Dollar General EVP of Ops Leaving Company
After almost 10 years with the company, Dollar General Corp. has revealed EVP, Store Operations Steve Sunderland’s intention to leave the company, effective Jan. 19. Steve Deckard, the company’s current EVP, growth and emerging markets, will transition to an expanded role leading store operations across Dollar General retail locations, Mi Súper Dollar General in Mexico, pOpshelf stores and the corporate store operations teams. In addition to the company’s domestic and international store operations, Deckard will continue to lead real estate, asset protection and DG’s well-being strategies.
“We are grateful to Steve [Sunderland] for his many years of dedicated service to our communities, customers and ... store employees. His contributions to our store operations for nearly a decade have supported our growth from more than 11,000 stores in 2014 to our nearly 20,000 locations across the U.S. today,” said Todd Vasos, who was reappointed CEO last October after Jeff Owen stepped down from the position and Dollar General’s board “determined that a change in leadership is necessary to restore stability and confidence in the company moving forward.”
Deckard, who has been with the company for 18 years, began his Dollar General career in 2006 as a regional director of stores and has held roles of increasing responsibility in store operations, strategy and financial planning, and asset protection, among others. As SVP of emerging markets, Deckard led the company’s international expansion into Mexico prior to his promotion to EVP, growth and emerging markets in June 2023.
“Since joining Dollar General in 2006 as a leader in our stores, Steve [Deckard] has consistently shown his ability to deliver strong results while remaining focused on our customer,” continued Vasos. “As we get back to the basics across all functions at DG, we are confident Steve’s proven leadership, deep understanding of our operations, and commitment to our mission position him uniquely to drive our stores' success today and into the future.”
Last month, Dollar General appointed four leaders at the company. Jeff Mooney, Scott Kear and Macedonio Garza will oversee ops, while Jeff Rudy will lead the transportation function.
Deckard earned both his bachelor’s degree in operations management and his master’s degree in strategic management from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
As of Nov. 3, Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General operated 19,726 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and PopShelf stores across the United States and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
