John Ruane, president of The Giant Company, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Food World/Food Trade News “Pete Manos Retail Executive of the Year” award.
The annual award was first presented to the late Giant Food chairman and chief executive upon his retirement in 1999 and was subsequently named after him. Manos spent his entire 39-year career with Giant Food and passed away in 2016. The award is given to a food industry executive annually, in recognition of distinguished industry service, leadership and community involvement.
Ruane was recognized with the award at a breakfast meeting held November 8 at Martin’s West in Baltimore in conjunction with the Maryland Retailer Association’s (MRA) food industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Ruane began his grocery career for Hy Shulman at a Foodtown store in Caldwell, NJ at age 14 and continued working there through college. In 1980, he joined Pathmark, working his way through roles of increasing responsibility from part-time clerk to senior vice president of merchandising.
Ruane joined the Ahold Delhaize family of brands in 2011 as sales vice president of Stop & Shop’s New York Division and then was named senior vice president of fresh for Ahold USA where he oversaw all fresh merchandising and supply chain operations for more than 800 stores.
He joined The Giant Company in 2018 as senior vice president of merchandising and was named senior vice president of commercial in July 2022. Ruane was named interim president in August 2022 and became president in July 2023.
Ruane currently serves as chairman of FMI -The Food Industry Association’s fresh food leadership committee and on the board of directors for Philabundance. He attended Rutgers College and has completed post-graduate programs at Cornell University and Harvard Business School.
Previous winners of the “Manos” award include last year’s winner, Jim Perkins, Albertsons; Nicholas Bertram, The Giant Company; Jeff Brown, Brown’s ShopRites; Ron Dennis, Farm Fresh; Benjy Green, B. Green & Co.; Ira Kress, Giant Food; Jim McCaffrey III, McCaffrey’s Markets; Fred Morganthall, Harris Teeter; Kurt Schertle, Weis Markets; Carl Schlicker, Ahold USA; Danny Wegman, Wegmans; the late Robert Weis, Weis Markets; and Bill White, Shoppers.