United Fresh

The United Fresh Produce Association handed out a number of awards to the fresh produce industry's top retail produce managers at its annual convention in Las Vegas.

Presented through the United Fresh Foundation's Centre for Leadership Excellence, it marked the sixth year of the Retail Produce Manager Awards Programme, with 25 managers honoured for their strength in the field.

During the show, winning managers engaged in a series of convention activities including the produce industry's first live webcast from a trade show floor. 'Winning Retail Strategies: Secrets of the Retail Manager Award Winners' featured 10 of the victors in a panel discussion on what consumers are really doing in the produce aisles.

'These men and women represent the 'best of the best' in our industry,' said United Fresh president and CEO Tom Stenzel. 'Through their creative efforts and interaction with customers, they’re making produce a centrepiece of the retail shopping experience and wowing consumers every day.'

The 25 award winners were:

. Douglas Collins, Food City, Prestonsburg, Ky.
· Lynette DeClerk, Niemann Foods, Inc., Pana, Ill.
· Brent Doud, Safeway Stores, Inc, Albany, Ore.
· Samuel D. Fannin, The Kroger Co., Reynoldsburg, Ohio
· Jeff Freeman, Save Mart, Clovis, Calif.
· Judy Gauthier, Buy-Low Foods, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
· James Grande, King Soopers, Aurora, Colo.
· Steve Gray, MOM's Organic Market, Frederick, Md.
· Cris Gutierrez, Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Reno, Nev.
· Angela Hamilton, Al's Supermarkets, La Porte, Ind.
· Claudette Johnson, Jewel-Osco, Plainfield, Ill.
· Lannie W. Kiser Jr., Brookshire Grocery Co., Kaufman, Texas
· Valerie Lambert, Food City, Wise, Va.
· Ryan Lindner, Hy-Vee, Inc., Madison, Wis.
· Jeff Oelfke, Chief Supermarket, Inc., Bryan, Ohio
· Lisa Paulis, Vons, La Jolla, Calif.
· Joseph Ortiz, Brookshire Grocery Co., Monroe, La.
· Shawn Seely, Price Chopper Supermarkets/Golub Corp., Edwardsville, Pa.
· Rick Stolarik, Big Y Foods, Inc, Tolland, Conn.
· John Thut, Bel Air Markets; Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Sacramento, Calif.
· Gary Viall, Hannaford Bros. Company, Colonie, N.Y.
· Juronald Williams, Ord Community Commissary, Seaside, Calif.
· Willie L. Williams Jr., The Kroger Co., Englewood, Ohio
· John Wombacher, Hy-Vee, Inc., Iowa City, Iowa
· Craig Yamane, Bel Air Markets; Raley's Family of Fine Stores, Sacramento, Calif.

Topics