Dive Brief:
- Chestnut Group, operator of the Chestnut Market c-store chain, has appointed Ryan Oettinger as its new CEO, effective Jan. 5, according to a Monday announcement.
- Oettinger, who has about two decades of experience working for major convenience retailers, joins Chestnut after spending the past year as a vice president with well-known industry tech vendor Gilbarco Veeder-Root, according to his LinkedIn bio. He succeeds Chestnut’s founding brothers Mickey, Sal, Sam and Cal Jamal, who have transitioned to the company’s board of directors.
- Founded in the early 1980s, Chestnut has roughly 80 c-stores across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. One of Oettinger’s main duties will be expanding the company’s footprint, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
This marks a significant moment for Chestnut, which has a new CEO for the first time in the company’s roughly 40-year history. In Oettinger, the Jamal brothers have tapped a new leader who spent nearly 20 years working across several functions at both Pilot and Chevron, including sales, marketing, health and safety, digital transformation and supply chain. Most recently, Oettinger led Gilbarco’s North America retail technology and enterprise solutions business, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Oettinger will now spearhead growth at Chestnut, which in recent years has focused heavily on technology, including introducing self-checkout kiosks at its stores. He’s also being tasked with expanding Chesnut’s footprint, which, according to its website, includes roughly 60 stores in New York, 10 in New Jersey and 10 in Connecticut.
“I am humbled, honored and thankful to lead Chestnut Group at such an exciting time,” said Oettinger in the announcement. “This company has a remarkable legacy of team development and growth, and I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with our talented team members, partners, and the Board to build on that foundation.”
It’s not clear how long the Jamal brothers were looking for the company’s new CEO. According to the announcement, the shift is “part of a thoughtful and planned executive leadership transition designed to support Chestnut’s long-term success.” Oettinger will report directly to Chestnut’s board of directors.
