The National Grocers Association presented its Industry Service Award to Kim Eskew, chairman and CEO of Harps Food Stores, during the association’s Executive Conference in Chicago.
The award recognizes a person or company whose years of service to the food industry have helped foster better working relationships and greater understanding among retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.
The honor comes as Eskew prepares to retire Jan. 15, 2027, capping a career of nearly five decades with the Springdale, Arkansas-based grocer. As previously reported, President J. Max Van Hoose, a grandson of Harps founders Harvard and Floy Harp, will succeed him as chairman and CEO.
Eskew began his career at Harps in 1977 as a part-time checker while attending college, advancing through a variety of roles before becoming chairman and CEO in 2018. Under his leadership, the release notes, Harps has continued to grow while maintaining its commitment to employees, customers and the communities it serves.
Founded in 1930 in Springdale, Harps operates 177 stores in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Tennessee, having roughly doubled its store count over the past decade through new stores and acquisitions, including this year’s 18-store Dyer Foods deal. The company moved to 100 percent employee ownership in 2001, making it the largest employee-owned company in Arkansas, and employs more than 7,200 associates.
“Kim’s impact on the independent grocery industry extends far beyond his leadership at Harps Food Stores. Throughout his career, Kim has demonstrated a deep commitment to the people and partnerships that make our industry strong,” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO. “Often with his wife Karen by his side, his engagement with NGA and advocacy for independent grocers reflects his understanding that a thriving grocery industry depends on strong relationships among retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.”
The honor adds to Eskew’s record of NGA recognition. In 2024, he received the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award for his vision, persistence and creative leadership at Harps, and he and Karen Eskew have received NGA’s Thomas F. Wenning Pinnacle PAC Award for their contributions to government advocacy on behalf of independent grocers.
NGA represents the retail and wholesale community grocers of the independent sector, which generates more than $250 billion in sales and 1.1 million jobs.