By: Leslie G. Sarasin, President and CEO, Food Marketing Institute 

Excellence isn’t easily achieved and certainly doesn’t occur every day. Rather it is accomplished over time and spans across a person’s entire career. In the food retail industry we strive for excellence in many areas, but especially in customer service and business innovation. It is this desire for brilliance that makes our industry unique; and for those whose careers string together a collection of excellence, we pay tribute to your legacy and example.

Annually, FMI recognizes the community building efforts of industry leaders and highlights the oft-unheralded contributions supermarkets make to their communities. At FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference in January, we announced the recipients of the Sidney R. Rabb Statesmanship Award, Herbert Hoover Humanitarian Service Award and William H. Albers Business Collaboration Award. More about the outstanding food retail leaders who received these awards is available on FMI’s website. 

This year at FMI Connect, we’ll announce some of our other industry executive awards including the following:

Glen P. Woodard, Jr., Public Affairs Award For compelling advocacy of public policies on behalf of the industry in Washington, D.C., and state capitals. Mr. Woodard set the standard for excellence in government affairs advocacy on behalf of Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., and the Food Marketing Institute. 

Click here to view past recipients of this award

Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award For a lifetime of vision, integrity and caring sensitivity to the needs of retail food customers. Ms. Peterson served as special assistant for consumer affairs under U.S. Presidents Johnson and Carter and pioneered the role for the food industry as vice president for consumer affairs at Giant Food, Inc.

Click here to view past recipients of this award

Robert B. Wegman Award For Entrepreneurial Excellence Celebrates the food retailer or wholesaler responsible for creating exceptional retail innovations.  The award is presented to the food retailer - whether overseeing multiple stores or servicing as an independent operator –who exercise entrepreneurial leadership in the design of retail strategies and imaginative merchandising.  Click here to view past recipients of this award

The recipients of these industry awards will be announced on Wednesday, June 10 at 9:30 am CT in a special keynote session FMI Speaks: The Noble (and Ever-Evolving) Work of Feeding Families. I hope you will join me. Following the session, recipients of FMI’s Store Manager Awards will also be announced.