RaceTrac names new CEO

RaceTrac has promoted a third-generation family member to chief executive officer.

The convenience store chain appointed Natalie Morhous as CEO, effective Jan. 2. Morhous, who has served as president of RaceTrac since 2019,  succeeds Max McBrayer, who has departed the company after 32 years and served as chief executive since 2019. No reason was given for his departure.

A third-generation leader in the family-owned business, Morhous has worked at RaceTrac for 11 years, with roles that included director of strategy and development, executive director of strategy and solutions, executive director of Energy Dispatch, VP of Energy Dispatch and, most recently, president of RaceTrac Inc. Prior to joining the company, she worked as a consultant with SRA Touchstone Consulting Group and Acquisition Solutions Inc.

McBrayer and Morhous partnered on RaceTrac's business decisions and strategy development. She takes leadership of the company on the heels of its largest acquisition to date — Gulf Oil — and as it is expanding into new markets, including Ohio and South Carolina. 

"Having observed Natalie's leadership as RaceTrac's president, we are confident in her ability to continue to lead our organization to even greater heights as CEO,”  stated Max Lenker, a board director at RaceTrac. “We have no doubt that her vision for RaceTrac's future will propel our organization beyond the company we know today.”

Said Morhous: "It is an honor to step into the role of CEO for the company my grandfather began nearly 90 years ago. It is with great anticipation that I take on the challenge of serving our nearly 10,500 team members and the nine million guests that visit our stores each week.”

In his statement,  Lenker also recognized McBrayer's 32-plus years at the company, saying he “made significant contributions to RaceTrac's success during his time.”

McBrayer served as a leader in various capacities at RaceTrac since 1991 when he joined The Ethanol Corp., a subsidiary of RaceTrac, as president. In 1994, he transitioned to RaceTrac's VP of engineering and design and was later promoted to senior VP of supply and distribution. 

In 2014, McBrayer became chief supply officer before assuming his most recent role as CEO. 

Headquartered in Atlanta, RaceTrac is the 22nd largest privately held company in the United States and has nearly 800 retail locations representing the RaceTrac and RaceWay brands in 13 states. The company employs more than 10,500 team members across RaceTrac, RaceWay and affiliated companies Metroplex Energy and Energy Dispatch.

“I am grateful for Max's mentorship and step into this role confident in the strategy we have developed and the team we have in place,” said added Morhous. "Since joining RaceTrac in 2012, I've had the privilege of seeing our store count grow over 40 percent — all thanks to the amazing team members we have serving our guests each day. It has been the honor of my career to serve RaceTrac's people and our guests each and every day and I look forward to continuing that as CEO.”