BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Tractor Supply Co. (NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retail store chain in the U.S., has promoted Steve Barbarick to president and chief merchandising officer, effective immediately. Barbarick will continue to lead the merchandising, marketing, inventory management, omni-channel, distribution and logistics teams. He will continue to report to Chief Executive Officer Greg Sandfort.

"Steve has been an integral part of the Tractor Supply team for the past 18 years. He has been a driving force behind the continued evolution of the business and the development of key merchandise, sales, margin and marketing initiatives and has more recently begun providing his leadership in the areas of inventory management, omni-channel, distribution and logistics," stated Greg Sandfort, chief executive officer. "Steve has a commitment to servant leadership and a deep understanding and passion for our business and customer base. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we execute our long term growth strategy in the years ahead."

Barbarick joined Tractor Supply as a buyer in 1998. He has held positions of increasing responsibility including vice president and divisional merchandise manager; senior vice president, merchandising; executive vice president, merchandising and marketing; and, most recently, executive vice president, chief merchandising officer since March 2015.

Tractor Supply now operates 1,521 stores in 49 states.