Hy-Vee promotes Jeremy Gosch to president in leadership succession

A round of executive retirements at Hy-Vee has led to the appointments of a company president, a new vice chairman and a new chief financial officer.

West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee said late Friday that Jay Marshall, vice chairman and president of Hy-Vee Supply Chain and Subsidiaries, and Mike Skokan, executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, are retiring after 39 years and 35 years of service, respectively.

To fill their roles, the Midwestern grocer has promoted Jeremy Gosch to Hy-Vee president and chief operating officer; Aaron Wiese to vice chairman of Hy-Vee and president of Hy-Vee Supply Chain and Subsidiaries; and Andy Schreiner to senior vice president, CFO and treasurer.

The retirements and appointments were announced this week at Hy-Vee’s annual shareholders meeting.

With his promotion, Gosch becomes just the fifth company president in Hy-Vee’s 91-year history. Randy Edeker will continue to lead Hy-Vee as chairman and CEO.

Gosch (left) has served as president of retail operations and co-chief operating officer since April. He began his Hy-Vee career as a part-time clerk at in 1995 and spent the next 12 years in retail operations management roles. In 2012, he joined the executive staff upon being promoted to assistant vice president of operations for the Northeast region. Over the next six years, he held several executive leadership roles and, in early 2018, was elevated to executive vice president, co-COO, chief marketing officer. Later that year, he  began a transition into the COO role. 

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“One of my greatest responsibilities is to select the right leaders for our future, and I am confident Jeremy is that leader,” Edeker said in a statement. “Jeremy has a strong knowledge of our business and our unique company, and he is excellent at implementing our vision and has a strong sense of urgency to meet the challenging times we live in today. 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.”

Wiese (left) most recently served as president of digital growth and co-chief operating officer, promoted to those posts in April. He started at Hy-Vee in 1993 while in college and, after graduating, served in various operations leadership roles. In 2012, he joined Hy-Vee’s executive staff as director of real estate strategic planning, and in 2013 he became director of health and wellness strategic planning. The next year, Wiese was promoted to assistant vice president of specialty pharmacy and then to vice president of business development at Hy-Vee’s Amber Specialty Pharmacy subsidiary. Over the following six years, Hy-Vee said, Wiese served as a key leader in the health and wellness division, including as president of Amber Specialty Pharmacy for several years. He was promoted to the executive vice president level in December 2020.

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“Aaron is poised and ready to assume this important position to help me lead the company as vice chairman of Hy-Vee’s board of directors,” according to Edeker. “He has a strong vision for the total breadth of our company and is extremely knowledgeable in many areas, including health care and digital development and growth. With Aaron helping me guide the company, we are positioned for continued growth and innovation.”

Schreiner (left) previously served as senior vice president and chief accounting officer. He joined Hy-Vee in 1995 as a part-time clerk in the grocer’s South Ottumwa, Iowa, store and then shifted to Hy-Vee’s corporate office as an accounting intern in 1999. After graduating college in 2000, he was named as an internal auditor and joined the Hy-Vee executive staff in 2001. In 2004, he was promoted to assistant director of auditing services and then became financial reporting supervisor in 2006. Schreiner worked in various leadership roles in the financial reporting department until 2015, when he was named vice president of accounting and later chief accounting officer. He was inducted into the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame in 2008.

“The role of Hy-Vee’s chief financial officer has evolved over the past decade, and truly is integrated into every aspect of what we do as a company,” Edeker commented. “Andy is incredibly smart, and his strategic thinking and accounting expertise will play a huge role as our company continues to expand and innovate.”

Jay Marshall (left) and Mike Skokan. (Photos courtesy of Hy-Vee)

Marshall had served as Hy-Vee’s vice chairman since January 2020 and as president of Hy-Vee Supply Chain and Subsidiaries since 2018. Hy-Vee appointed Skokan as senior vice president, CFO and treasurer in 2011 and two years later promoted him to the executive vice president’s title. Marshall was inducted in the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame in 2004 and 2021 and Skokan in 2015 and 2021 for their leadership.

“Both Jay and Mike have been trusted leaders of our executive team for many years,” Edeker stated, “and I could not be more thankful for the contributions they have made to our great company.” 

Overall, Hy-Vee operates more than 280 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.