C&S Wholesale Grocers CEO Joins RILA Board
Bob Palmer, CEO of Keene, New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers was among the five members added by the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to its board of directors, following elections during the organization’s semi-annual meeting held virtually on Jan. 19. The other new board members were Michelle Gass, CEO of Kohl’s Corp.; Shelley Bransten, corporate VP, global consumer goods and retail industries at Microsoft Corp.; Mark LaVigne, CEO of Energizer Holdings Inc.; and Karyn Schoenbart, CEO of The NPD Group.
“The retail industry is incredibly dynamic, innovative and rich in talent, and so too is the RILA board of directors,” said Brian Dodge, president of Washington, D.C.-based RILA. “We are pleased to welcome these industry leaders to the RILA board of directors. They join a group of CEOs that is instrumental to our ability to serve the most pressing needs of leading retailers. Thanks to the board’s guidance and support, RILA’s community grew in size and depth last year, cementing RILA as an essential partner to America’s leading retailers.”
“As leading retailers’ premier advocate and a critical partner to the industry at large, RILA’s value was never greater than in 2020, as leaders leaned on peers to help navigate the many complex challenges of the year,” said Mary Dillon, CEO of Bolingbrook, Illinois-based Ulta Beauty and RILA chair. “The expertise the new directors bring to the board will only further strengthen RILA’s ability to exceptionally serve its members as the industry pushes forward in this new normal.”
Besides Dillon, the rest of the board consists of Todd Vasos, CEO of Dollar General Corp. (vice chairman); Richard Johnson, chairman, president and CEO of Foot Locker Inc. (treasurer); Alexander Gourlay, co-CEO of Walgreens Boot Alliance and president of Walgreen Co. (secretary); Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO of Target Corp. (immediate past chairman); Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy Co. Inc.; Chip Bergh, president and CEO of Levi Strauss & Co.; Dagmar Boggs, chief retail sales and bottler operations officer of The Coca-Cola Co.; Mark Breitbard, president and CEO of Global Gap Brand, Gap Inc.; Martin Butler, VP, consumer industry leader, USA at IBM Corp.; Marvin Ellison, president and CEO of Lowe’s Cos. Inc.; Joe Jensen, VP and general manager, retail solutions division at Intel Corp.; Richard Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer Inc.; Craig Menear, chairman, CEO and president of The Home Depot Inc.; Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO of VF Corp.; William Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone Inc.; Jill Standish, senior managing director, global retail consulting practice at Accenture; and J.K. Symancyk, president and CEO of PetSmart Inc.
RILA’s members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers and service suppliers, which collectively account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs, and 100,000-plus stores, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
C&S services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,700 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with 137,000-plus products. The company is No. 14 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top retailers of food and consumables in North America, while Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General is No. 16 and Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer is is No. 19.
