Former IHOP president Darren Rebelez was named chief executive officer of Midwest convenience chain Casey’s General Stores, the company announced June 5. He will step into the role June 24 and is also joining the 2,100-unit company’s board of directors. Rebelez succeeds Casey’s president and CEO Terry Handley, who is retiring after 38 years with the company.
IHOP and Applebee’s parent Dine Brands announced June 3 in a securities filing that it accepted the resignation of Rebelez as he was “departing the corporation to pursue another opportunity as chief executive officer.” Jay Johns, IHOP’s SVP of operations since April 2017, stepped into the role. Charles Scaccia, a 21-year IHOP vet and regional VP of franchise operations, was appointed to Johns old position.
It should be a comfortable change for Rebelez, IHOP’s president since April 2015. He spent nearly eight years at 7-Eleven prior to the move, holding the title of EVP and COO. Before that he worked in numerous management roles with ExxonMobil and Thornton Oil Company. Casey’s is a Fortune 500 company with locations across 16 states. The stores offer gasoline, freshly prepared foods, bakery items, pizza, and other to-go products. It’s the fourth largest convenience-store chain in the U.S.
“I am honored to join the Casey’s team at an exciting and dynamic time for both the Company and the industry,” Rebelez said in a statement. “I have long admired Casey’s and look forward to working closely with its talented team to continue providing outstanding service to local communities across our markets and creating value for all of Casey’s stakeholders.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Darren to the Casey’s family,” added H. Lynn Horak, chairman of the board at Casey’s, in a statement. “Darren brings a remarkable combination of leadership experience in the convenience store, fuel and restaurant industries, and he has an impressive track record of driving performance and innovation. We have enjoyed getting to know Darren through our succession planning process and are confident that he will build on Casey’s strong heritage of customer service, employee development, giving back to our communities, and our focus on creating sustainable growth and profitability.”
