Ankeny, Iowa — The board of directors of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has appointed Darren Rebelez, president of IHOP®, as Casey’s next president and chief executive officer (CEO), effective June 24, 2019. Rebelez will also join Casey’s board of directors. He will succeed Casey’s president and CEO, Terry Handley, who will retire from the company and board, after a 38-year career with Casey’s.
Rebelez joins Casey’s with over 25 years of business leadership experience focused on operations, marketing and merchandising for large corporations in each of the convenience store, fuel and restaurant industries. Rebelez is currently serving as president of IHOP® Restaurants, a unit of Dine Brands Global, where he has overseen operational performance and segment earnings growth, developed and implemented digital strategies to connect guests via mobile platforms and online channels, and grown the brand to become the largest full-service restaurant concept in the U.S. by unit count.
“We are thrilled to welcome Darren to the Casey’s family,” says H. Lynn Horak, chairman of the board. “Darren brings a remarkable combination of leadership experience in the convenience store, fuel and restaurant industries, and he has an impressive track record of driving performance and innovation. We have enjoyed getting to know Darren through our succession planning process and are confident that he will build on Casey’s strong heritage of customer service, employee development, giving back to our communities, and our focus on creating sustainable growth and profitability.”
Prior to joining IHOP®, Rebelez spent nearly 8 years with 7-Eleven, Inc., where he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Before 7-Eleven, Rebelez held numerous management roles within ExxonMobil and before that, at Thornton Oil Corporation.
Casey’s General Stores is a Fortune 500 company operating 2,100 convenience stores in 16 states throughout the Midwest. Casey’s strives to consistently deliver quality gasoline, freshly-prepared foods, clean environments and friendly service at every retail location. Casey’s is currently the fourth largest convenience store chain, and the fifth largest pizza chain, in the United States.
SOURCE: Casey’s General Stores, Inc.