Hy-Vee Makes Multiple Executive Moves

At Hy-Vee Inc.’s recent annual stockholders meeting, Randy Edeker, the company’s executive chairman of the board and executive director, revealed various leadership changes. These were as follows:

Hy-Vee CEO Jeremy Gosch was named vice chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors. Gosch started his Hy-Vee career in 1996 as a part-time clerk at the Coralville, Iowa, store and became store director at Eldora, Iowa, in 2002. He held store leadership roles in several communities before joining Hy-Vee’s executive leadership team in 2012 as assistant VP, operations, for Hy-Vee’s northeast region. He rose through the ranks in various executive leadership roles across merchandising, marketing, strategy and operations before being named president, COO in December 2021. He’s been CEO since October 2022. 

Longtime Hy-Vee executive Donna Tweeten was named president, Hy-Vee Inc., in which capacity she will oversee the company’s private brands, merchandising, marketing and digital initiatives. Tweeten will also guide the operations of Hy-Vee’s new retail media network, Red Media. Tweeten’s promotion marks the first time a woman has been named a Hy-Vee president. She began her career with Hy-Vee in 2006 as assistant VP of communications. She was promoted to assistant VP of marketing in 2009, and in 2011, she was chosen for the role of VP of brand image. Tweeten became VP of marketing/communications in 2013, and in 2014 she was named SVP, chief marketing officer. In early 2016, she took on the role of EVP and was elected to Hy-Vee’s board of directors, and later that year she became EVP, chief marketing officer/chief customer officer. In 2017, Tweeten began overseeing brand experience for Hy-Vee, and in 2020, she also became chief of staff.

Aaron Wiese was named president, Hy-Vee Inc., in which role he’ll be responsible for the operations of all Hy-Vee health care and retail pharmacy locations, as well as Hy-Vee’s newest subsidiary, Hy-Vee Healthcare LLC. Wiese will also oversee new technology initiatives for the company and continue his leadership of overseeing several Hy-Vee subsidiaries, along with Hy-Vee’s supply chain and distribution operations across the company’s region. Wiese’s Hy-Vee career began in 1993, when he was still in high school. After graduating, he managed Hy-Vee Care before becoming director, health/wellness strategic planning in 2013. He held various roles of increasing responsibility in Hy-Vee’s health-and-wellness operations as well as at Hy-Vee subsidiary Amber Specialty Pharmacy. In 2019, he became VP, Hy-Vee Inc.; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy, and then SVP, Hy-Vee Inc.; president, Amber Specialty Pharmacy. Wiese was promoted several times in 2020 and was then named president, digital growth, co-COO in April 2021. In December of that year, he became president, subsidiaries/supply chain, and this year, he was named president, Hy-Vee Healthcare LLC.

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Kevin Sherlock was named COO, spearheading Hy-Vee’s retail grocery operations. Sherlock’s Hy-Vee career began in 1986 as a part-time courtesy clerk at the North Dodge Street Hy-Vee, in Iowa City. After working in several markets, he became assistant director at the Agency Street Hy-Vee, in Burlington, Iowa. He received his first store director assignment in 1999 in Canton, Ill. He then went on to run stores in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City before being named assistant VP, operations, for Hy-Vee’s western district in 2014. The next year, he was promoted to VP, business development. Sherlock was promoted again in 2016 to SVP, merchandising/business development, and in 2017 he became EVP, southeast region. In 2018, Sherlock was named EVP, merchandising/advertising, before moving to Ankeny, Iowa-based PDI, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hy-Vee, in early 2019 as EVP, PDI, commissaries. Later that year, he transitioned back into operations as EVP, east region. In 2020, Sherlock added nonfoods to his portfolio and, later that year, he became EVP, chief retail officer. In June 2022, he was named EVP and chief merchandising officer. 

Georgia Van Gundy was promoted to chief of staff, in addition to EVP and chief customer officer. Van Gundy will also be the company’s chief administrative officer, in which role she will oversee human resources; government relations, community relations, communications, customer care, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; risk management; training and education; and food safety. Van Gundy joined the Hy-Vee leadership team in 2019 as SVP, administration, industry and government relations, and was promoted to SVP, chief administrative officer in June 2020. Van Gundy became EVP, chief customer/talent officer in September 2020, and shortly after that, she was named EVP, chief administrative officer, chief customer officer. 

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and has a team of more than 93,000 employees. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 30 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.