Former BJ’s Wholesale Club executive Kelly Kauffman will join Associated Wholesale Grocers as chief financial officer effective July 20. Kauffman steps into the role with the retirement of Gary Koch, who will conclude a 30-year career with AWG at the end of this year, the Kansas City, Kansas-based grocery wholesaler announced July 15.
Two decades of financial leadership
Kauffman has more than two decades of financial leadership experience in retail, financial services and consumer goods, with particular strength in financial planning and analysis (FP&A), corporate transformation and operational finance.
He most recently served as SVP of financial planning and analysis for BJ’s, leading corporate FP&A teams across multiple financial disciplines and modernized the company’s forecasting and reporting through new planning systems. That work that streamlined planning activities and enabled faster, more informed decision-making organization-wide, AWG said.
Prior to BJ’s, Kauffman was VP of finance at Whole Foods Market. There he led global FP&A functions and managed the company’s annual and long-term financial planning. He also spearheaded major continuous improvement and operational excellence initiatives and played a key role in developing the financial modeling that supported Whole Foods’ sale to Amazon, according to the news release. He also provided executive oversight for large-scale financial system transformations, including Workday, Anaplan and Adaptive Insights, while building strong cross-functional finance and operations teams, it added.
Earlier in his career, Kauffman held corporate finance and audit roles at EZcorp, Pamida, Cabela’s, Nestlé USA and Grant Thornton LLP. He holds a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
“Kelly is a proven finance leader with a strong track record of driving performance, improving processes, and building high-performing teams,” said Dan Funk, president and CEO of AWG. “His experience in retail, coupled with his ability to lead transformation and strengthen financial operations, makes him an excellent fit for AWG as we continue to grow and support our members. We’re excited to welcome him to the team.”
Koch leaves strong legacy
Funk also acknowledged the outgoing CFO’s legacy: “We are also incredibly grateful for Gary Koch’s outstanding leadership and contributions to AWG over the past 30 years. His impact on our organization has been significant, and we look forward to celebrating his career as he prepares for retirement.”
AWG is the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and 3,500 locations in 33 states from nine wholesale division support centers. The company reported consolidated sales of $12.2 billion in 2025. Beyond its cooperative wholesale operations, AWG operates subsidiary companies offering real estate and supermarket development services, as well as pharmaceutical products.