The University of Southern California Marshall Food Industry Management Program will honor Stater Bros. Markets President and COO Greg McNiff, an FIM supporter and alumni parent, as its 2024 Executive of the Year.
McNiff, who leads the largest privately owned supermarket chain in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, will accept the award and serve as the keynote speaker at the April graduation banquet for the FIM Class of 2024. Headquartered in San Bernardino, Stater Bros. operates 169 supermarkets.
McNiff has extensive experience in the food industry. Beginning as a courtesy clerk, he worked his way up to leadership roles in retail operations, marketing and merchandising, as well as integration. He has a bachelor’s degree in business management from California Coast University and is a graduate of the USC Food Industry Executive Program.
In 2019, McNiff received the Illuminators Educational Foundation Torch Award for his support of advancing education in the food industry. He also serves as an advisor to the executive team of the Western Association of Food Chains, an organization that raises funds and provides scholarships for Marshall’s food industry programs.
“Greg McNiff has served his industry for more than 40 years. He is passionate about educating the food industry’s future leaders and demonstrates this passion by encouraging his employees to take advantage of multiple education paths,” said Geoff Garrett, dean of the USC Marshall School of Business. “We are grateful for the partnership and honored that he and Stater Bros. Markets continue to send high-potential leaders to the USC Marshall Food Industry Programs every year.”
From early in his career, McNiff has entrusted USC Marshall with a number of his company’s leaders, sending them to the four-month FIM Program, the four-day Food Industry Executive Program and the master’s program in food industry leadership.
“Greg joins a long list of highly respected servant leaders honored as Executive of the Year,” said Cynthia McCloud, director of Marshall’s Food Industry Programs. “He works closely with our team to continue updating and modifying the Food Industry Management Program, which offers five classes that cover leadership, finance, marketing, strategy and communication, each one providing a broad-based ‘balcony view’ of essential senior management and leadership capabilities.
“Greg is determined to help those who have a goal to get a college degree. He recognizes that they have choices in their careers and looks forward to having them ultimately choose to stay and help their companies compete in this rapidly changing market.”
McNiff described the recognition as a “distinct honor.”
“The food industry’s future leaders will require real-world skills and visionary thinking to see challenges in new ways and to find innovative solutions,” he said. “The teammates that Stater Bros. Markets sends to the FIM Program are fortunate to tap into the knowledge provided by the program’s world-class team of educators.
“Teammates return to us as proud new members of the Trojan family, with the discipline to question, think and rethink about decisions to be made in our industry. We are proud to support the FIM Program, in conjunction with the WAFC, as they deliver on their mission to ‘Advance the Food Industry through Education and Leadership.’”
The FIM Program recently marked its 66th anniversary. Each year, 30-35 students are chosen from a wide range of companies in the food industry to participate in the semester-long program.
Each student receives a full tuition scholarship through the WAFC. Those selected must have proven records of management accomplishments with significant potential for future advancement.
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