Danny Wegman, CEO of Wegmans, has been named the “Pete Manos Retail Executive of the Year,” the publishers of Food World and Food Trade News announced this month. Wegman’s selection was the result of tabulating votes from Best-Met Publishing’s web site, www.best-met.com, e-mail correspondence and phone calls from our readers.
The award was first presented to Pete Manos in 1999 and was subsequently named after him. Manos, the former chairman and CEO of Giant Food Inc., received the award upon his retirement from the Landover, MD chain where he spent 39 years. The award is now given to a food industry executive annually, in recognition of distinguished industry service, leadership and community involvement.
Wegman’s selection was based on his contributions to the industry and his leadership at his family’s company. The Rochester, NY based chain operates 76 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia. The company, founded in 1916, first entered the Food World and Food Trade News market in 1999 when it opened a store West Windsor, NJ. Since then, Wegmans has increased its focus on the Mid-Atlantic, and currently operates 26 stores here. Additionally, the company has plans for seven Mid-Atlantic stores on the books. The most recent addition to its Mid-Atlantic portfolio debuted October 23 in Lanham, MD, which is located in Prince George’s County.
“I have watched the Wegmans company grow from a New York retailer to one that is expanding throughout the Northeast,” commented Pete Manos. “It is a pleasure to watch this family owned company grow and prosper. Danny Wegman follows his father Robert’s legacy as a quality operator. I am sure his daughters, when the time comes, will carry on the tradition.”
Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by Fortune magazine for 13 consecutive years. In 2010, Wegmans ranked third on the list.
The company has a strong commitment to support education, as evidenced by its scholarship programs, now in its 27th year, which awards college tuition assistance to Wegmans employees. Most recently, scholarships will go to 1,506 Wegmans employees totaling $5.5 million for the upcoming 2010/2011 academic year.
Since the program began in 1984, more than 24,000 Wegmans employees have been awarded scholarships totaling $77 million. This year’s group marks the largest number of scholarship recipients to date.
Another focus of the company’s community service programs is hunger. Recently, Wegmans customers at stores in New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Eastern Pennsylvania responded to the current tough economic times by setting a new record in their giving during the fall 2009 checkout scanning campaign. Hunger relief contributions at these 19 Wegmans stores reached $618,733, a 15 percent increase above the total of $539,648, raised one year ago. The Checkout Hunger and Care About Hunger programs allow customers to donate $1, $2 $3, $5 or any amount at checkout with 100 percent of the proceeds going to each store’s local food bank.
The award was presented to Wegman by Manos at last month’s grand opening of the Wegmans store. The official presentation will take place November 4 at the Maryland Retail Association’s annual Maryland Food Industry Hall of Fame breakfast.
In addition to his role as CEO, Wegman serves as director of the University of Rochester. He is director of the United Way and Rochester Business-Education Alliance. In addition to becoming a University trustee, Wegman is the member of visiting committee of the university’s Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
Wegman graduated with honors from Harvard.