Four employees in Keasbey, New Jersey-based Wakefern Food Corporation’s corporate and retail organizations have been recognized as honorees of the 2022 YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry Awards. Honorees this year include Wakefern and ShopRite employees whose leadership and expertise have contributed to the success of the cooperative and its stores.
The YWCA TWIN Awards recognizes the achievements and significant contributions made by women within their industries in managerial, executive, supervisory and professional roles, and is hosted by the YWCA Union County, a nonprofit organization. The YWCA TWIN Awards also recognize businesses whose policies and practices encourage high achievement by women and who promote equal advancement opportunities for women of diverse backgrounds.
The virtual awards ceremony will be live-streamed on May 6.
To view the full list of recipients, click here.
Wakefern Honorees
- Jami Espinosa, category manager of produce, Wakefern Food Corp.
- Espinosa is responsible for the sourcing of produce and other specialty vegetable items. Her main responsibility is to regularly work with growers, shippers and vendor partners with the goal of procuring top quality produce at the best price. Espinosa is continuously on-site in packing houses and farm fields, even traveling up and down the East Coast, to source and buy the best crops for ShopRite stores and their customers.
- Maxine Nigro, pharmacy systems and support supervisor, Wakefern Food Corp.
- Nigro joined Wakefern in 2009 and has more than 25 years of experience in retail and corporate pharmacy. In her current role, she manages the business relationships with Wakefern’s pharmacy technology vendors. She manages a team who supports the 147 pharmacy locations operating under the ShopRite banner by assisting with pricing and third-party claims processing. In addition, she implemented technology that assisted ShopRite pharmacy employees in administering half a million Covid vaccines to the communities they serve.
ShopRite Honorees
- Jessica Valentino, controller, Ravitz Family Markets
- Valentino joined Ravitz Family Markets in 2007 as assistant controller and in 2017 took over the role as controller for the six-store supermarket chain. She oversees the accounting department, finance, budgeting and cash management. Valentino has previous accounting experience as well as a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and master’s degree from Strayer University in the same field. During her tenure, she pioneered the current financial budgeting process, created auditing processes for the inventory system and changed the financial reporting process for the company.
- Amanda Fischer, marketing, business development and outreach manager, Village Super Market
- After spending years studying food and human nutrition, Fischer’s first position was as a retail dietitian for ShopRite. In the 11 years since joining Village Super Market, she has held community relations, business development, communication and marketing roles. In her current role, she is responsible for leading the marketing and outreach activities for Village Super Market, which operates 38 retail locations including ShopRite stores, Fairway Markets and Gourmet Garage specialty stores in Manhattan. She leads the Village Volunteer Corp, manages the company’s charitable giving endeavors and sits on the Sumas Family Foundation board, which provides grants to local non-profit organizations.
Wakefern Food Corp. comprises nearly 50 member families who independently own and operate 363 supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. ShopRite is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp.
For more information, visit wakefern.com.
