Casey’s CEO, Darren Rebelez: leadership and strategy

Darren Rebelez, CEO of Casey’s Food Stores, joins Frank Gleeson and Carolyn Schnare to discuss his leadership journey and the convenience store industry, in this episode of ‘The Future of Convenience’ podcast.

Rebelez’s leadership journey began at West Point Military Academy, followed by service in the U.S. Army. Transitioning to the private sector, he held key roles at PepsiCo, ExxonMobil, 7-Eleven, and IHOP—experiences that shaped his approach to leadership and prepared him for his current role at Casey’s.

46,000 team members

A key theme throughout the conversation is the importance of people and community. Rebelez emphasized the value of Casey’s 46,000 team members and the company’s commitment to the communities it serves.

Casey’s actively listens to its frontline associates, incorporating their feedback into company values and operational improvements. As such, is deeply involved in the communities it serves, supporting education, fighting food insecurity, and honoring veterans and first responders.

“I’ve always felt kind of the biggest decisions as a CEO you make are the people you hire and if you can get the right talent and give them the right strategy,” says Gleeson, “you know, the best kind of looks after itself really Darren, doesn’t it?”

Rebelez highlights Casey’s focus on foodservice as a key differentiator sharing with pride that the company carefully makes its pizza dough fresh in every store and uses high-quality ingredients. Casey’s also aims to provide customers with convenient, one-stop shopping, combining food with other items like beer and ice cream.

“Foodservice for us is number one,” Rebelez notes. “It is the most important thing…our food is our single biggest differentiator.” He also noted, “if there’s one thing that I’ve learned about being in the restaurant business, it’s that the food has to be the star. You have to have the product. And it doesn’t matter how cheap it is. It doesn’t matter how well you market it. If the food isn’t good, people aren’t going to buy it…And so, we put a lot of effort and a lot of pride into the quality of our food.”

Looking ahead, Rebelez addresses challenges facing the convenience store industry, including the decline of cigarette sales and shifts in fuel demand. He emphasizes the importance of adapting to these trends while continuing to offer value and convenience to customers.

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