Suzy Monford Exits PCC Community Markets
Suzy Monford has left her position as president and CEO of PCC Community Markets, effective, Saturday, Aug. 7. Taking over on an interim basis is Brad Brown, a retired REI executive and former PCC board member who was previously PCC’s interim CEO in 2020. PCC has already begun searching for a new CEO.
“I have made the difficult decision to leave PCC to pursue other career opportunities,” said Monford. “Being part of PCC has been a very rewarding experience, and I am fortunate to have been part of the co-op community.”
Monford joined PCC in December 2020 after three years with The Kroger Co., most recently as group VP of e-commerce. Before that, she was president of Kroger’s Quality Food Centers from 2017 to 2019, operating the division of 65 stores in Washington and Oregon. Prior to Kroger, Monford was CEO of Andronico’s Community Markets (later acquired by Albertsons banner Safeway) in the San Francisco Bay Area and amassed international experience in leadership roles with Australia’s Woolworths and Coles Supermarkets. She began her supermarket career with a decade of leadership roles at San Antonio-based H-E-B, the largest privately held retailer in the United States, with approximately 400 stores in Texas and Mexico.
“On behalf of the board, I want to thank Suzy for helping lead the co-op and also want to express our confidence in Brad and the PCC leadership team to continue PCC’s work supporting our staff, members, customers and communities we serve while we search for a new CEO,” noted Paul Davis, chair of the PCC board of trustees. “We are passionate about delivering on PCC’s mission, vision and values, and our 2021 priorities, including the relocation of our beloved Kirkland PCC store, have not changed.”
Seattle-based PCC, a certified-organic retailer and the nation’s largest community-owned food market, offers fresh, organic, seasonal food that’s sustainably sourced from more than 800 local producers, farmers, ranchers and fishers. With an active membership of 90,000-plus households, the cooperative operates 15 stores in the Puget Sound area in the cities of Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond and Seattle. The co-op also plans to open new stores in downtown Seattle and Madison Valley, and, as mentioned above, relocate its Kirkland location.
Cincinnati-based Kroger employs nearly half a million associates who serve 11 million-plus customers daily through a digital shopping experience and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The company is No. 3 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, operating 2,277 retail stores with 1,725 pharmacies, 400 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities, is No. 8 on PG's list, while San Antonio-based H-E-B is No. 13.
