GES Inc., owner and operator of Edwards Food Giant and Edwards Cash Saver stores, has made key executive promotions as part of its leadership succession planning.
Paul Rowton, previously EVP and CFO, has been promoted to president of Marianna, Arkansas-based GES Inc., while Gary Proffitt has been promoted to VP and COO.
Steve Edwards will continue in his roles as chairman of the board and CEO, providing strategic leadership as the two executives assume their expanded responsibilities.
Rowton joined the company in 2002 as a store manager in Harrisburg after serving as a district sales manager with Hershey Foods. Over the past two decades, he has advanced through the organization, playing a key role in the company’s financial strategy and growth.
Rowton is a graduate of Arkansas State University and serves on the Arkansas State University System Board of Trustees and the board of the Baptist Memorial Health Care System. He also is a board member of the National Grocers Association and has served six terms as chairman of the Arkansas Retailers Association.
His professional recognitions include being named an Arkansas Business “40 Business Leaders Under 40” honoree in 2009 and the publication’s 2024 Financial Executive of the Year.
Previously VP of operations, Proffitt has been with GES Inc. for 30 years and was instrumental in expanding the company’s footprint into central Arkansas.
His career spans retail and wholesale operations, including leadership roles with Food 4 Less, Malone & Hyde and Fleming Foods, before joining GES in 1996 as store supervisor.
Proffitt’s experience has supported the company’s growth from three to 15 supermarkets across the state. He serves as chairman of the Arkansas Tobacco Control Board and has participated in advisory efforts focused on hunger relief and food desert elimination in Little Rock.
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