Convenience store retailer Breeze Thru Markets has named Adam Stephenson president and CEO, effectively immediately, according to a Wednesday announcement.

Stephenson joins Breeze Thru Markets after spending nearly a decade with fuel supplier Cary Oil, a sister company to the 17-store chain. He succeeds Ryan Clontz, who held the position since 2019.

According to his bio on LinkedIn, Stephenson joined Cary Oil in 2012 as a wholesale account manager, a position he held for four years. In 2016, he became the company’s director of brand management. By 2019, he took on the most recent position as vice president of strategy and innovation.

While at Cary Oil, Stephenson worked with independent c-store retailers and led various initiatives to help them succeed, said Craig Stephenson, president and CEO of COC Properties, parent company of Breeze Thru Markets and Cary Oil, in the announcement.

“I am confident [Adam] will bring that same passion to leading Breeze Thru Markets,” Craig Stephenson said.

Founded in 2013, Breeze Thru Markets is a privately owned and operated c-store chain with 17 locations across North Carolina. Many of the locations offer self-checkout, a car wash and either a Chicken Barn, Don’s Country Diner or J&M Grill QSR.