How Perseverance and Teamwork Helped Ari Haseotes, CSP's 2017

Prepared How perseverance and teamwork helped Ari Haseotes, CSP’s 2017 Retail Leader of the Year, reinvent Cumberland Farms toBY SAMANTHA Win OLLER PHOTOGRAPH BY WEBB CHAPPELL 48 csp december 2017 very fisherman has their white Cumberland Farms’ board for several years, his life and the lessons he tried to teach you.” Never settle. Cumberland Farms’ vertical has represented the company for more than During the summers, Byron would send integration, which includes its own distribu- whale—the fish prized above all 40 years, and is general counsel for NACS Ari and his brother, B.J., into the fields of the tion centers, Culinary Center and in-house and SIGMA. “I do work for a lot of busi- family farm to work from sunrise to sunset. On facilities team, demonstrates a commitment others because it is so tough to nesses and, as a consequence, I’ve learned weekends, Byron would bring Ari on visits to to meeting its own high standards. catch. For Ari Haseotes, it’s the to recognize people who have what I call the stores and give him an education in retail. “A lot of people in my position … would ¶ ‘the chops’ and the people who don’t,” says “When I first took a business course, I was say we could just outsource that and you blue marlin. “The blue marlin Columbus. “Talk to Ari for an hour and you so far ahead of my peers because I had this don’t have to worry about it anymore,” says is a very elusive species,” says know: The kid’s got the chops.” tremendous education in what a business Ari, citing the in-house maintenance staff as He cites Ari’s intellect (he earned an MBA was about,” says Ari. He was not necessarily an example. “Maybe that’s true at some level, Ari, who learned to fish from his from Harvard University), his analytical skills required to work at Cumberland Farms after but somebody, somehow, somewhere suffers and the fact that he learned the c-store busi- college, but Byron expected him to do some- from doing things that way.” father and now shares the passion ness from the bottom up. Ari started in the thing meaningful. Own it. Ari believes in accountability, and with his own son. “They’re very company’s marketing department in 2003 Ari says, “He felt like, ‘Look, you’ve had ev- he takes detailed notes during meetings with and rose through the ranks before being erything, kid—every opportunity. I expect to Cumberland Farms’ management team. “If large, powerful, majestic and fast. named president of Cumberland Farms Re- see you reciprocate in a way and work hard.’ ” they tell me they’re going to do [something] They re also very smart. Tricking tail in 2008, president of the combined Cum- So Ari buckled down. “I needed to be the by a certain date, they know when that date ’ berland Gulf Group in 2013 and CEO in 2014. first one in the classroom and the last one to comes, I’m knocking on the door and saying, them into going after whatever But he has never taken the easy route, nor leave,” he says. “If my classmates were going ‘Hey, where is the deliverable?’ ” he says. we’re trying to get them to eat is never easy.” When Ari does catch a blue marlin, he has it been offered to him. “Ari’s never going farms cumberland of courtesy photograph to study two hours, I was going to study four “He is so detail-oriented and never forgets The key to catching one is perseverance. always releases it back into the water. “You to ask anybody to do anything he wouldn’t or six hours.” Ari enjoys sharing his ocean catches, anything,” says Ashley. “If you say you’re go- “You have to have all of your equipment in come to have so much respect for them do himself. That’s a sign of a great leader,” It began to make an impression on Byron. especially bluefin tuna, with Cumberland ing to do something and don’t, that infuriates tip-top shape and be fully prepared,” Ari through that chase and hunt,” he says. “It re- says Columbus. “Because of his leadership “He’d say, ‘You know, my boy Ari, he’s Farms team members. him.” Esays. “You’ve got to have a crew and a team ally wouldn’t ever feel right to end that battle skills, he pulls all those arrows in the same going to run the company someday,’ ” Ari For this, Ari is willing to put his money that is in complete sync and knows exactly by keeping the fish.” direction—in the right direction.” recalls, citing his embarrassment at his dad’s where his mouth is: He promises to reply to what to do if you are fortunate enough to get proclamation. He was only 33 when he be- The Virtuous Cycle any emails, from anyone in the company, one on the line. And at the end of the day, The Kid’s Got Chops Something Meaningful came president of Cumberland Farms. Once at the office, it’s not unusual to see Ari within one day. you need a little bit of luck.” It was only 14 years ago that Ari joined the One of Byron and Joyce Haseotes’ six chil- “My dad passed away about six months actually running to and from meetings—not Tell it like it is. Ari’s Cumberland Farms Lessons from fishing have transferred to family business. And it’s been just a de- dren, Ari had a lot to live up to. His father— after that,” he says. “I was happy he was able because he’s late, but because he’s motivated. team members describe him as tough—but Ari’s role as CEO of Cumberland Farms, the cade since he took the helm of Cumberland one of the three Haseotes brothers to work to see me get to that level before he passed “His family legacy and the fact that his fair. “If you go into the room thinking you’re c-store chain his grandparents founded near- Farms’ retail operations, which include near- for the family business—introduced new away—I think it made him pretty proud.” grandparents started this company is liter- going to make Ari happy, then you’ve already ly 80 years ago. This includes keeping an eye ly 600 stores in eight states. At 43 years old, products such as half-gallon jugs of milk to Ari’s promotion to president in 2013 and ally the reason he gets up every day and does lost,” says Keith Boston, director of foodser- on details, being prepared and emphasizing he is one of the youngest executives honored Cumberland Farms’ first dairy store. He was then CEO in 2014 was “the natural cause of his job,” says Ashley Haseotes, Ari’s wife. vice for Cumberland Farms. “You just give teamwork. He even has a motto to motivate as CSP Retail Leader of the Year in the 15- also an inventor, with several U.S. patents un- events,” says his aunt Lily Haseotes Bentas, “He believes this is his duty: to protect what him the facts—the good, the bad, the ugly— his fishing crew and his team at company year history of the award. But his leadership der his name, and a fruit farmer. chairman of Cumberland Farms and its CEO his grandparents started and to take care of and then we sift through it.” headquarters in Westborough, Mass., para- has been no less transformative, coaxing the While Joyce was affectionate and warm, from 1991 to 2008. an asset that has the potential to be even bet- As an example, he mentions Cumberland phrased from college football coach Bear best out of the company and its more than Ari describes Byron as “a work-ethic guy,” a “He was the most qualified person to take ter than it is today.” Farms’ development of a private-label break- Bryant: While everyone has the will to win, it’s 8,500 team members. stoic. “He wasn’t the kind of guy to give you over,” she says. “There was no question in my This commitment is evident in how Ari fast sandwich program two years ago. Bos- the will to prepare to Tim Columbus, partner with Steptoe & a big hug and tell you he loved you,” he says. mind—he’s extremely bright, hardworking personifies Cumberland Farms’ four core ton’s team decided to take a risk and wrap the win that matters. Johnson LLP, Washington, D.C., served on “He’d show you that through the way he lived and has a great work ethic.” values: sandwiches in clear plastic wrap instead of the 1939 1956 1971 1986 1991 1994 Vasilios and Aphrodite The Haseotes Cumberland Farms Cumberland Farms Lily Haseotes Gulf Oil LP joint Haseotes found family opens opens its first purchases Gulf Oil’s Bentas is venture launches, Cumberland Farms with its first location with gas in Northeast marketing appointed CEO. supplying a one-cow dairy farm in Cumberland Putnam, Conn. assets. Around this Cumberland Farms’ Cumberland, R.I. Farms site, a same time, the stores c-stores with fuel. dairy store in add lottery and Bellingham, money orders. Mass. 50 csp december 2017 december 2017 csp 51 Cumberland Farms has raised more than $520,000 for pediatric-care programs through its Cups For Kids campaign. traditional butcher wrap, as a differentiator. “It failed miserably,” says Boston. With heart in hand, he explained to Ari the thinking behind the clear wrap, and the poor sales.

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