Joseph H. Petrowski, CEO of The Cumberland Gulf Group (made up of Gulf Oil and Cumberland Farms), is stepping down from his position effective Oct. 1. He will be replaced by the current Chairman of the Board Lily Bentas, who will serve as interim CEO. The Cumberland Farms Gulf Oil Group is the 30th largest private company on the Forbes 500 list.
In 2005, Petrowski was named president and CEO of Gulf Oil LP and elected to the Gulf Oil Board of Directors. In October of 2008 he was named as CEO served in a range of leadership roles. During his leadership he oversaw significant growth on both the fuels and convenience retail sides of the business. Gulf Oil operations grew to 3 billion gallons and over 3000 outlets in 29 states. Cumberland Farms, the nation’s 8th largest convenience retailer with almost 600 stores in the northeast region and Florida, saw site profitability triple.
A family enterprise, Bentas is a daughter of the company’s founders. In 1991, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer and held this position throughout almost two decades. In September 2008 Bentas stepped down as CEO to focus her energy as chairman to strategically guide the company for the future.
“This change comes at an exciting time for our organization. Thanks to thousands of dedicated team members throughout The Cumberland Gulf Group, we continue to achieve a high level of success and are well positioned for future growth,” said Bentas. “In particular, we would like to thank Joe for his many contributions that have helped to bring us to where we are today and look forward to his continuing assistance as a strategic advisor in the future.”
Supporting her in leadership are Ari Haseotes, chief operating officer of The Cumberland Gulf Group and president of Cumberland Farms; and Ron Sabia, executive vice president of The Cumberland Gulf Group and president of Gulf Oil LP.
In a short statement, Petrowski told FMN: “After a brief period of relaxation I hope to repeat this success again in another venture.”
