Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009 - (Page 38)

2009 Top Women in Grocery Jill Wilder, Assistant Operations Manager,The Kroger Co. IN HER EFFORTS to control all operations-related expenses at Kroger, Jill Wilder helped to drive Total Store Percent Effective from 93.68 percent to 97.86 percent.This involved using targeted communication and training to engage over 5,000 cashiers to improve their work habits.Wilder also helped her team achieve 21 of 23 measurements on Kroger’s “The Shopping Experience” metric. record of success by saving Price Chopper $4 million in costs and expenses.Additionally, Moorby innovates to motivate associates through various rewards systems with reverse-auction magnets that employees can proudly display on their door frames. freight fowards/customs house brokers for the company, and runs the division's human resources and logistics and operations departments. In her role,Wooster was instrumental in the transformation of SVI's food import business to global sourcing — a task that involved staffing changes, logistics, and coordination with multiple parties. She also managed a 2008 integrated logistics initiative to drive down freight costs by 5 percent to 10 percent. Wooster’s activities outside the office are just as numerous — and as impactful — as those inside. She participates in several trade-related organizations, and is a major fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Patty Davenport Arruda, Deli/Bakeshop Sales Manager, Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., LLC (Ahold USA) OVERSEEING a workforce of 25 deli managers and 25 bakery managers, Patty Davenport Arruda exceeded her budget targets for both sales and profits in 2008, and has acted as a mentor for several management team members. She developed and facilitated training sessions, including Perishable Product Knowledge, Shrink Reduction Workshop, Perishable Sales Building Techniques, and Perishable Merchandising Standards Workshop.Arruda was also instrumental in relaunching an extensive prepared foods initiative during 2008. Customer service ratings rose significantly for deli in her stores, and she formed a Deli Manager Council to help create an avenue for feedback from the field teams to the category managers and merchants. She conducts in-store tours for all department heads twice a year, which has greatly improved in-store execution Arruda has strong relationships with her key vendor partners and has gained support for special in-store events, including remodels and open houses. Arruda has been selected to attend the Ahold Retail Academy in June of this year, an assignment that is reserved for the best throughout the worldwide Ahold organization. Susan Yates, Division Food Safety Specialist, The Kroger Co. — Southwest Division AFTER HURRICANE IKE, Susan Yates was key to the recovery of Kroger locations in the area, working with regulatory agencies to get stores back into operation. She helped lead the Southwest Division in ranking as the most improved division in 2008 and second among all divisions.Yates is 2009 president of the Texas Environmental Health Association and also volunteers at the Texas Area Food Bank Advisory Council. Crystal Noble, Director-Meat/Seafood, Sweetbay Supermarket (Delhaize) CRYSTAL NOBLE, a 25-year veteran of Delhaize-owned Sweetbay Supermarket, serves as its director of meat and seafood — a department that represents more than 13 percent of total sales, a number that’s likely to increase due to the successful Sweetbay Angus program she introduced in the spring of 2008. Her efforts in the category earned her a Beef Backer certificate of excellence from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Noble also serves as co-chair for the Tampa, Fla., Division of the Network of Executive Women (NEW), and is a team manager of a local youth soccer league. Karen Hess, Manager of Front End and Scanning, Price Chopper Supermarkets (Golub Corp.) KAREN HESS has led the store-level training effort for the implementation of the company’s “6-Star” service program, fuel rewards and many other programs. She also led the chain’s significant improvement in checkout experience, as well as bagger and cashier performance. Hess also led the move of cash and sales to a Web-based application and the implementation of easy scans throughout the chain. She developed the company’s very successful Best Bagger/Best Cashier contests, resulting in the title of NYS Best Bagger going to a Price Chopper associate three years in a row and publicity on the “Rachael Ray Show.” Hess has won the Dale Carnegie Award for Outstanding Participation in Learning Objectives and has won two Corporate Project “A” awards for Customer Service. Nancy Kubilus, Category Manager, Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., LLC (Ahold USA) IN HER ROLE to build strategic business plans for the natural and specialty categories, Nancy Kubilus helped achieve sales growth in excess of 20 percent in natural foods and worked to optimize the assortment in the specialty arena for improved sales in each category. She is a key influencer of the DDS Distributor Network and Warehouse Partners for the organization, and is regularly sought out by the community for her input on new items and packaging development. Kubilus is recognized in the industry as a leader in the natural foods community and is known to have advanced the availability of natural foods in the supermarket environment. She is also widely recognized for her product knowledge and ability to recognize new trend opportunities. Christine Rogers McMaster, Director of Retail Logistics,Wakefern Food Corp. CHRISTINE ROGERS MCMASTER, director of retail logistics for cooperative wholesaler Wakefern Food Corp., is a powerful influencer in food logistics, a field where males have traditionally taken the helm. She is responsible for all areas of store support services including retail labor management and Wakefern’s automatic order replenishment system, which provides increased sales and variety for customers, reduced inventories, and trailer balancing. Through McMaster’s efforts,Wakefern has realized significant cost savings and improved sales performance, including a 97 percent on-time delivery rate of orders. She has been able to implement initiatives that have resulted in significant cost reductions, increased labor efficiencyand improved service to Wakefern’s retailer customers. She co-chairs Wakefern’s Operations Excellence committee, which focuses on initiatives and best practices that result in effective operations at both retail and wholesale. She is the recipient of the Tribute to Women in Industry Award (TWIN) from the YWCA, which recognizes female professionals for their contribution to the success of American business. Alyson Moorby, Reverse Auction Analyst, Price Chopper Supermarkets (Golub Corp.) TRANSITIONING from a store manager, who drove a 50 percent net profit increase to the company’s only reverse auction analyst,Alyson Moorby continued her Jane Wooster, Director of Operations, Supervalu International AS DIRECTOR of operations for Supervalu International (SVI), Jane Wooster is responsible for all costs relating to ocean/air transportation, trucking, warehouse, third-party logistics, and 38 • Progressive Grocer • June/July 2009 A H E A D O F W H AT ’ S N E X T www.progressivegrocer.com http://www.progressivegrocer.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009
Table of Contents
Nielsen’s Shelf Stoppers/ Spotlight: Cheese/Shredded Cheese
Market Snapshot: Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.
Independents Report: The Advantages of Older Associates
Lempert Report: Food Experts Tackle the Economy
Industry Achievement: The Top 100 Women in Grocery
Multicultural Marketing: 2050 is Today
Retailer of the Year: Celebrating Kroger
2009 Deli/Bakery Operations Review: Shrink-Wrapped
Fresh Developments: Consumer Shifts Create New Complexities for Fresh Food Trading Partners
Produce: Brimming With Possibilities
Meat: Fired Up!
Store of the Month: Giant Eagle’s Express-Ohhh!
Cheese: Cooked Cheese and Other Spiritual Revelations
Beverage Alcohol: A Cup of Cheer
Frozen Foods: Frozen Vegetable Sales are Steaming
Real Estate: Bigger is not Always Better
Technology: At Your Service
Equipment Innovations
What’s Next: Editors’ Picks for Innovative Products

Progressive Grocer - June/July 2009