At the Western Association of Food Chains Mid-Winter meeting, the WAFC board of directors unanimously elected four new directors.
Steve Frisby – President, Northwest Division – Safeway Inc. Steve began his career with Safeway in 1972 as a food clerk in the former Safeway Little Rock Division. Throughout his career he has held leadership positions in several divisions and at Safeway corporate headquarters. When the Portland and Seattle Divisions consolidated in September 2012, Steve was named President of the new Northwest Division of Safeway. His responsibility spans five states, currently operating 311 stores with 33,000 employees in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
Lori Raya – President – Vons As President of the Vons Division of Safeway, she has responsibility for 278 Vons and Pavilions stores and more than 25,000 employees in Southern California and Southern Nevada. Raya is the first woman President in the 106 year history of Vons and only the second woman to lead a Safeway division in North America. Beginning with the grocery giant in 1987 as a courtesy clerk in Denver, she has served as a District Manager, VP of Retail Operations and Senior Vice President of Main Meals, Beverages/Snacks at corporate before being named to her current role in January 2012.
Greg Sandeno – President, CEO – C&K Market, Inc. With over 30 years of retail experience, Greg joined the C&K market team in 2005 as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He was named President and Chief Executive Officer in May of 2012, just the third to hold this position in the company and currently oversees all company operations, initiatives and strategies for C&K. C &K operates 65 supermarkets in Oregon & Northern California under the banners of Ray’s Food Place; Shopsmart; C&K; and Lo-Bucks; plus 10 stand alone pharmacies’.
Mimi Song – President, CEO – Superior Grocers A native of Korea, Mimi immigrated to the United States in 1977 and founded Superior Grocers in 1981, with one store. Today she leads one of the largest independently owned chains in Southern California with 39 stores and over 4,500 employees. Superior Grocers is a strong supporter of education in the local communities. For the past 15 years, its nonprofit arm, the Superior Foundation, has raised over $2 million for local elementary, high schools, and youth programs, and scholarships have been given to over 280 schools and non-profit organizations in Southern California.
“We are excited to welcome these tremendous industry executives to the WAFC leadership. All are committed to offering their workforce the advanced education opportunities that we champion,” said Oscar Gonzalez, WAFC President and Chairman.
Source: Western Association of Food Chains