FMI – The Food Industry Association has named the four store managers who were voted winners of its 2021 Store Manager Awards. In the face of unprecedented challenges, each manager has displayed unparalleled commitment to quality shopper services and experience, generated sales growth that stands out among the rest and has prioritized effective workplace communication with both staff and customers that drive the success of their stores.
FMI also recognized the People’s Pick category winner, which received more than 2,500 votes out of over 9,700 ballots cast in the online contest.
“In addition to the range of health and operational disruptions the pandemic presented to the food industry this year, the emergency also contributed to a range of related challenges, including active shooter situations, civil unrest and redevelopment disruption,” said Leslie Sarasin, FMI president and CEO. “Each of our 2021 Store Manager Award recipients has a distinct nuance to the variety of challenges encountered and the imaginative means he or she managed to turn these challenges into opportunities. They inspired their employees, motivated their communities and with their civic-mindedness, served as local reminders of why grocery workers were designated as essential workers during the pandemic.“
The 2021 Store Manager Award winners:
- Category A (1-49 Stores) – Katie Swenson, Lunds & Byerlys, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
- Category B (50-199 Stores) – Morris Lewis, Super 1 Foods Store, Brookshire Grocery Co., New Iberia, Louisiana;
- Category C (200+ Stores) – Brandon Lampkin, Hy-Vee, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska;
- Category D (International) – Malene Hansen, SPAR Haderup, SPAR International, Haderup, Denmark; and
- People’s Pick – Hugh “Rusty” Rollins, Food City, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., Athens, Tennessee.
Each of the 2021 Store Manager Award winners will receive a prize of $1,000, along with a crystal award to commemorate their accomplishments. The People’s Pick award winner will receive a special trophy along with a $500 award for his success and accomplishments that led to this award, which will celebrate the winner’s employees.
The Store Manager Awards are sponsored by The Coca-Cola Co. Details about the FMI Store Manager Awards, previous winners and profiles of all the finalists and winners are available at FMI.org/StoreManagerAwards.
