CHICAGO -- With almost-expected self-deprecation about weight and his penchant for food, Joe Petrowski, the gregarious CEO at Cumberland Gulf Group, shared essential ingredients about what makes an effective leader — and it’s no longer hanging out in the company’s kitchen.
“They’re not using me there anymore,” mused the New Englander with a portly offensive lineman’s profile.
Rather, Petrowski these days is sizing up a company that in recent years has fused an oil brand and convenience store concept, successfully growing both while demonstrating a keen awareness as to when and where to unite the two and where to keep both operations separate.
In the past 3 years, Petrowski has helped buoy Cumberland Farms, a venerable East Coast chain, to nearly 600 stores across 11 states, including an ambitious remodeling program. At the same time, he is guiding Gulf into a national brand, stepping in where major oil brands are exiting.