Casey’s General Stores appointed Jay Soupene as senior vice president and head of CEFCO Convenience Stores earlier this month, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive on Wednesday.
In his new position, Soupene will spearhead all areas of CEFCO except fuel, the spokesperson said, adding that a major focus of his position will be leading CEFCO’s integration with Casey’s.
Nathaniel Doddridge, Casey’s VP of fuels since 2020, has been promoted to SVP of fuel operations and will oversee CEFCO’s fuel supply, wholesale and transportation operations, the spokesperson said.
Soupene had previously been Casey’s SVP of operational excellence since 2016, and has held several operations and training-focused positions since joining the company in 2011. Prior to joining Casey’s, he spent nearly two decades in the U.S. Army before becoming a professor of military science at Iowa State University, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Tim Ahrendsen, who has been a divisional VP at Casey’s since 2021, will replace Soupene as SVP of operational excellence, the spokesperson said.
Casey’s agreed to acquire Fikes Wholesale, parent company of CEFCO, for $1.1 billion back in June. The deal — Casey’s largest acquisition in company history — closed this month. It included CEFCO’s 198 convenience stores across Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, as well as Fikes’ fuel terminal and commissary in Texas.
Acquiring CEFCO continued Casey’s recent expansion into Texas and marked its arrival in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The Ankeny, Iowa-based company now operates about 2,900 convenience stores across 20 states.
