Kurt Schertle, COO of Sunbury, PA based Weis Markets, has been named the “Pete Manos Retail Executive of the Year,” the publishers of Food World and Food Trade News announced November 8 at the Maryland Retailers Association’s annual Hall of Fame Breakfast in Baltimore, MD.
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.
Previous winners include: Danny Wegman, Wegmans; the late Robert Weis, Weis Markets; Carl Schlicker, Ahold USA; Fred Morganthall, Harris Teeter; Jeff Brown, Brown’s ShopRites; Bill White, Shoppers; Bobby Ukrop, Ukrop’s; Ron Dennis, Farm Fresh; Benjy Green, B. Green; Jim Perkins, Albertsons; and Jim McCaffrey III, McCaffrey’s Markets.
As COO, Schertle is largely responsible for an impressive run of increased sales at the 204-store regional chain. (Weis just posted its 14th consecutive quarter of comparable store sales increases.) He, CEO Jonathan Weis and the more than 22,000 Weis associates were also responsible for the successful transition of 44 new stores into Weis’ fleet last year. In accepting the award, Schertle made a point of noting that he was accepting the award on behalf of the entire Weis Markets team.
On the philanthropic side, Schertle and Weis have long been strong supporters of the communities they serve. Each year, Weis Markets and its associates make direct and in-kind donations to numerous charities and organizations throughout its market area, including food banks, community-based health care organizations, schools, pet shelters, the United Way and many other local charities. The retailer’s annual Fight Hunger program generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in product and direct donations by customers to local food banks, pantries and emergency food providers. Weis supplements their giving with a matching corporate donation. The company also donates to community-based health care organizations throughout its trade area. It continues to support many worthwhile programs including: clinics for the uninsured, mammography programs, women’s cardiac programs, clinics serving women facing high-risk pregnancies and breast cancer awareness programs.
Schertle joined Weis as vice president of sales and merchandising in 2009 and was elevated to EVP in 2012. He became COO in March 2014.
Prior to joining Weis, he had more than 20 years of food retailing experience, most recently with Shoppers Food & Pharmacy, where he last worked as a senior vice president of marketing and merchandising. Schertle began his career with Basics Food Stores, working at store level before being promoted to store manager. Schertle moved up through the company, which eventually became Metro Food Markets, holding positions such has pricing director, director of GM/HBC, grocery director and vice president of grocery. When Metro was consolidated into the Shoppers organization, he served as grocery director of the combined organization before being promoted to vice president of grocery. He left the supermarket industry for a brief stint in another retail business before taking the position at Weis Markets.
A Baltimore native, Schertle is a graduate of Towson University.
The Manos award presentation followed the induction of the 2017 class into the Maryland Food Industry Hall of Fame. This year’s food industry inductees included: Jonathan Weis, president and CEO of Weis Markets; Stanley Pearlman, president and CEO of NAFCO Wholesale Seafood Distributors, Congressional Seafood and Baltimore Crab Co.; Tom Lenkevich, president of Giant/Martin’s; and the Simmons and Travers Families, owners of Simmons Center Market in Cambridge, MD. Also inducted were several members of local government who have contributed to the success of the food industry, including: Baltimore City Councilman Leon F. Pinkett III; Baltimore City Councilman Eric Costello; Baltimore City Councilman Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer; and Baltimore City Mayor Catherine Pugh.
