Mark Hasting, who has previously served as chief commerce and operating officer, will remain in his current role as president while also being promoted to chief executive officer. Kim Treece, meanwhile, will be promoted to chief stores
Blain Gilbertson will take on a new role as executive chair of the board and will remain the sole owner of Blain’s Farm and Fleet and Blain Supply, Inc.
“The most important thing a leader must do is to plan for the organization’s next great leader,” Blain Gilbertson said in a statement. “This succession plan was put into place four years ago when we hired Mark to join our company as our chief of stores. From the beginning, the entire company and our vendor partners could see Mark’s character, values, intelligence and love for this business. He learned our business quickly through his humility and curiosity, and I was especially pleased to observe his strength for developing others.”
“With Mark in the CEO role, I am confident we will continue to grow and thrive as a family-owned company delivering on our promise we will continue to grow and thrive as a family-owned company delivering on our promise of making Blain’s a place where life is more rewarding,” Blain Gilbertson said.
According to a statement, a transition will progress over the next several months and will take effect in September.
Blain Gilbertson said in the statement that she plans to take the summer to visit each of the company’s 45 stores and to say thank you to associates. She’ll be accompanied on some of the visits by her daughters, who are both involved in the business.
Hasting was hired in 2020 as the chief stores officer with the responsibility for store and auto service center operations. In 2022, he was promoted to chief commerce and operating officer, by which time his responsibilities had grown to include e-commerce operations, construction and facilities, real estate and the Customer Service Center of Excellence.
In 2023, Hasting was promoted to president, as well as chief commerce and operating officer adding both demand planning and supply chain to his responsibilities while also taking a greater strategic role in the company’s leadership. In his new role as CEO and president, he will have responsibility for all aspects of the business, and according to the statement, will have support from the board.
“This is the perfect arrangement,” said Nicole Gilbertson, Blain Gilbertson’s daughter and project management specialist. “I’m happy to see my mother take more time for herself to travel and enjoy life, and I’m glad she is going to continue to play an important role on the board. Mark is a strong leader, and with Mark leading the company and my mother leading the board, and, of course, the entire family supporting him, we will have excellent balance and synergy.”
Hasting spent more than 20 years at Target, where he held roles such as store manager, district team leader, group vice president and vice president of store operations. He also served as regional vice president at Starbucks and chief operating officer at Kum and Go. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Oklahoma State University and an master’s of business administration from Oklahoma City University.
“Working with Jane these past four years has taught me so much about leadership and culture. It is my honor to be a strategic partner to her and her familiy in continuing to help this amazing organization to thrive,” Hasting said.
Treece has been the senior vice president of stores. In her new role, she will have responsibility for all stores and auto service centers, construction and facilities, real estate and the Customer Service Center of Excellence.
“I chose Kim to fill my previous role due to her enthusiasm and positive influence on store associates,” Hasting said. “Kim has a strong background in retail with 33 years in store and merchandising roles at Walgreens, but it is her compassionate leadership that makes her really shine.”
“We have full confidence in Mark and Kim,” added Sarah Gilbertson, Blain Gilbertson’s daughter and customer relationship manager. “The core of our family culture is that we treat our associates like family and our customers like neighbors, and Mark and Kim embrace that whole-heartedly.”
Under Blain Gilbertson’s leadership, 10 new stores were opened, including 5 in Michigan. The company now has 5,500 employees, the release said.
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