East Coast convenience retailer Refuel has promoted Justin Mitchell to chief technology officer and Derek Leskovic to chief financial officer, the company announced on Monday.
These moves continue a series of major leadership shifts at Refuel, which last month appointed Travis Smith and Jon Rier as co-CEOs. In addition to Mitchell’s and Leskovic’s promotions, the Charleston, South Carolina-based company also promoted Ian Bowers to general counsel.
“Each of these individuals has demonstrated exceptional leadership, deep functional expertise, and a strong commitment to Refuel’s mission,” the company said in a LinkedIn post on Monday. “Their contributions have shaped critical areas of our business, earned the trust of teams across the organization, and advanced our strategic priorities with focus and discipline.”
Mitchell has spearheaded significant digital transformation efforts at Refuel since joining the company in 2022 as vice president of information technology. These have notably included its “migration to cloud-based infrastructure, implementation of AI-driven solutions, and enterprise-wide cybersecurity enhancements,” according to his company bio.
Before joining Refuel, Mitchell held senior IT leadership roles across numerous retailers, including fuel equipment supplier Petroleum Equipment Co. and sporting goods chain Sportsman’s Warehouse. He also spent about a decade with Salt Lake City-based Maverik.
Leskovic, who was most recently VP of accounting, joined Refuel in 2019, according to his company bio. He oversees Refuel’s finance and accounting functions, where he helps scale the company’s infrastructure, improve its reporting capabilities and support its strategic expansion.
Refuel operates about 240 convenience stores across the Carolinas and Texas.
Prior to Refuel, Leskovic worked in corporate accounting for nutrition company General Nutrition Center and also held accounting roles in both the retail and manufacturing sectors focused on financial reporting and business operations.
Bowers, who joined Refuel in 2022 as associate general counsel and was quickly promoted to VP of legal, has overseen the company’s procurement, environmental, loss prevention, risk management, development and construction teams, according to his company bio. Bowers also plays a key role in Refuel’s M&A efforts. He previously worked at law firms focusing on commercial transactions and litigation.
