Having weathered challenging work environments in his career, Ray Sprinkle, CEO and president of URM Stores Inc., was determined to create a different kind of workplace when he joined the Spokane, Washington-based company – one characterized by...
Food Industry Hall of Fame
The Food Industry Hall of Fame was established to recognize men and women across the U.S. food industry who have provided leadership and fostered innovation over their careers.
These executives also have earned the respect of their industry peers for their dedication and the example they set, not only for those in their own companies but people across the industry’s many facets. Their families and communities also typically are beneficiaries of these executives’ time and attention, making them even more worthy of Food Industry Hall of Fame induction.
In these stories, the honorees’ work history and affiliations are chronicled along with their achievements and contributions to the industry.
Inductees prior to 2013 can be found here.
When he was 14, Ray Sprinkle was hired to sort soda bottles in the back of the grocery store his father ran in Kansas. Sprinkle didn’t know it at the time, but he would...
There are words that come up frequently when people talk about Richard Wardwell, president and CEO of Superior Grocers. Driven. Intense. Hands-on. Aware. Friendly. Funny...
AWG’s Upper Midwest division opened in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 2022. It is comprised of two facilities – a 300,000-square-foot dry facility and a state-of-the-art...
When AWG President and CEO David Smith retires at the end of the year, his successor will step into the leadership role well prepared to steer the company into the...
Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. and Circana (formerly IRI) teamed up in January 2022 to launch AWG Partner Gateway, a portal to enable integrated collaboration between...
Technology is the top strategic investment for AWG, according to its annual report. Part of that technology investment has been in the co-op’s Convergence initiative...
AWG’s all-in-one distribution hub in Hernando, Mississippi, has been a huge investment and massive undertaking for the company. The AIO facility is providing immediate...