NGA Foundation Congratulates 2018 Executive Leadership Development Program Graduates

Arlington, VA – The NGA Foundation is pleased to congratulate 38 grocery executives on their completion of the 2018 Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP). The event was held June 3 – 7 at Cornell University, located in Ithaca, New York.

“The next generation of leaders and executives will continue to face the shifts and ubiquitous change within the supermarket industry, and it is critically important that we invest in these rising executives through development and leadership training for the long-term success of the industry. The NGA Foundation’s ELDP is a best in class program that has helped to grow the careers of many of its graduates,” said Matt Ott, executive director of the NGA Foundation. “Thanks to the generous support from PepsiCo, we are proud to say that since the program’s inception over 500 leaders in the independent sector have graduated from ELDP.”

ELDP helps independent supermarket operators and wholesalers develop leaders from within their organizations who can respond to business challenges in the 21st century marketplace. It is a high-impact learning opportunity for rising grocery executives that provides interactive instruction presented by a mix of respected academic and industry leaders.

For the past 15 years, ELDP has been generously supported by PepsiCo.

2018 ELDP graduates:

• Brahm Ahmadi, President & CEO, People’s Community Market
• Alan Atwood, Retail Counselor, Merchants Distributors, LLC (MDI)
• Jim Baldwin, Store Director, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
• Patrick Brennan, Buyer, Certco
• Megan Breunig, Buyer, Certco
• Jeff Brown, Retail Manager, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Dist. Co.
• Colleen Casey, Store Director, Ravitz Family Markets
• Chad Crow, Director of Facility Services, Brookshire Grocery Company
• Cary Cunningham, District Manager, Harps Food Stores, Inc.
• Kristof Duna, Director of Private Brands, Merchants Distributors, LLC (MDI)
• Wilbur Fabre, Jr., Director of Outbound, Associated Grocers, Inc.
• Courtney Fagan, Senior Legislative Representative, Wakefern Food Corp.
• Neil Fandel, Director of Supply Chain & Logistics, Coborn's Inc.
• Michael Gay, Store Manager, Foodfresh
• Curtis Hathenbruck, Store Director, Harmons
• Mike Hoch, Category Manager, Associated Wholesale Grocers
• Mark Hubbard, District Manager, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. (dba Food City)
• Margo Johnson, Store Director, Hugo's Family Marketplace
• Chris Jones, Vice President, Government Relations & Counsel, National Grocers Association
• Melissa, Kenny, Director of Sales and Marketing, Kenny Family ShopRites of Delaware
• Shannon Kincade, Director of General Merchandise, Harps Food Stores, Inc.
• Kyle Kurr, Category Manager – Frozen, Coborn's Inc.
• Jana Luzzi, General Manager, Harvest Market/Cypress Holdings Inc.
• Tucker Lynn, Category Manager, Wakefern Food Corp.
• Ryan Maloney, Corporate Merchandising Manager, Wakefern Food Corp.
• Michelle Mendoza, Director of Marketing, Associated Supermarket Group
• Mackinley Moise, Assistant Store Manager, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
• Kevin Morgan, Director of Perishables, Ravitz Family Markets
• Brandon Mowell, District Manager, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. (dba Food City)
• Grace Richards, Assistant Store Manager, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
• Jack Rohrbaugh, Wooster Milltown Store Manager, Buehler's Fresh Foods
• Michael Sharpe, Key Account Representative Canada, FMS Solutions Holdings, LLC
• Heather Standifer, Category Manager, Associated Wholesale Grocers
• Kevin Thompson, Food Operations Executive, S. L. Horsfords & Co LTD
• Chris Wagner, Director of Meat & Seafood Merchandising, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
• David Walpuck, Quality Assurance Specialist, ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc.
• Bobby Williams, Director of Benefits & Compensation, Associated Grocers, Inc.
• Lynn Young, Pharmacy District Manager, Coborn's Inc.

For more information on ELDP please visit //www.nationalgrocers.org/eldp

About the NGA Foundation

The NGA Foundation is the 501c3 nonprofit arm of the National Grocers Association which supports the independent grocery industry. The Foundation provides independent retailers with tools to develop more effective recruiting programs, enhance retention efforts and bolster professional and leadership development opportunities for employees. For more information, visitwww.ngafoundation.org.

About NGA

The National Grocers Association (NGA) is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for close to one percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating $131 billion in sales, 944,000 jobs, $30 billion in wages, and $27 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers, state grocers associations, as well as manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visitwww.nationalgrocers.org.

Source: The National Grocers Association (NGA)