Soup To Nutz

Do you tweet? Do you have a facebook page? Are you “Linked In”? Do you have a smart phone? If you don’t have these things, get to it or you will most certainly be left in technological dust. So say the participants in the fifth annual Food Industry Summit hosted by St, Joseph’s University on March 10. Certainly this was the best summit to date. Congratulations to George Latella, SJU, and his team who put this event together. The topic of the summit, “Sales & Profit Growth Through Direct Marketing, Social Media and E-Commerce” was “relevant,” which was also the buzz word of the day. Honestly, I thought I was somewhat technologically savvy since I have two twenty-somethings, “net natives,” those who have grown up with both digital and net technology, living in my house, but after listening to Tim Hassett, Campbell Sales, Rick Brindle, Kraft Foods, and Carl Schlicker, Ahold USA, speak about what their companies are doing to engage the consumer in this fast paced world, my head is spinning. My advice to “ digital immigrants,” myself included, those of us who, according to Brindle, are over the age of 45 who have adopted technology; read, listen, and learn or become, as one self deprecating friend told me, an “illiterate, ignorant, immigrant.”

Wakefern Food Corp. has been named one of NJBIZ magazine’s 2011 Best Places to Work in New Jersey. This prestigious award, given annually to 70 companies based on their number of employees, recognizes and honors top places of employment in New Jersey that benefit the state’s economy, workforce and businesses. Companies from across the state entered the two-part process to determine the best places to work in New Jersey. The winners were determined by an evaluation of each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. An additional component of the evaluation included an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The award program, created in 2005 and produced by NJBIZ, will honor this year’s seventy Best Places to Work at an awards dinner and ceremony on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at the Hilton East Brunswick. “We are proud to stand beside these esteemed members of the New Jersey business community to accept this prestigious award,” said Dean Janeway, president and CEO of Wakefern. “Wakefern has a deep-rooted and personal investment in its associates and we are delighted to be recognized by them – and NJBIZ – as a ‘Best Place to Work.’ This is truly an honor.”

Speaking of Dean Janeway, he was honored on March 1 at the 18th annual Archbishop of Newark’s Business and Labor Recognition Reception. Marty Schwartz, business agent, Local 164 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), based in Paramus, NJ, was honored as well. Proceeds from the event went to the Catholic Youth Organization programs throughout the archdiocese of Newark, NJ.

“Both these fine gentlemen exemplify the best in leadership qualities and are well known for the generous amount of time they dedicate not only to their professions but to charitable work as well,” Archbishop John J. Myers said. “Mr. Janeway and Mr. Schwartz are both icons of character and success among their peers and exemplify the type of leaders who have been honored before them these many years.”

Not only is ShopRite one of the best places to work in New Jersey, they are working hard at being the easiest places to shop. ShopRite is now the only grocery retailer with a presence on three major mobile spaces – iPhone, Android and mobile website. The technology, powered by MyWebGrocer, will allow ShopRite customers to access online specials and create digital shopping lists right from their phones. The mobile application is built specifically for each platform, in order to provide the best user experience. Within the app, customers can easily look at digital circulars to see all the items on sale that week at their local store, and select items to add to their online grocery-shopping list. Grocery lists can be constructed from a desktop website as well, which syncs with the mobile apps and mobile website. Furthermore, consumers can click on product-sponsored advertisements at the bottom of the app and add these items to their list.

Cheryl Williams, vice president of marketing for Wakefern/ShopRite, spoke about ShopRite’s mobile strategy: “We want to provide our customers the opportunity to interact with our weekly savings circular wherever they are. By using mobile apps and a mobile web site, we’ve found a way to make Shoprite customers’ lives easier, and have the opportunity to engage them in a space where they spend a great deal of their day.” By bringing the online grocery experience to the three biggest mobile platforms, ShopRite is demonstrating that they know mobile isn’t an emerging media – it’s already here. Rebecca Roose, marketing manager of MyWebGrocer, notes that “Mobile is not a one-off, it’s a way of life. Shoppers are spending more time on their mobile devices and it’s important for ShopRite to be able to interact with their consumers through their preferred mobile platform. Mobile solutions are designed to make people’s lives easier, and by providing customized apps and a mobile website, ShopRite is doing just that.”

To that point, Foodtown has announced that they have launched a new digital coupon program that will offer their customers a convenient way to save even more with their Foodtown club card. Available on www.Foodtown.com, customers are able to review and choose the coupons based on what they would like to purchase. Once selected the value of each coupon is loaded on the customer’s Foodtown club card. When the customer purchases the selected items, the value is automatically taken off at the register. Since this process is done electronically, there are no coupons to cut or hand to a cashier. One less thing to remember as we rush to get all the errands done, good deal!

In partnership with the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), the Rutgers University Libraries Special Collections and University Archives has embarked on a new initiative to acquire and make publicly available the archives of people and institutions relating to the history of the supermarket industry in New Jersey. The collections would be a major resource to be used by scholars and other researchers, including undergraduate and graduate students, entrepreneurs and the general public. It is anticipated that regular seminars, exhibitions and other public programs will be held in conjunction with the collecting efforts. Spearheading this effort is Allen Bildner, founder of Kings Supermarkets, who has amassed and arranged for processing and cataloging of the Kings Supermarket Archives which documents the entire history of the business from its founding days. The first collection of this initiative will also include the archives of the NJFC since its’ founding in 1969 and the papers of the late Alex Aidekman and Milt Perlmutter documenting their long careers in the industry. While the focus is on supermarkets, archives from any food business that was founded in New Jersey and served the supermarkets would be welcomed as well.

NJFC President Linda Doherty said, “The New Jersey Food Council is comprised of a membership rich in family food entrepreneurs and businesses. Through the leadership of NJFC founder Allen Bildner, we encourage industry companies to gift family business memorabilia, photos, advertising materials, circulars, business files and other documents to preserve NJ supermarket and grocery history for future generations, researchers and scholars.”

This enormous but important undertaking is being headed by Ronald Becker, head, Special Collections and University Archives of Rutgers University Libraries. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Greater Philadelphia Network of Executive Women has announced its spring/summer networking luncheon, to be held this year June 8 at the Erivan K. Haub Business School at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Lynette Lewis, author of Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos will be the keynote speaker. In addition, Lewis will host a bonus workshop on “Building Personal Brand and Eminence.” She will also be available for a book signing after the luncheon. According to NEW website, emerging leaders, executives, both men and women who would like to connect with other professionals in the region should be attending this workshop. For more information, go to www.newonline.org click on calendar and scroll down to Greater Philadelphia. Ladies, don’t forget to wear those stilettos!

We send out condolences to Craig McAteer, director of grocery merchandising with Saker ShopRite on the recent death of his wife, Patricia. She was a licensed real estate broker and member of the Ocean County Board of Realtors, and the Million Dollar Club. Donations may be made in Patricia’s memory to The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, 3300 Route 66, Neptune, NJ 07753. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com.

Birthday shout outs for the volatile month of March go out to: Dan Sanders, Acme Markets; Jeff Brown, and his wife, Sandy Brown, Brown’s Superstores, Inc.; Bill Todd, Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats; Bill Carter, Alderfer’s Meats; Dave Andrews, Kreider Farms; Bob DeMento Jr., Brandywine Marketing Associates; and Lisa Yerger, Key Impact. Buon compleanno a tutti!

Celebrating marital bliss this month are Dorothy Hamilton, Acme Markets, and her husband Mike. Congratulations!

Please keep the victims and survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in your thoughts and prayers as they try to reconstruct their lives after Mother Nature threw them a violent curveball. Just more proof that we should never take one day on earth for granted.

Quote of the Month:

In actual life, every great enterprise begins with and takes its first forward step in faith. – August Wilhelm von Schlegel