San Bernardino, California – Stater Bros. Markets is extremely pleased to announce the promotion of Greg McNiff to the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. In this position, he will lead the company’s Marketing, Retail, and Distribution Departments and report to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pete Van Helden. In addition to his new role as COO, McNiff will remain as the company’s president and continue to serve on its Executive Leadership Team.
Reporting to McNiff will be Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Rebecca Calvin, Senior Vice President Retail Operations Bertha Luna, and Senior Vice President Distribution Darold Fero. The new structure will result in the strategic and philosophical unification of three core operational business units under a single point of leadership. Leveraging the strengths and resources of each functional area within a unified team concept will result in more innovative, effective, and nimble execution of the company’s key business initiatives to achieve its long-term strategic plans.
“Greg is known for being a compassionate leader and I admire his thoughtfulness and how much he cares for people. He brings teams together and encourages them to achieve alignment behind our company’s initiatives,” said Stater Bros. CEO Pete Van Helden. “I look forward to working with Greg to harness the strengths and resources of our teammates into a powerful, unified force.”
McNiff is a 41-year veteran of the supermarket industry who has spent 30 years of his grocery career in Southern California. His grocery career began in 1981 as a courtesy clerk at Albertsons. While there, he served in a variety of leadership roles encompassing a wide range of operational responsibilities, including Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Integration, Vice President of Marketing, Vice President of Fresh Merchandising, Senior Vice President of Operations, and Senior Vice President of Marketing/Merchandising. In 2016, he advanced to Division President of Albertson’s Portland Division. McNiff has served as Stater Bros. Markets president since arriving at the company in 2019.
McNiff holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from California Coast University and is a graduate of the USC Food Industry Executive Program. He is a past president of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) and currently serves on its Executive Board. In addition, McNiff was the 2019 recipient of The Illuminators Torch Award.
About Stater Bros. Markets
Communities throughout Southern California look to Stater Bros. Markets for Fresh. Affordable. Community First. grocery shopping every day. Stater Bros. nurtures families and their communities at more than 170 stores and through the helping hands of 18,000 caring employees. While the Stater Bros. meat counter is legendary for its quality and variety, every store department is designed to surprise and delight today’s shoppers. The company lives out its values through the charitable efforts of its non-profit, Stater Bros. Charities. Learn more at staterbros.com.
