Thomas K. Zaucha, the founding president and CEO of the National Grocers Association who led the organization for 28 years, died Nov. 12 at his home in Baltimore. He was 82.
NGA announced his death Nov. 14, calling him a visionary and one of the most influential champions of the independent grocery industry.
Zaucha took the top post at NGA when it was formed in 1982 and held it until his retirement in 2010. The association said his leadership brought retailers and wholesalers together around a shared mission and gave independent grocers a unified voice in Washington.
“He demanded excellence, challenged assumptions, fought for what was right even if unpopular and always put NGA’s members first,” said Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of NGA. “NGA would not be here today if it were not for Tom’s determination and grit.”
Front row: Tom Zaucha
From a neighborhood store to Washington
Zaucha was born April 11, 1944, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to Joseph M. and Nellie Kula Zaucha, according to his family obituary. Growing up, he worked in his grandmother’s neighborhood grocery store in Warren, Ohio. NGA said that experience shaped his commitment to the entrepreneurs and community ties behind independent grocery.
A national oratorical champion in his youth, he attended the University of Pittsburgh on a forensics scholarship and spent four years on its debate team. He went on to coach a national championship debate team at Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and later coached debate at George Washington University.
In 1971 he moved into trade association work in the food industry, where he spent the rest of his career. He started at the National Canners Association, overseeing government and industry relations. He became director of public affairs at the National Association of Food Chains in 1973, then director of government affairs at A&P.
In 1978 he moved to the wholesale side as president of the Cooperative Food Distributors of America.
Building NGA
Four years later, the cooperative group merged with the National Association of Retail Grocers of the United States to create NGA, with Zaucha as president and CEO. The new association represented independent retail grocers and the wholesalers that serve them.
NGA credited him with establishing the association as a respected advocate for fair competition and a level playing field. Ferrara, who joined NGA under Zaucha in 2005, said he never stopped pressing that case.
FMI honored Zaucha in 2009 with a lifetime achievement award recognizing more than 40 years in the food industry. Leslie Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, said at the time that NGA under his leadership had become a champion and protector of independent food retailers, and she credited him with strengthening cooperation between the two associations.
An award in his name
NGA annually presents the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, which recognizes an independent grocer for persistence, vision and creative entrepreneurship. The association describes it as one of the most prestigious honors given to independent grocers.
“Tom Zaucha didn’t simply help establish an association for independent retailers and their wholesalers. He helped give an industry its voice, its identity and the strength to stand together. His impact on the independent grocery industry will be felt for generations to come. ” NGA said in its statement.
Zaucha is survived by his wife of 59 years, Bernadette, and his daughter, Rachel. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Thomas K. Zaucha Obituary can be found here.