Buehler’s Fresh Foods announced two leadership appointments on Sept. 4, naming Dave Bushland as CFO and David Hilderhoff as director of operations, both effective Sept. 14.
Bushland joins the Wooster, Ohio-based employee-owned grocer with more than two decades of retail and consumer finance leadership, including senior finance roles at Walmart, Supervalu, Albertsons, JCPenney and Famous Footwear. For the past several years, he has served as an interim CFO for multiple private-equity and owner-led companies and has held operational leadership roles, including COO and CEO, at companies such as NBG Home, Hollander and Architectural Surfaces.
In his new role, Bushland will lead the company’s financial strategy, including planning and analysis, liquidity and working-capital management, and long-term value creation for its employee-owners, while partnering with store operations and merchandising on forecasting, inventory and cost discipline.
“Dave brings an extraordinary combination of financial expertise, operational leadership and retail experience that will be invaluable as we continue to grow and strengthen our employee-owned company,” said Mike Davidson, president and CEO of Buehler’s Fresh Foods. “Beyond his impressive credentials, I am excited about the leadership, perspective and energy he will bring to our team.”
Bushland holds an MBA from Wake Forest University, a master’s degree in finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Benedictine University. He and his family will relocate from the Kansas City area.
Buehler’s had named a new CFO in January; no explanation for the change was given.
Hilderhoff to lead operations
Hilderhoff brings more than two decades of multi-unit retail leadership to the director of operations role at Buehler’s. He spent nearly 20 years with Walmart, advancing from co-manager to store manager to district food manager, a role in which he oversaw 47 supercenters generating $900 million in annual food and consumables sales. Most recently, he served as district manager for Advance Auto Parts, overseeing operations and strategic business planning for 14 stores.
Hilderhoff’s connection to the grocery industry began in childhood, watching his father build a career in the field that progressed from store manager to owner-operator. He will work closely with Dave Cleckner over the next several months as he transitions into the role.
Buehler’s Fresh Foods was founded in 1929 by E.L. Buehler and his wife, Helen. The company went through a management buyout in 2017 and formed an employee stock ownership plan, and operates 14 supermarkets and a liquor store in northeastern Ohio, according to a count on the company’s website.