2025 Women of Influence

• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Athaleen Mitchell

  Co-Chairman, Shelby Publishing Co., Inc.

  Shelby’s list of influential women begins at the top – with Athaleen Mitchell, owner. She and her husband, Dathan, bought the company 20 years ago, in May 2005. “Owning a business has it its ups and downs, but our faith in God always brings us through,” she says. “The success of Shelby allows us to contribute to several of our favorite charities, including St. Jude and Samaritan’s Purse.” Mrs. Mitchell’s experience in the grocery business predates ownership of the company. “I worked for Winn-Dixie Stores in Tampa, Florida, for 18 years,” she says. “I started as cashier, then became head cashier and then went into the accounting office.” The Mitchells are quick to recognize the efforts of the company’s employees. “The women of Shelby have contributed greatly to our success,” she says. “We have a good team, and we expect to see Shelby continue to grow.” Outside of work, Mrs. Mitchell is an avid reader who also works with flowers – inside and outside the home. “I enjoy having groups from our church over for special occasions. I worked with senior adults at church for 15 years and loved it,” she says.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Beatrice Ashe

  Director of Communications and Training, MDI

  Beatrice Ashe has been a transformative force in her time at MDI. In internal communication, Bea revolutionized MDI from outdated paper memos to a dynamic, multi-platform approach that resonates with employees. Her visionary leadership brought the launch of a mobile app, intranet and visual storytelling that have greatly elevated the employee experience. Tools like the app have seen an adoption rate of 80 percent across the company since launch. Her storytelling strengthens the company's culture by bringing much deserved recognition to those driving MDI's success. Beyond communication, Bea has made lasting contributions in training and development by reimagining leadership training with tiered programs for new and seasoned leaders, helping them sharpen their skills and lead with purpose. Her onboarding approach transformed MDI from tribal knowledge to documented, role-specific training, reducing ramp-up time, ensuring consistency and contributing to a 10 percent reduction in turnover. Her vision launched development pathways that empower high-potential employees to invest in their growth and pursue future opportunities within the company.Additionally, her leadership was instrumental in the successful launch of MDI's first automated facility. Outside of work, Bea's passion for people continues as a strong advocate for at-risk youth by helping them navigate toward brighter futures. Bea's commitment to making a positive impact on both her peers and community is inspiring.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Beth Swainson

  Customer VP, Dollar, Drug, Value, Military – Snacks, The Campbell's Company

  Beth Swainson is a dynamic and accomplished sales leader with extensive experience in commercial strategy, national account sales and category management. She leads the drug, dollar, value and military channels for Campbell's Snacks Division, partnering with retailers such as Aldi, Dollar General, Dollar Tree and CVS to redefine their premium snacking portfolios.
  Beth has successfully led her team through the development and implementation of multi-year channel strategies, supported by innovative pack commercialization and PPA design.
  Throughout her 20 years in the food and beverage industry, she's demonstrated the ability to develop strategy, lead and inspire others and execute winning plans to drive profitable growth. She joined Campbell's in 2018, working her way through sales strategy and commercialization roles for Campbell's Snacks portfolio of brands.
  Beth is passionate about leading others through the Campbell's Women's Inclusion Network mentoring circles and peer groups and participating in leadership training programs such as NextUp and Campbell's Lead to Win.
  Outside of work, her three children keep Beth busy running from lacrosse fields, where she helps coach two of their teams, to ice rinks, where she spends many (cold) hours cheering them on. She also volunteers at their elementary school.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Bhrunella Gibson

  District Human Resources Leader, King Scoopers and City Market

  Bhrunella Gibson is passionate about seeking new ways to reshape organizational culture and encourage others to find inspiration to create change. She also is a powerful example of a servant leader – leading with empathy while also holding people accountable for results. She has a gift for showing compassion – putting herself in others' shoes – and demonstrating the power of human connection while at the same time never assuming she has full clarity about what they are experiencing. Bhrunella demonstrates daily her ability for listening, where she is among the minority when it comes to leaders who practice this skill.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Brianna Shales

  Marketing Director, Stemilt Growers

  Brianna Shales leads a team of eight in Stemilt Growers' marketing department, channeling her leadership skills to guide the marketing team through various projects aligning with the company's goals of delighting consumers with world-famous fruit.
  Brianna came to Stemilt fresh from college and has made many accomplishments within the fresh produce industry. Over her 17 years, her managers have recognized her as instrumental in brand development, communications and digital marketing to share the company's story. Her experience in these areas has shaped her into an excellent mentor at Stemilt who seeks to help others succeed in their roles.
  Brianna's ability to teach by example is a testament to her positive leadership style and ambitions for continuous growth. She continues to be part of industry committees, including the International Fresh Produce Association, and will be a panel speaker at this year's Women's Fresh Perspective Conference. For self-development, she has participated in the Landmark Forum, Women's Lean In Circle and the Connect to Potential class.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Bridget Grabowski

  VP, General Manager, C&S Wholesale Grocers

  Bridget Grabowski's journey with C&S began in 2000, as an expeditor scheduling trucks into freezer locations. From the beginning, she was driven by a desire to learn and grow. She seized the opportunity to become an associate bakery buyer, and the first half of her career was spent on the perishables side of the business in various leadership roles in procurement and merchandising. In 2016, she stepped outside her comfort zone and transitioned to a general manager role at Davidson Specialty Foods, a subsidiary of C&S. That transition, while initially uncomfortable, proved to be an invaluable learning experience. It broadened her perspective and honed her ability to adapt and lead in diverse business environments. These skills have been vital in her current role at Grocers Supply, where she works across departments to support independent retailers in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Bridget says she has been fortunate to have had mentors who help guide and challenge her. She now finds fulfillment in paying that forward through C&S's mentorship programs, rewarding commitments that bring her joy. Bridget's family, especially her husband, has been her unwavering source of strength, enabling her to pursue her career with passion. She is a proud mother of five and grandmother of three. Her advice to anyone in the industry: Embrace mistakes. They are not failures, but opportunities for growth. It's how we rise from them that defines us. Love what you do, be true, empower teams to learn.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Brooke Ryan

  Director of Continuous Improvement, Dairy Farmers of America

  Brooke Ryan has a powerful combination of humility and strength. She has a relatively quiet demeanor with great depth in vision and foresight. Brooke's ability to see beyond what others see helps her establish trust and challenge her team to be creative and innovative with great results. She also has a unique gift for reading the room and then just finding a way to get things done.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Calli Brannan

  VP, Customer Success, Flashfood

  Calli Brannan supports Flashfood's retail partners of more than 2,300 stores and 1.5 million shoppers in North America. As one of the company's earliest U.S. hires, Calli led the growth and momentum with its first and largest U.S.-based customer in the Midwest region, Meijer. She manages six regional managers and three customer success agents.
  Last year, Calli and her team launched Flashfood for Independents to meet the needs of independently-owned grocery stores, which account for 33 percent of all grocery sales in the U.S. This platform offered a lifeline to drive additional revenue and build loyalty with shoppers while enabling Flashfood to expand geographically to urban centers and rural communities – areas that need it the most. Within six months, nearly 100 independent grocers joined.
  Calli also led a partnership with Decagon AI to implement a fully artificial intelligence-driven customer support system. Today, Decagon handles 100 percent of Flashfood's customer support tickets, resolving more than 90 percent of inquiries without the need for human intervention.
  Calli's passion for creating a better future was developed early in her career, as the founder of One More Meal, a nonprofit repurposing leftover food from high school cafeterias and as VP of the board at Make Food Not Waste, an organization working to solve food waste through policy, hunger action and community collaboration.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Carol Radice

  Senior Content Creator, Shelby Publishing Co., Inc.

  Carol joined Shelby a little over a year ago, bringing with her more than two decades of experience in newspaper and magazine writing and editing.

  While her background includes years in the grocery industry, Carol says she is most inspired by the compelling retail stories she encounters and the valuable connections she has made.

  Outside of her professional life, Carol lives an active lifestyle that includes hiking, skiing, kayaking and bicycling. Residing in Horse Shoe, North Carolina, with her husband, Greg, and their three dogs, she is involved in her community through volunteer work.

  Read More
• 

  2025 Women of Influence

  Caroline Catoe

  President, ECRS

  Since being named president in 2022, Caroline Catoe's leadership and influence has steadily grown within the company and industry organizations, as well as among customers. While Caroline has achieved great things professionally, one of her greatest acheivements came when faced with an unprecedented event. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene greatly impacted the area ECRS and many of its employees and customers call home. Caroline immediately stepped into action, communicating promptly and efficiently to employees regarding office closures, business operations and outreach. Immediately following the event, she became a central hub for response efforts. She monitored social media outlets, actively seeking opportunities to assist, worked with area organizations to coordinate needed volunteer efforts, took calls/requests from people in need throughout the community and helped organize employee volunteer efforts, sending help and supplies to areas most in need of assistance. In addition to monetary donations, ECRS donated more than 1,500 hours in additional PTO time to its employees to allow them to help with emergency response efforts from Sept. 27-Oct. 7. She did all of this while keeping the business moving, dealing with physical damage to ECRS offices, her own personal home and helping employees who were navigating the aftermath. It was a frightening, unsure time, and her leadership helped guide the company and community through unchartered territory.

  Read More

Stay updated on future WOI events!