Heritage Grocers Group Names Chief Transformation Officer
Heritage Grocers Group (HGG), the largest Hispanic and ethnic food retailer in the country, has appointed Frank Ingraffia to the role of chief transformation officer (CTO). Ingraffia, who is CEO of the Chicago-based Tony’s Fresh Market chain, will assume the CTO role in addition to his current duties, dividing his time among the company’s offices in Chicago; Ontario, Calif.; and Dallas. He will report directly to HGG Chairman and CEO Suzy Monford.
In his new position, Ingraffia will lead Heritage's transformation office, which was created this past December as the company introduced innovation initiatives encompassing e-commerce, retail media, price and promotion optimization, and inventory/supply chain improvement.
“Frank is a focused and results-driven leader who will bring strategic management to this key role,” noted Monford. “His leadership will be instrumental in achieving both short- and long-term goals, and I am confident that he will bring the speed, agility and strategic vision to further Heritage’s competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
[RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: How Tony’s Fresh Market Is Guided by Culture]
Frank, the son of original Tony’s Fresh Market co-founder Tony Ingraffia, grew up in the grocery business, learning every aspect of it from the ground up. He began his extensive food industry career as a bagger in 2003, eventually working in every department at the store level. He then took on various corporate roles within Tony’s, among them category manager, real estate director, legal counsel and VP of corporate operations. Ultimately, he rose to the position of CEO for Tony’s Fresh Markets when its founders transitioned from active management.
Ingraffia earned both a business degree and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola University Chicago. He also sits on the board of directors for Tony’s Charitable Foundation.
HGG has been making lots of executive moves since Monford took the helm this past November, including the promotion of two recently hired leaders, Kim Cates and Allison Garcia, to the roles of VP of merchandising and VP of Marketing, respectively.
Based in Ontario, Calif., HGG operates in six states – California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas and Illinois – with a total of 58 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 29 stores under the El Rancho Supermercado banner, 21 stores under the Tony’s Fresh Market banner and seven stores under the Los Altos Ranch Market banner.
