Yesway has announced that it has hired industry veteran Joseph H. Petrowski as a Senior Advisor and member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He will report directly to Thomas Nicholas Trkla, the firm’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Petrowski is joining Yesway at a key point in its development, and will work closely with Brian Trout and Mark Daniels, Yesway’s senior operations executives, to help manage the firm’s growth, improve operations and implement the firm’s business plan.
“Joe is a true legend in the convenience and fuel retailing space and I am honored to have him join the Yesway team,” stated Mr. Trkla. “His proven track record, decades of experience and industry connections will be invaluable to me and the rest of the senior management team as we execute our strategy to build a portfolio of up to 1,000 c-stores in the next several years.”
From 2005 through 2013, Petrowski led the Cumberland Farms Gulf Oil Group (“Cumberland Farms”), a diversified petroleum and retail convenience store holding company located in 29 states with more than 8,000 employees and $13 billion in annual revenues. Cumberland Farms is the 34thlargest private company on the Forbes 500 list. During his tenure as CEO, the company achieved record earnings and in 2012, Petrowski was named as one of the nation’s “Top Private Company CEOs” by ExecRank, the nation’s definitive ranking service of executives. After leaving Cumberland Farms, he founded Mercantor Partners, a private equity group focused on downstream energy distribution and retail convenience.
“I have believed for a long while that the impetus for consolidation in the convenience and fuel retailing business creates major opportunities to generate great value in buying excellent assets, improving operations, developing economies of scale advantages and growing to a significant size chain,” stated Petrowski. “In Brookwood, I found the individuals who saw the industry as I did, who had a keen understanding of the drivers of value creation and who were willing to commit capital to realizing that goal.”
“I know I speak for Mark Daniels and the rest of the Yesway senior management team when I say that we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work closely with such a knowledgeable industry veteran,” stated Brian Trout. “He has been a driving force behind the evolution of the c-store and fuel retail space for over a decade and we will all benefit from his experience and wisdom.”
