NGA Awards Trig Solberg for Excellence
The National Grocers Association (NGA) has presented the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award to indpendent grocer Trygve “Trig” Solberg, of T.A. Solberg Co. Inc. The award ceremony took place during The NGA Show, in San Diego. The show runs Feb. 24-27.
Solberg began his food retail career back in 1971, with his wife Tula, in Land O’ Lakes, Wis., with a small single store. They’ve since expanded the company to encompass eight supermarkets, six Shell gas stations, an Ace Hardware store, two restaurants, three Postal Express locations, three fitness centers, a smoked-meat production facility/ice plant, a central bake operation, a trucking department, a consignment store, and a salon. The company employs more than 1,200 associates.
“NGA is honored to present this award to such a strong leader in the independent supermarket industry,” noted Peter Larkin, president and CEO of Arlington, Va.-based NGA. “Trig is admired by co-workers and industry peers for his dedication and commitment to his stores, community, and his colleagues and peers in the industry.”
In 2016, Solberg reorganized his company to provide a more comprehensive experience to customers. This involved the establishment of a senior leadership team to focus on such areas as culinary development, meat operations, produce operations, deli operations, pricing and analytics, grocery/dairy/frozen operations, smokehouse operations, human resources functions, marketing strategies. This focus has resulted in successful programs centering on fresh-cut produce, financial support for needy associates in need, and training future company leaders.
Solberg serves as chairman of the advisory board for the NGA Grocers Political Action Committee (PAC), the only PAC representing the independent supermarket sector, which enables the organization’s members and employees to take part in the political process in a meaningful way. He has long been a steadfast advocate for independent grocers.
Since 2009, the Thomas K. Zaucha Award, sponsored by Deerfield, Ill.-based Mondelēz International and named after NGA’s first president and CEO, has annually recognized an independent grocer that displays persistence, vision, and creative entrepreneurship.
