Jason Johnson of the Food City in Gray, Tennessee, has been named Store Manager of the Year by FMI – The Food Industry Association in Category B (50-199 stores).
“Jason is a model store manager,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and CEO. “He’s a great leader that our teammates can look up to and emulate, and he’s dedicated to serving his customers and local community.
“We would like to congratulate Jason on this tremendous honor, along with the other FMI award winners and finalists.”
FMI is the largest trade association of its kind, representing the interests of its membership and offering a broad range of professional services to food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers.
Its annual awards program recognizes supermarket store managers throughout the U.S. and abroad for their “exceptional service to customers, employees and the community, using innovative initiatives that contribute to company success.”
“It is truly an honor to receive such a prestigious award. This is a great professional achievement for me but also a testament to my team’s abilities and dedication, as well as the support of the company as a whole,” Johnson said.
Johnson joined the Food City team as a courtesy clerk at age 16. Throughout his 23-year career, he has worked his way through the ranks and assumed the Gray store manager role in fall 2023.
Under his leadership, the store has experienced significant sales growth while reducing expenses, shrink and turnover, as well as improving its customer service scores and achieving a mystery shopper mark of 98.64 percent. He has participated in numerous projects and test pilot programs to enhance customer service and associate engagement.
Johnson serves as a training store manager for the company’s assistant manager and store manager training programs and retail management intern program. He also serves as an instructor for the company’s “Performance Skills for Effective Store Management” training course.
Johnson has completed numerous training and certification programs, including the Designated Assistant and Salaried Assistant Manager Programs, Performance Skills for Effective Store Management, Dale Carnegie, FMI Associate Engagement Workshop, Certified Food Protection Manager Training, FMI Future Leaders Conference, FMI Retail Management Certificate Program and LEAD Bristol.
He has received a number of awards and accolades throughout his career, including Food City’s highest honor – the 2024 Jack C. Smith Store Manager of the Year Award, which recognizes the company’s top performing store manager.
Johnson also was inducted into The Tri-Cities Business Journal’s elite 40 Under 40 class of 2022, recognized by his peers within the business community as an emerging star and outstanding business leader on the rise.
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About Food City
Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 160 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia and Alabama.