Savannah-based Colonial Group announces leadership promotions

(By: Colonial Group, Inc.)

Colonial Group, Inc., a diversified family of companies based in Savannah, has announced two promotions involving its leadership team.

Bob Kenyon has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Colonial Group, Inc., while retaining his position as President of Colonial Oil Industries, Inc., and Ryan Chandler has been promoted to Chief Commercial Officer of Colonial Group, Inc., while retaining his position as President of Colonial Terminals, Inc.

“All of the Colonial family of companies have experienced significant growth and change in recent years,” said Christian Demere, President and CEO of Colonial Group. “While I am proud of the progress each company has made, I believe there is even more potential to be realized by further leveraging our synergies and strengths across the organization. Additionally, we have the opportunity to further strengthen our family culture. Expanding Ryan and Bob’s reach across the company will help us reach our full potential and become the best in every industry we serve.”

The Colonial family of companies is represented in many industries and offers products and services that include energy and chemical marketing and distribution, materials storage and handling, and convenience retail stores.

In their new roles, Kenyon and Chandler will expand their involvement across the organization in operational and business strategy and standards and unify all of Colonial’s business units under a new “One Colonial” approach.

Kenyon has nearly 30 years of experience in fuel operations. Prior to joining Colonial in 2022, he served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Renewable Energy Group, Inc. He is also the former President of Atlas Oil Company, where he led the company’s sales, marketing, procurement, operations and administrative resources nationwide, spanning 20 terminals and more than 900 employees. He holds a BBA in Business Management from Eastern Michigan University and completed graduate studies in executive education at the University of Michigan.

Chandler joined Colonial Group, Inc. as Vice President of Business Development in 2011 and became President of Colonial Terminals, Inc. in 2020. Earlier in his career, he practiced commercial law and later served as Vice President of Operations at TICO/Terminal Services, a family-owned terminal equipment manufacturing and outsourcing company based in Savannah, where he worked for eight years. He holds multiple degrees from the University of Florida: a Bachelor of Science in Finance, a Juris Doctorate from Fredric G. Levin College of Law, and an MBA from Warrington College of Business.