San Bernardino, California-based Stater Bros. Markets has promoted Greg McNiff to chief operating officer, effective immediately. In this position, he will lead the company’s marketing, retail and distribution departments and report to 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 SVP and Chief Marketing Officer Rebecca Calvin, SVP of Retail Operations Bertha Luna and SVP of 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.
According to the company, 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 its 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,” Van Helden said. “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 VP of operations, VP of integration, VP of marketing, VP of fresh merchandising, SVP of operations and SVP 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 and currently serves on its executive board. In addition, McNiff was the 2019 recipient of The Illuminators Torch Award.
Stater Bros. Markets has more than 170 stores and 18,000 employees. The company lives out its values through the charitable efforts of its nonprofit, Stater Bros. Charities. Learn more at staterbros.com.
I am not surprised by this at all. Greg is an AMAZING mentor, friend and all around wonderful person. So blessed to know him. Congratulations!!!