New Seasons Market Makes Leadership Changes
New Seasons Market, the world’s first B Corp grocery store, is changing its corporate structure. Co-president Forrest Hoffmaster has been named CEO, and co-president Kristi McFarland was named chief strategy officer, responsible for building a meaningful business strategy tied to the company’s mission.
The new structure is the natural next step in the company’s growth, building off last year’s investments in core stores, staff benefits, and relationships with local producers and community partners, the company noted. Those changes included the CEO at the time, Wendy Collie, stepping down from her post, which led to Hoffmaster and McFarland being named co-presidents.
“We’ve had a successful year coming together around our mission,” said Hoffmaster. “We have passionate and dedicated staff and an incredible purpose-driven leadership team committed to the long-term health of our organization, staying true to our founder-inspired values and being a leader in the industry. Our team is structured to bring these priorities to life.”
Hoffmaster joined the Portland, Ore.-based company as CFO in 2016. As co-president, he cultivated the company’s partnership with Conscious Capitalism, advocating for sustainable business practices, and oversaw business development, real estate, finance, technology and data.
“I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last year as a team with complementary strengths," said McFarland. "With diverse experience and perspectives around the table, we ensure that our customers, communities, staff, vendors and business sustainability efforts are embedded in every decision we make. This is just the beginning of a really exciting year, and we have an incredible team in place to champion our mission and create positive, sustainable outcomes in our local food system.”
McFarland joined New Seasons Market as chief people officer in 2014, building the company’s position as an employer of choice. While co-president, she oversaw the company’s people strategy, advanced progressive workplace practices, led community relations and strengthened brand engagement.
In addition to Hoffmaster and McFarland, the experienced executive leadership team includes COO Mark Law and CMO Mary Wright.
In other New Seasons news, the grocer today announced that it has begun offering a 15 percent discount to furloughed and unpaid federal workers to ensure they have access to fresh, quality food.
Portland, Ore.-based New Seasons Market operates 21 independent grocery stores in Washington, Oregon and California, as well as four New Leaf Community Market locations in Northern California.
