practices, and given the challenges with and changes to convenience-store retailing, we believe that a new approach to convenience-store marketing is needed to compete effectively in today’s increasingly competitive market,” said Thomas Nicholas Trkla, Yesway’s chairman and CEO, one of CSP’sPower 20 Change Makers for 2018.
“We hired Derek and Jeff because of their tremendous experience, creativity and track record of successful inventive marketing,” he said. “The traditional CMO role has changed markedly over the past several decades with tremendous advances in technology, changing consumer behaviors and the changing nature of how convenience stores serve the communities in which they operate.
"We believe that greater, more focused attention should be given to the three primary pillars of marketing—strong brand management, creative and attractive foodservice, and relevant and customer-focused merchandising—and that each of these pillars merits dedicated management attention and deliberate implementation.”
Keune and Gaskins join a marketing team that includes Darrin Samaha, Yesway’s head of brand management; Tony Sparks, vice president of merchandising; and Frank White, director of foodservice. With this new structure, the team will have increased freedom and flexibility “to ideate, innovate and execute” in their respective roles as the company continues to grow and improve its brand, the company said.
Derek Gaskins
In addition to directing all merchandising and procurement efforts, Gaskins is responsible for developing relationships with Yesway’s vendors and cultivating the growth and stewardship of the Yesway brand.
Since 2013, Gaskins has been chief customer officer for c-store retailer Rutter’s, York, Pa. Before Rutter’s, Gaskins was senior vice president of marketing and merchandising with the former Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores (MACS), Richmond, Va.; vice president of marketing with the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS); and director of marketing with Pittsburgh-based supermarket chain Giant Eagle Inc. and its GetGo c-stores. He was also previously with Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati.
Jeff Keune
Keune is responsible for expanding Yesway’s foodservice and dispensed-beverage offerings. He oversees strategic research and planning to ensure Yesway continues to identify consumer insights and culinary trends, which will create a pipeline of new, innovative and high ROI (return on investment) products to bring to the market, the company said. He also directs the company’s food quality and safety areas.
Keune has an extensive background in brand management, marketing strategy and product development for retail, restaurant and consumer packaged goods (CPG). Most recently, he was the principal consultant and partner for the TruthPoint Consulting Group, Columbus, Ohio. Before that, he was CMO of c-store retailer Thornton’s Inc., Louisville, Ky.; senior vice president of marketing for Bob Evans Restaurants, New Albany, Ohio; and vice president of marketing for Wendy’s International, Dublin, Ohio.
Darrin Samaha
Rounding out Yesway’s marketing leadership team is Samaha, vice president and brand manager, who will continue to lead the creation, growth and cultivation of the Yesway brand across all channels. He is responsible for the launch and management of the Yesway Rewards customer loyalty program, development of digital and social-media marketing strategies, direction of the company’s media-relations efforts and the creation and execution of its targeted advertising campaigns.
Prior to joining Yesway, Samaha was chief creative officer and founder of Blue Coda, Cambridge, Mass.
Watch for more details on CSP Daily News.
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