The NGA Foundation, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the National Grocers Association, has launched a new strategic plan focused on cultivating talent, strengthening operations and preserving independent ownership. As one of its first initiatives, the foundation is recruiting independent grocers to serve on two task forces focused on frontline worker training and succession planning.
The plan was shaped by input from NGA President and CEO Greg Ferrara, NGA’s board of directors, the Foundation Board of Regents and independent grocers throughout the country. It centers on four commitments:
- Cultivate talent: Build pathways into the industry, strengthen the leadership pipeline, expand frontline worker training and continue investing in female leadership through Women Grocers of America.
- Operational excellence: Provide expert guidance through the Grocer Solutions Center on federal food access programs, including SNAP Online and GusNIP, and support efforts to raise funds and expand food access through America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative.
- Preserve independence: Develop a succession planning framework for grocers preparing to pass a business to family members or employees, sell the business or pursue another path.
- Amplify impact: Reach more grocers, make foundation resources easier to find and ensure its work addresses the industry’s most consequential needs.
Task forces seek operators with hands-on experience
The foundation is seeking operators who have built effective training programs, as well as those who have navigated, or are currently navigating, an ownership transition.
“There is so much wisdom in the grocery industry. We are looking for the retailers who have lived this and found their solutions, or are currently looking for solutions,” said Chelsea Matzen, VP of the NGA Foundation. “We’d love to include those who have trained a team that stayed, or sat at the kitchen table to work out what happens to the business when they retire.”
Workforce development remains a persistent challenge for independent grocers, who compete for talent against national chains with deeper budgets and more formalized training infrastructure. Succession poses a different risk: many operators approach retirement without a documented plan, a gap that can determine whether a store remains independent, is sold to a chain or closes.
“Succession is the conversation nobody wants to start, and it is the one that decides whether an independent store is still independent in ten years,” Matzen said. “We want grocers to have a framework in hand, so they are not building one from scratch, alone and at a hard, urgent moment.”
According to NGA, the independent grocery sector represents nearly 39 percent of the total U.S. food retail market, up from 33 percent in 2021, and supports nearly 1.5 million American jobs.
Each task force will include approximately 10 to 15 members and meet virtually over the next six months. Grocers interested in serving can contact Matzen at [email protected]. The deadline to express interest is Sept. 18.