Big Y Foods has named John P. Fraro as VP of fresh foods, while Steve Nordstrom has been appointed as VP of center store.
Both report to Michael R. Cormier, SVP of sales and marketing.
“Our people are and always will be the heart of our company. They foster and grow our culture of caring, continuous learning and service to each other and our communities,” said Michael P. D’Amour, Big Y president and CEO.
“I am excited to have John and Steve join our vice president leadership team as they will help us to challenge how we think, innovate and grow. The most important thing we do as a leadership group is to help educate and empower all our employees to have a voice and to be a part of a team that is committed to Big Y remaining a great place to work and shop for generations to come.”
In his role as VP of fresh foods, Fraro will be responsible for all aspects of Big Y’s fresh departments, including meat, seafood, bakery, deli, kitchen, produce and floral.
Fraro started his career at Big Y in 2005 as an assistant food service/kitchen manager after having held positions in meat, bakery and deli for two other retailers previously. In 2006, he was appointed sous chef at Big Y’s Fresh Acres Market and later in 2008 as their meal solutions manager. In 2009, he was appointed junior deli buyer followed by bakery sales manager. From 2014-17, he was a deli then produce sales manager, until his 2017 appointment as director of deli, bakery and kitchen. He previously held the role of senior director of fresh foods.
In 2017, Fraro was recognized as one of the 40 Under 40 Food Industry Rising Leaders by The Griffin Report of the Northeast, and in 2020, he was one of The Shelby Report’s People to Watch. He has also completed the National Grocers Association’s Executive Development Program. Last year, he received the 2023 Emerging Leader Award by the Massachusetts Food Association.
[RELATED: Big Y Taps Moriarty As New Director Of Meat And Seafood]
As VP of center store, Nordstrom will be responsible for center store sales, marketing and merchandising programs for grocery, health and beauty care, general merchandise, frozen and dairy, as well as space management.
He joined Big Y in 1996 as an assistant grocery manager and later held other roles within the operations division, including store director, sales and merchandising mentor and district director. In 2014, he moved to the sales and marketing department as a sales manager and became director of frozen and dairy one year later. By 2018, he was director of health and wellness, including pharmacies, and in 2020, he was named director of center store followed by senior director of center store in 2023.
