Hy-Vee promotes exec to co-CEO
Hy-Vee will operate with two CEOs, each overseeing different areas of the business.
The Midwest grocer is tapping Jeremy Gosch, who has been responsible for retail operations as president and COO since December 2021, as CEO and president of retail operations as well as vice chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors. Gosch will lead alongside Aaron Wiese, who will serve as CEO and president of Hy-Vee’s subsidiaries and supply chain as well as vice chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors. Gosch and Wiese’s new leadership roles will take effect Oct. 1, 2022.
With this announcement, Gosch and Wiese will continue to report to Edeker, who will continue to serve as Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board and executive director. As CEO, Gosch will also lead the company’s supplier relationships and brick-and-mortar expansion efforts across Hy-Vee’s current eight-state region, as well as planned future locations in the Southeast.
Gosch began his Hy-Vee career as a part-time clerk at the Lantern Park Plaza Hy-Vee in Coralville, Iowa, in 1995, and spent the next 12 years moving into retail operations management roles, including that of store director at multiple locations. In 2012, he joined Hy-Vee’s executive staff when he was promoted to assistant VP, operations, northeast region.
Over the next six years, Gosch held several executive leadership roles and in early 2018, he was promoted to executive VP, co-COO, chief marketing officer, and later that year he transitioned into COO. In April 2021, Gosch became president, retail operations and co-chief operating officer. He was promoted to his current position in December 2021.
Gosch graduated from Aplington-Parkersburg Community High School in Parkersburg, Iowa, and earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa. Gosch is the fifth president in Hy-Vee’s 92-year history.
“As I look ahead to the future, we’ve reached a point where one person can no longer hold the title of chairman, CEO and president for the entire company,” said Edeker. “We have become more than just a grocer. With our focus on health and wellness, pharmacy, restaurants, grocery, distribution and digital assets, it’s time we evolved our leadership structure to best position the business for the future, which is why Jeremy will also serve as a CEO for the company.
“With Jeremy’s retail and in-store experience, he has incredible knowledge of our retail business and has a strong sense of urgency to meet the challenging times we live in today,” said Edeker. “He has a great understanding of how we need to continue to evolve our company to grow, which will keep us on a path toward continued success as one of the best grocers in the U.S.”
Based in West Des Moines, Iowa, Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states, including Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin, with sales of more than $12 billion annually. The company has announced plans to grow beyond its Midwest base.
[Read More: Hy-Vee expanding into new markets]