Forrest Hoffmaster vs Jason Buechel

Forrest Hoffmaster

CEO of New Seasons Market

BIO: As our chief executive officer, Forrest is dedicated to helping our staff, their teams, and our company grow in a balanced, sustainable, and socially responsible way. His passion to foster a thriving local food economy extends through a commitment to support the mission-based organizations with whom New Seasons and New Leaf do business, and reflects his strong belief that we each have the gifts and power to create positive change in the world one community at a time. Forrest brings more than 25 years of finance and accounting experience to his role. Nineteen of those years were in grocery retail, beginning with Texas-based Central Market-HEB, where he first trained in operations, and Whole Foods Market. Forrest joined New Seasons Market as CFO in 2016 leading finance, accounting and technology, focused on driving value through strategic planning and organizational alignment. He became co-president in January 2018, overseeing business development, real estate, finance, technology and data, before assuming the role of chief executive officer in January 2019. Forrest is a leader, mentor, and teacher on business as a force for good, conscious leadership, and connecting personal purpose to the work we choose. When he’s not working, you’ll find him travelling, visiting his two older daughters, camping, or writing. His favorite thing to eat is anything served with passion and a good story shared with friends.

Jason Buechel

CEO of Whole Foods Market

BIO: Jason Buechel serves as Chief Executive Officer at Whole Foods Market. Prior to his role as CEO, he served as Chief Operating Officer, providing operational leadership over Whole Foods Market’s 500+ locations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and overseeing the company’s technology, supply chain and distribution, store real estate and design, and Team Member Services (HR) functions. Jason serves as a champion of Whole Foods Market’s culture and values and is committed to increasing access to local, quality food for the communities it serves. Jason joined the company in 2013 as Global Vice President and Chief Information Officer, where he was responsible for all aspects of information technology and digital innovation, as well as ushering in large-scale IT initiatives that played a critical role in the growth of the business. Prior to Whole Foods Market, Jason served as the Managing Director/Partner within Accenture’s Retail Operations Practice, where he worked with leading retailers on strategic business and technology transformation. Jason has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is an avid runner, hiker and traveler, and enjoys spending time with his family.