Merchants in Illinois are facing a problem 15 years in the making. In 2008, the Illinois legislature unanimously passed the Biometric Information Privacy Act, which ensures that private companies are prohibited from collecting biometric data unless given express permission, according to Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. The law requires […]
Category: Midwest
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Midwest
SpartanNash Reveals 2023 Our Family Scholarship Recipients
SpartanNash has announced the 25 recipients of its Our Family 2023 Scholarship Program, supporting students making a positive difference in their communities. Introduced in April, the program invited students who live in the same states served by SpartanNash-distributed grocery stores to apply for a $2,000 scholarship. The awards may be used toward higher education, including […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Midwest
Save A Lot Names Interim CEO Boehler To Permanent Role
St. Louis-based independently-owned and -operated discount grocery store chain Save A Lot announced that Fred Boehler, who had been serving as its interim CEO since Oct. 31, will move into the role on a permanent basis. A seasoned supply chain executive with more than 30 years of experience across multiple retail and wholesale format businesses, […]
Posted inFood Industry Hall of Fame, Coborn's, Midwest, Wholesaler/Distributor News
Upper Midwest AWG Division Providing Opportunities For Growth
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, 330,000-square-foot fresh/frozen facility. Emile Breaux, SVP, chief sales and support officer for AWG, said the expansion into the new geography just made sense. “We knew that there were a number […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Midwest
Lakeside Foods Taps Neff As SVP Of Sales
Manitowoc, Wisconsin-based Lakeside Foods has appointed Laurie Neff as SVP of sales. Neff brings 25 years of progressive sales leadership experience in the food industry, spanning private label and branded lines, channel and category development and joint venture management. “We’re excited to have Laurie on board to lead our sales function,” said Kevin Lien, chief […]
Posted inFood Industry Hall of Fame, Midwest
Strong Executive Team Ready To Lead AWG To Future Success
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 future. Dan Funk, incoming president, has been working with Smith for several months preparing for the transition. Even before being named as Smith’s successor, the […]
Posted inFood Industry Hall of Fame, Midwest
AWG, Circana Partnership Launches Portal For Integrated Collaboration
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 members and their vendor partners using Circana’s Liquid Data technology. The gateway is part of AWG’s Convergence initiative. Convergence is AWG’s long-term strategy to operate as a $23 billion cooperative […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Midwest
Pure Prairie Poultry Launches New Retail Brand
Pure Prairie Poultry has purchased a chicken processing facility in Charles City, Iowa, that showcases its air-chilled technology. Offered at more than 50 locations across Coborn’s, Cashwise and Marketplace stores in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, the company has big plans to grow throughout the Midwest and beyond. “Our premium quality offerings start with a smaller chicken, which […]