Lisa Bednar was promoted to president of the Arizona Food Marketing Alliance last year, taking the helm April 1. She is the first female president in the 80-plus-year history of AFMA.
Bednar was promoted from her role as AFMA senior director of community and education, which she had held since February 2022 and was responsible for the expansion of the Education Foundation’s scholarship awards. Bednar succeeded the retiring Mark Miller, who had been AFMA president since February 2019.
“I have worked side by side with Lisa for many years, and I am confident she is the right choice to lead AFMA into the future,” Miller said.
“I am thrilled to continue serving AFMA in my new role as president,” Bednar said last year.
Prior to joining AFMA, Bednar worked in brand and account management roles at Hensley Beverage Co. for more than 20 years.
Nine-plus months into her tenure as AFMA president, Bednar spoke to The Shelby Report of the West for our annual Arizona market profile.
How is your state’s economy faring? What are the current population and employment trends?
Arizona’s economy is showing signs of steady growth but at a more moderate pace compared with previous years.
Our population is projected to reach approximately 7.5 million this year. We anticipate this number will continue to grow year over year. New companies moving to Arizona and expansion of current businesses, especially in the tech and business sectors, is expected to create numerous job opportunities and contribute to Arizona’s economic development in 2025.
The unemployment rate in Arizona remains low at 3.7 percent, lower than the national average.
Home prices have continued to increase, and there is a tight supply of homes for sale. We still have a housing deficit in the state, especially in the low- and mid-tier housing markets.
How would you characterize the overall health of the Arizona grocery industry? What about the health of independent grocers in the state?
From all accounts, our grocery industry is in a good position for 2025. Stores are focused on making sure their customers have what they need on shelf and are taking steps to improve operational efficiencies and customer experience both in-store and online.
What issues are grocers most concerned about?
Attracting and retaining qualified workers remains a major concern for our grocery partners.
Supply chain disruptions, particularly on key grocery staples, and higher costs for transportation and labor have caused persistent price increases. However, we are seeing that Arizona is staying below the national average on food-at-home (grocery) price increases.
Organized retail crime is at the forefront of our retailers’ minds. Theft of merchandise, gift card fraud and dangers presented by ORC to customers and staff represent real challenges to all Arizona businesses.
Grocery stores, independent stores and convenience stores are working with state and county officials to continually improve our protections, stricter enforcement of current laws and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.
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What are the primary grocery-related legislative concerns? Bills the association supports and/or opposes?
Organized retail crime bills are extremely important to our grocery retailers. We are also tracking bills regarding credit card swipe fees and a state vapor directory in the upcoming session.
Are you seeing growth in grocery store numbers in your state? Are there areas of the state that are seeing more growth than others?
Arizona has a highly competitive grocery market with more than 1,000 store locations statewide. Many of our retail partners opened new locations in 2024 and are planning additional new store locations in 2025. Growth in new store locations is primarily happening where new housing communities are being developed.
Anything else we need to know as we’re updating our readers on the market or your association?
AFMA is proud to be in our 82nd year of serving Arizona and our retailer and supplier partners.
We provide critical representation for retail food and beverage businesses by advocating to government officials on important industry issues and legislative considerations and work closely with state agencies to provide timely updates to our members.
We are continually advancing our opportunities through our education foundation, which supports education and training for our member company employees.