Over 20 years of results developing successful brands and businesses into billion-dollar plus enterprises. Derek joined Yesway in June 2018 to help develop the fast-growing retail brand with over 425 locations into a retail force. He serves as Chief Marketing Officer and oversees all merchandising, marketing, advertising, private label, procurement, and brand engagement. He leads the efforts to establish relationships with Yesway’s supplier partners to drive aggressive growth and improve the organizations go to market strategic plan. He also further cultivates the growth and stewardship of the Yesway brand with a keen focus on the customer, ensuring the organizations digital, social, mobile, and loyalty initiatives resonate.
Prior to joining Yesway, Derek was Chief Customer Officer for Rutter’s. He led all consumer engagement and implemented best in class programs and marketing initiatives to keep Rutter’s at the forefront of the global convenience retail industry. Before Rutter’s, he was the SVP of Marketing & Merchandising for Mid-Atlantic Convenience Stores, MACS, the largest Exxon Mobil branded wholesaler in the country with 300+ retail and wholesale stores. He helped lead a team to successfully rebrand, re-merchandise, and re-launch 100+ retail locations as part of an exclusive brand developer agreement with Circle K.
Previously, he was Vice President of Marketing for the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS, and drove integrated marketing and communications efforts to provide knowledge, connections, and advocacy to NACS retail and supplier members.
Prior to joining NACS, Derek worked for 8 years as the Director of Marketing for Giant Eagle Inc., the Pittsburgh, PA.-based company that operates more than 220 Giant Eagle grocery stores and 200 GetGo convenience stores. He was instrumental in the brand development of GetGo, fuelperks!, Market District, and Giant Eagle Express stores; and also provided marketing leadership for beer, wine, spirits, video, retail banking, and center store grocery categories.
His prior experiences include several major companies including Nabisco Foods, Goldman Sachs, and Procter & Gamble. He is an experienced brand developer, chief marketer, merchant, and innovator that has launched numerous packaged goods, CRM and retail brands and store formats.
He attended the University of Iowa where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, BBA in 1994. He received his MBA from the JL Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University with concentrations in Finance, Marketing, and Real Estate in 1998. He also completed the Oxford Strategic Leadership Programme at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in 2022.
Derek is married to Tina, with two children, Gigi and Godot. He is a tireless worker who is committed to his faith, family, job, and community.