Allegiance Retail Services, LLC announced late last month the results of its annual member meeting, along with the promotions of Samer Rahman, Dean Holmquist and Kevin Komisky.
The cooperative, based in Iselin, NJ, met June 28 at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ. Daniel Katz, chairman of the board, opened the meeting and welcomed everyone before handing the microphone to John T. Derderian, president and COO, who conducted the meeting, which reflected on how the grocery industry has grown to accommodate changing consumer demands and the need for Allegiance Retail Services to continue to adapt to meet shoppers in digital spaces. Discussions focused on immediate challenges facing independent grocers and what we can expect in the years to come, given the current economic outlook and industry forecasts.
“As a cooperative, our members are uniquely positioned to grow their operations based on the strategic investments we have made in business intelligence and benefiting from the enhanced digital offerings we have worked tirelessly to implement and deploy,” said Derderian.
Important items of business included the election of the Allegiance board of managers, and Foodtown board of directors, for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Board appointees were as follows: Katz as chairman, Louis Scaduto Jr. as vice chairman, Esmail Mobarak as treasurer, John Estevez, Jason Ferreira, Michael Mignosi, Joseph Parisi, John Shakoor, and Derderian as president and COO.
Katz remarked on the meeting, “The membership has embraced the new post-pandemic retail environment, and we are keenly aligned with the needs of the ever-changing consumer. We are extremely confident about the prospects of the Allegiance Cooperative in the future.”
Derderian also announced the following promotions: Rahman as vice president of center store, Holmquist as vice president of perishables and Komisky as senior director of store operations.
In his new role, Rahman will provide members/stores with support in the areas of supply, product, and operational costs. He commented, “My objective is to provide the best cost of goods for in-demand products and continue to demonstrate best in-class merchandising.”
Rahman is a third generation to enter the grocery business, following his father and grandfather, and it is his passion. “Through my decades in the business and various positions I’ve held, I wouldn’t want to do anything else.” Rahman has been part of the ARS team for nine years. Previously he was with A&P, Food Bazaar, and Pathmark.
Holmquist been with the ARS/Foodtown co-op for 36 years, starting with Twin County Grocers, Foodtown, Inc. Previously Holmquist led the merchandising and in-store execution teams for member stores, coordinated onboarding efforts for new members, and had oversight of third-party food safety and sanitation and shrink and labor programs. He will now continue to raise the bar for perishable departments with quality products and services.
Komisky started in the grocery industry as an assistant manager for A&P in 1981 moving through various roles and stores before joining the ARS team in 2020. In his new position, he will be addressing members concerns and helping with projects/ideas; he will also be working on initiatives to bring new members into the cooperative.
“We have tremendous talent among our associates at Allegiance and look to promote from within first,” said Derderian. “Samer, Dean and Kevin’s dedication and knowledge of the grocery industry will bring strong support to the coop’s members as they navigate changing consumer demands.”