FMI Honors Best Food Retail Store Managers

8/17/2020

Gary Cottingham, of The Giant Co.'s Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, store, was among the FMI nominees.

FMI – The Food Industry Association has released its 21st annual Store Manager Awards winners, recognizing what the organization called “the remarkable leadership and career achievements of four outstanding store managers.”

The managers were praised for how their entrepreneurial leadership advanced new initiatives supporting omnichannel shopping experiences, fostering the next generation of food retail and serving their communities at the highest levels.

“Grocery workers have continued to feed and protect citizens throughout the pandemic, earning the respect and recognition of their communities as true heroes in the public battle to mitigate COVID-19’s dangers and anxieties,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of Arlington, Virginia-based FMI. “Not only has their leadership enabled the industry to rise to this emergency’s operational challenges, but grocery workers have amplified their community support efforts, providing neighborly help to the vulnerable shoppers in their communities through food bank donations, food drives, new in-store shopping measures and a host of other activities.”

The winners by category are:

Category A: Jim Grochowalski, Martin’s Super Markets, Stevensville, Michigan
Category B: Gary Cottingham, The Giant Co., Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Category C: Jen Book, Hy-Vee, Altoona, Iowa
Category D: Captain Raymond Mutangwa, Spar Thohoyandou, Superfecta Training, Mutsindo, South Africa
People’s Pick: Gary Cottingham, The Giant Co., Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 265 retail stores across eight Midwestern states. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 33 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Based in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the Giant Co. is an omnichannel retailer serving millions of customers across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It has more than 33,000 associates supporting nearly 190 stores, 132 pharmacies, 105 fuel stations, and 125-plus online pickup hubs and grocery delivery service across hundreds of ZIP codes. The Giant Co. is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, No. 11 on The PG 100.