Janesville, Wis. — Blain’s Farm & Fleet® has promoted Mark Hasting to chief executive officer and president. Kim Treece will be promoted to chief stores officer. Jane Blain Gilbertson will take on a new role as executive chair of the board and will remain the sole owner of Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Blain Supply, Inc. The transition will take place over the next several months and will be complete in September.
“This succession plan was put into place 4 years ago when we hired Mark to join our company as our chief of stores,” says Blain Gilbertson. “From the beginning, the entire company and our vendor partners could see Mark’s character, values, intelligence and love for this business. He learned our business quickly through his humility and curiosity, and I was especially pleased to observe his strength for developing others!”
Hasting was originally hired in 2020 as chief stores officer with responsibility for store and auto service center operations. In 2022, he was promoted to chief commerce & operating officer, by which time his responsibilities had grown to include e-commerce operations; real estate, construction and facilities; and the customer service center of excellence. In 2023, he was promoted to president and chief commerce & operating officer.
Treece, previously senior vice president of stores, is being promoted to chief stores officer with responsibility for all stores and auto service centers, real estate, construction and facilities and the customer service center of excellence. “I chose Kim to fill my previous role due to her enthusiasm and positive influence on store associates,” says Hasting. “Kim has a strong background in retail with 33 years in store and merchandising roles at Walgreens, but it is her compassionate leadership that makes her really shine.”
Under Jane Blain Gilbertson’s leadership, Blain’s has driven huge growth in national e-commerce business and opened 10 new stores, including five in Michigan, for a total of 45 stores. The company’s investment in technology enhancements and distribution capacity has increased significantly as well, with distribution capacity increasing 50% to manage ongoing growth. The company has invested in innovations to drive-thru pickup, same-day delivery and the Blain’s app.
Hasting spent more than 20 years at Target, where he had many roles including store manager, district team leader, group vice president and vice president of store operations. He has also served as regional vice president at Starbucks and chief operating officer at Kum & Go.
Founded in 1955, Blain’s Farm & Fleet is a retailer with nationwide e-commerce business and 45 store locations throughout Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.farmandfleet.com.
SOURCE: Blain’s Farm & Fleet