The Utah Food Industry Association hosted its Annual Conference and Celebration Aug. 13 at the Davis County Conference Center, where it inducted Scott Hymas, recently retired president and CEO of Terrel’s, into its Hall of Fame.
Hymas has spent more than five decades in the grocery industry. He began as a bagger at Harmons and rose through the ranks before joining Associated Food Stores, where he later served as president of Dan’s Foods. Following his retirement from Dan’s, he continued his industry career as a senior officer of Terrel’s. His service includes 17 years on the Associated Food Stores board of directors, and he remains known for his commitment to strengthening independent retailers and the communities they serve.
Impact Awards recognize legislators, state agency
The association presented its Impact Award to Utah Reps. Karen Peterson and Jeff Burton, along with the Utah Department of Workforce Services, for their support of and partnership with the industry.
Peterson represents House District 13, covering Clearfield, Clinton, Sunset and West Point. She previously served on the Clinton City Council, as legislative policy director for Gov. Spencer Cox and as education advisor for Gov. Gary Herbert. She now works as assistant to the president at Southern Utah University.
Burton served 37 years in the U.S. Army and National Guard, retiring in 2019 as adjutant general of the Utah National Guard. He later joined the governor’s cabinet, where he specialized in crisis management, and is a retired VP at Zions Bank.
The Department of Workforce Services’ SNAP team was recognized for administering the program, which provides monthly food-purchasing assistance to low-income households. Utah SNAP serves 90,000 households and approximately 179,000 individuals each month, supported by a network of 1,600 approved retailers across the state.
Wood wins third straight bagging title
The association also hosted the state’s Best Bagger competition, with 22 competitors vying for the title. MaKenzie Wood of Macey’s Holladay store won her third consecutive state championship. Leslie Valbuena of Macey’s Pinebrook and Taylor Medina of Macey’s Orem were runners-up.
Wood advances to the national Best Bagger competition, set for the NGA Show in February in Las Vegas, where competitors will vie for a $10,000 grand prize. She has competed nationally twice before, finishing as national runner-up last year.
Conference programming included retail food industry consultant Michael Sansolo, who presented “The ABCs of AI,” examining how artificial intelligence may impact stores, supply chains and the shopping experience. Robert Spendlove, senior economist at Zions Bank, delivered a 2026 economic overview covering the labor market, inflation, interest rates, tariffs and federal policy changes.