Dick Bestany

We begin this column this month reporting on the death of Denis Zegar, president and CEO of Making Change who died last month during a bicycle race.

Making Change – formerly the Food Industry Crusade Against Hunger and subsequently called Food for All – is a non-profit organization based in Alexandria, VA, that promotes human dignity, wellness and self-sufficient communities and oversees a longstanding checkstand donation initiative for retailers.

Denis was well known to the Baltimore-Washington food trade as he was formerly president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Food Dealers Association after running his own firm, DRZ Management, which specialized in substance-abuse testing, medical-review services and supervisory training for a variety of industries.

Zegar was also a former lobbyist for the food industry, a former chief tax economist and financial analyst for the U.S. Senate Small Business Committee and a former professor of public policy at GeorgeWashingtonUniversity.

We understand that Denis was participating in the Gran Fondo National Championship in Frederick, MD, when he suffered “a medical emergency”.

Denis is survived by his wife Vickie and son Zach.

All of us at Best-Met Publishing got to know Denis very well. He loved being president and CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Food Dealers Association and as a result made many friendships in the Mid-Atlantic food industry. He will be missed.

We also learned of the death of a retired long time food broker in the mid-Atlantic last month, Earl Keeter. Earl was well known in the Baltimore-Washington food industry having been a broker for many years. Earl will be remembered by many in the Mid-Atlantic as the man who represented Donald Duck orange juice and made it a household name in the Baltimore-Washington market. There was a saying among competing food brokers, that whereever Earl went, Donald Duck also went.

Earl was a walking encyclopedia on the history of the food brokerage business in the Baltimore-Washington market and was well liked by his competitors. He was also respected by all of the retailers and wholesalers that he called on in the Mid-Atlantic. Kathy and I got to know Earl and his wife Betty on a personal basis and enjoyed many dinners and trips to various places together. Our sympathies go out to his daughter Kara and her family.

And, just before presstime we learned that Jimmie Wright, former president of Chaimson Brokerage’s CBC Sales division, has passed away. After serving in the military, Jimmie spent his entire career in the food industry, starting with A&P in 1953. He moved over to the brokerage side of the business in 1969 when he joined Chaimson. He ultimately became president of that Baltimore-Washington broker’s non-foods division, CBC Sales. He retired in 2000, moving to Florida to take up his favorite hobby, golf, full-time.

He is survived by his wife Lois Rendelman, children Denice (Francis) Rupp, Rich (Barbara) Wright, Leslie (Charles) Hoefgen, Nancy (Robert) Jenkins, Emily Cusic; and the late Robin Wright; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

The family asked that donations in Jimmie’s memory be made the Hospice of Palm Beach County, Lauer Unit, 5301 South Congress Avenue, Atlantis, FL33462.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) recently presented retired Wal-Mart president and CEO Mike Duke with its 2014 Hall of Achievement Award before more than 400 industry leaders at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. The Hall of Achievement Award represents the highest honor given by the more than 100-year-old association.

Duke’s tenure at Wal-Mart began in 1995, and he quickly rose through the ranks, leading the logistics, distribution and administration divisions. In 2005 he assumed responsibility for its international arm and also served as vice chairman. Duke was named president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in 2009, becoming just the fourth person to hold the position in the Bentonville, AR based retailer’s history. As CEO, he is credited with delivering strong financial performances while making critical investments in technology and human resources to support Walmart’s global expansion.

The GMA Hall of Achievement Award honors the extraordinary service and contributions of the consumer packaged goods industry’s most distinguished leaders. Established in 1984, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the award, of which past recipients include A.G. Lafley of The Procter & Gamble Co., Doug Conant of Campbell Soup Co., Ric Jurgens of Hy-Vee Inc. and Danny Wegman of Wegmans Food Markets.

C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. and its employees across the enterprise raised $1.65 million during the company’s 2014 United Way campaign, thus establishing a new record and increasing its contribution by 10 percent over the previous year. The workplace campaign engaged nearly 5,000 employees as donors; all gifts are matched dollar-for-dollar by the company.

C&S is one of 100 top corporations in the United Way’s Global Corporate Leadership Program. Its family of companies, and its teammates have contributed more than $9.5 million to the United Way over the past nine years. C&S, based in Keene, NH, is the largest food wholesaler and according to Forbes Magazine, the 12th largest privately held company in the United States.

At the conclusion of this year’s Wegmans LPGA Championship, Wegmans vice president Bill Strassburg presented United Way’s Children’s Success Fund with a check for $1 million, more than double the amount donated to the charity for previous tournaments and an amount likely to exceed the final tally of proceeds from this year’s tournament.

All of the proceeds from the Wegmans LPGA Championship Tournament have been invested in the goal of helping kids to graduate from high school. United Way’s Graduation is the Goal supports evidence-based programs that show significant promise in delivering this goal. The Fund helps to support programs like Hillside Work Scholarship Connection that has been proven to double graduation rates, along with other programs that serve children who are at risk of dropping out.

Over the life of the Rochester LPGA tournament, more than $11 million has been donated to programs in the Rochester community that help children succeed.

Shoppers Food & Pharmacy announced it is partnering with the American Diabetes Association to bolster efforts to battle diabetes in the areas it serves by joining the organization’s “Stop Diabetes” campaign, a program that supports community outreach and educational programs aimed at raising awareness of the disease.

In support of the campaign, Shoppers will offer customers at all 56 of its Baltimore-Washington stores the opportunity to purchase a “Stop Diabetes” paper placard at the cash register for $1. All proceeds from the sale, which will  begin August 30 and run through September 14, will be donated to the ADA.

“At Shoppers, we’re committed to being a good community partner in the areas we serve,” said Bob Gleeson, president of Shoppers. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to help raise awareness of diabetes and support those affected by the disease. We’re proud to work with the American Diabetes Association and grateful for the support of our customers who so often go out of their way to help their neighbors.”

Weis Markets announced that it has launched its seventh annual Fight Hunger Program to run throughout Hunger Action Month in September. The program provides food and monetary donations to local food banks and emergency food providers in Weis Markets’ 163-store service area. To date, the program has raised nearly $1 million for hunger relief organizations.

Food insecurity is a growing problem throughout the United States. According to Feed America, a national hunger-relief organization, 49 million Americans live in food insecure households, affecting 33.1 million adults and 15.9 million children.

“We are committed to being a good neighbor in the communities we serve, and we feel strongly that it is our duty to help support hunger relief organizations that can make a positive difference and bring food to the table for many struggling families,” said Kurt Schertle, chief operating officer for Weis Markets. “For organizations like the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which serves 27 counties in Pennsylvania, a donation as small as one dollar can provide six meals for those in need. We appreciate our shoppers’ support in making this program a success and want them to know that their contributions made at the register really go a long way in supporting their neighbors.”

Customers are able to donate shelf-stable items, as well as purchase $2, $4 and $6 vouchers during the checkout process. 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to area food banks to help fill gaps in food supplies. Weis Markets also offers convenient, pre-filled Fight Hunger donation boxes containing pasta, sauce, fruit, vegetables, tuna, cereal and soup — all for less than $10.

The Fight Hunger Food Drive will benefit local food banks and pantries throughout Weis Markets’ five state market area. Regional food banks will also participate in the program including: The Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast, PA; The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank (Harrisburg); The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank (Williamsport); The Maryland Food Bank; The Commission on Economic Opportunity/The Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton); Greater Berks Food Bank (Reading); Philabundance (Montgomery County, PA); Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW)/Broome County Council of Churches; Food Bank of the Southern Tier (Elmira);  Food Bank Network of Somerset County; Philabundance; Northwest Community Action Program NORWESCAP Food Bank (Phillipsburg, NJ); and Mountaineer Food Bank (West Virginia).

On a personal note, after Kathy and I spent our vacation on Cape Cod, we must recommend a couple of great eating (and drinking) spots to you, all in Orleans, MA.

A new place right where our condo is, called Rock Harbor Grill, only about four years old but offers an exciting bar scene along with great food; and Mahoney’s, also within walking distance of our condo and right in the center of Orleans, offering great food and good drink. And lastly, my all time favorite, and one which I’ve written about may times, Land Ho!

Land Ho! is just a great spot with excellent food and drink. And no matter how busy the place is, a wait of more than just 10-15 minutes is most unusual. It’s a great place to drink and/or dine and to people watch.

I know that Ocean City is the favorite vacation spot of many people in the Mid-Atlantic, and it deserves that recognition, but should you want to try something different, Cape Cod is worth the drive and you’re still on the East Coast of the United States. It’s just some place a little different.

You can reach Dick at [email protected].

Giant/Carlisle recently announced a $3 million donation to 2,057 public and private schools through its A+ School Rewards program for 2013-2014 school year. Since the program launched in 2005, more than $19 million has been donated to local schools throughout participating markets in four states where Giant and Martin’s stores operate.

And recently Martin’s made a donation of 55,000 apples to FeedMore’s Central Virginia Food Bank to help feed the hungry in the local community. This donation signals Martin’s continued participation in the Take a Bite Out of Hunger Program sponsored by FirstFruits Marketing of Washington.

Fresh Fruits Marketing of Washington created The Take a Bite out of Hunger campaign to help feed the under served while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the United States.

Weis Markets recently announced its associates helped raise $122,000 in customer donations for 100 local pet shelters and rescue organizations during its months long Paws for Pets check off and donation program. The Weis Markets store in Newton, NJ was the chain leader, raising a combined 3,603 in combined donations for One Step Closer Animal Rescue, a pet shelter located in nearby Sparta, NJ. During the four week program the store also held 60 pet adoptions. According to Brian Holt, Weis Markets’ vice president of advertising, marketing and public relations, the company has raised more than $122,000,for locally based pet organizations in 2014 and have raised nearly a million dollars in contributions and product donations since 2008.

We were saddened to learn last month of the death of M. Tyler Kohler, a principal of the former Baltimore-Washington food brokerage firm of Kohler, Gore & Muchnick.  He retired from the food brokerage business in 1995 and, along with his wife Betsy, moved to Waitsfield, VT where he had built a home in 1988. He leaves his wife of 62 years and five children and eight grandchildren. Anyone wishing to honor his memory can make a donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at michaeljfox.org.

On a personal note, Tyler was one of the first food brokers Jeff and I called on after buying Food World in 1978. To us he was the epitome of a true “Southern gentleman.” He was very supportive of our efforts with Food World and was one of the first brokers to support us with advertising.

Giant/Landover recently announced that it is offering a full range of health offerings for customers traveling abroad through its travel health clinic. Specially trained pharmacists will staff the Giant Food Travel Health Clinics offering customers pre-travel consultations including current and destination specific recommendations. Depending on the destination, recommendations can include immunizations, medications and specific health advice to prevent and treat illness while traveling. Among the vaccinations the travel health clinic can administer include those to prevent malaria, hepatitis, measles, typhoid, and polio. The cost per visit is $30. The Travel Health Clinic is available in 15 Giant Food locations.

Diversified Communications, producer of North America’s largest trade event, reports that this year’s edition of Seafood Expo North America Seafood Processing North America was the largest in its existence. Held March 16-18 in Boston. MA, the exposition spanned 197,430 net square feet at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, an increase of six percent over last year’s event. 1,113 companies representing a nine percent increase from last year, exhibited to display their seafood products, equipment, and services and more than 20,000 seafood professionals attended the exposition. Next year’s event will be held March 15-16, 2015 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Food Lion, as part of its Food Lion Feeds program, sent 30 employee volunteers and more than 13,000 pounds of food to the Baltimore Food Bank recently to pack 700 summer Hunger Boxes of food for insecure children and their families. Their goal was to promote awareness of hunger during the summer season “…because one in five children in the Baltimore area….struggle with hunger,” according to Christy Phillips-Brown, director of external communications and community relations at Food Lion.

The 700 boxes were distributed by Food Lion at Brehms Lane Elementary Sschool in Baltimore.

For years, Food Lion has been supporting the Maryland Food Bank contributing both food and money but this was the first time the volunteers were able to actually hand out the boxes to the children.

Since 1979, when The Maryland Food Bank was formed, it has struggled to fight hunger in Maryland. Over the last seven years the food bank has more than tripled its food distribution, and in 2013 they set a new record with the distribution 28.8 million meals to families in need. The Maryland Food Bank serves 22 counties—all of Maryland except for Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, which are served by the Capital Area Food Bank. The Maryland Food Bank is always in need of volunteers. If any of our readers would be interested in volunteering, contact either the Maryland, Virginia or the Capital Area Food Bank.

Only a few of our readers will remember Jim Therrien of Alpo Pet Foods, but many have heard of his great sales ability while he worked for Alpo. Since retiring, Jim has sold real estate in Hampton, NH. Apparently he has been successful. A couple of our readers who knew him sent us a clipping from the local newspaper in Hampton, NH. The clipping reads in part, “Jim Therrien, a realtor with Masiello Better Homes and Gardens, was named ‘2014 Realtor of the Year’ by the by the Seacoast Board of Realtors at their annual Awards Luncheon at the Portsmouth, NH Elks Lodge.” Jim is just one of the many who have left the food industry and have gone on to become successful in other endeavors. It just proves that if you make it in the food business you can make it anywhere. (Memo to Jim …I hope you’re still receiving Food World because a lot of people are still following your career!)

The above is just an example of why so many men and women love the food industry. It’s a great industry and the people in the industry are all “sales” people.

We are saddened to report the death of Inge Hofmeister, 81, a resident of Severna Park who died on June 22, 2014. Inge was preceded in death by her husband, Charlie Hofmeister who was a well known figure in the Mid-Atlantic food industry, having worked in executive capacities for Pantry Pride, A&P and Super Fresh. Their son Steve is the manager at the Clarksville, MD Giant Food. Inge is also survived by son Michael of Bel Air, MD; Thomas of Austin, TX; two sisters, Helga Dahlem and Anna Hartman both of Germany; and 14 grandchildren. Online condolences may be made at www.barrancofuneralhome.com.

If you’re reading this column this month, parts of it were written in Massachusetts, as Kathy and I are spending the summer on beautiful Cape Cod in the lovely town of Orleans. If you have never experienced the charm and beauty of Cape Cod, you should schedule a vacation in the area. We love it in the summer but it is also a very beautiful place during the winter, especially during the Christmas season. Personally I’m looking forward to visiting my favorite “watering hole” on Cape Cod, Land ‘Ho, which is located in Orleans just, a stone’s throw from our condo.

Let Food World know where you spent your vacation this summer and we’ll write about it in the upcoming cold and snowy months.

Enjoy the summer and the beautiful (and sometimes humid) weather we have in the Mid-Atlantic!

Welcome the June 2014 Food World Market Study, the best and most complete market study of the Mid-Atlantic retail food industry. This is the one issue that everyone in the Mid-Atlantic reads and keeps as a reference until June 2015.

And as we do every year, we welcome any and all comments, both good and bad. Should you want to put your critiques in writing, we will publish them as Letters To The Editor. While we welcome Letters to the Editor, we will not publish them if you direct us not to. Letters to the Editor, both critical and non critical can only improve future issues of our paper.

Last month, thanks to an invitation from former food broker Michael Finkelstein (Kluge, Finkelstein & Company) and now the Laundromat king of the East Coast, I had the pleasure of going deep sea fishing in the beautiful Chesapeake Bay, for the first time since I moved to the Mid-Atlantic area in 1978. If you’ve never been deep sea fishing, it’s a wonderful experience (if you catch fish). And we did catch a few beautiful and big striped bass. There was a goodly number of fish caught, and everyone who wanted some were able to take home a nice fish steak after the crew cleaned and filleted them. And I can personally tell you that the piece I took home was as good as the striped bass served in the finer restaurants in Baltimore and Washington area including Buzz Belar’s Prime Rib restaurants which, in the opinion of this writer, serves some of the best food in the entire Mid-Atlantic if not the East Coast.

Congratulations to the folks at MOM’s Organic Markets on being named the 2013 Retailer of the Year by Follow Your Heart, a leading provider of vegetarian and vegan foods. The annual award recognizes retailers that contribute to the success of the brand, as well as those that uphold the values of a commitment to healthier food options and being a steward of the environment. California based Follow Your Heart was created in 1970 to provide high quality vegetarian and vegan versions of salad dressings, sauces and dairy alternatives. “Our relationship with MOM’s Organic Market is special for us because our values really align,” said Martin Kruger, COO and head of sales at Follow Your Heart. “We  both strive to protect and restore the environment through conscious business practices and to provide products that help create a healthy planet.”

We received a nice note from retiree Dave Carter who ran Rita Ann’s (a division of AmerisourceBergen) operation in the Mid-Atlantic, informing us that Gregory D. Wasson, president and CEO of AmerisourceBergen, had been elected to Walgreens’ board of directors.

AmerisourceBergen is one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution service companies, helping both pharmaceutical and bio-tech manufacturers improve patient access to products and enhance patient care. With services ranging from drug distribution and niche premium logistics to reimbursement, AmerisourceBergen delivers innovative programs and solutions across the pharmaceutical supply chain. With more than $100 billion in annualized revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs approximately 13,000 people. The company is ranked #32 on the Fortune 500 list.

Dave Carter, a good friend of Food World and Food Trade News, is one of our best critics. Since his retirement from Rita Ann, he keeps us informed of any store he visits in the summer in and around his home and in the winter, he sends us critiques of stores from his retreat in Palm Beach, FL.

Here’s an interesting piece on a survey from Midan Marketing of U.S. men, showing that women still do most of the nation’s grocery shopping, but trends including a move toward more stay-at-home dads and a growing interest in cooking among men have more dads doing the weekly shopping.

Almost half of 900 men surveyed said they do at least 50 percent of their family’s grocery shopping, and within that group, more than half said they make all the supermarket trips.

Wegmans Food Markets has announced that the Wegmans Employee Scholarship Program will award college tuition assistance to 1,766 new recipients for the upcoming academic year. Wegmans expects to pay out more than $4.91 million in tuition assistance to both new and returning scholarship recipients during the 2014/2015 school year.

Since the program began in 1984, more than 30,000 Wegmans employees have been awarded scholarships totaling $95 million. The first class of Wegmans scholarship recipients in the 1984/1985 academic year included 241 employees with scholarships totaling $280,000. No limit is placed on the number of scholarships awarded each year and no restrictions are made on a student’s course of study. Recipients may choose any area of study from an accredited college and enter any field they desire upon graduation.

Wegmans Food Markets is an 84-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. Wegmans has been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by Fortune magazine for 17 consecutive years and ranked number 12 on the list.

Harris Teeter reports donating more than $570,000 to Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to help the voluntary health agency raise funding to continue its work to defeat 43 neuromuscular diseases through programs of world wide research, comprehensive service, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The donation was made possible thanks to generous contributions from Harris Teeter customers during the company’s point of purchase donation card campaign to benefit MDA.

Birthday greetings go out to our daughter Cyndi Ireland of Coca-Cola Refreshments and our granddaughter Kate Ireland, age 8. Also, Jeremy Diamond of the Diamond Marketing Group asked us to let the grocery trade know that his grandmother Sonia Diamond, wife of Food-A-Rama’s Paul Diamond, is celebrating her 93rd birthday in June!  That’s right, her 93rd!!

In case you missed it, Food World/Food Trade News is out with the 2014 Grocery Industry Directory. It contains “everything you need to know about the Grocery Industry in the M id Atlantic!”

If you don’t have a copy of it, phone 410.730.5013 and speak with Beth Pripstein to order your copy. Or, go to www.best-met.com and order you copy online.

As many of our readers know, Kathy and I will soon be leaving for Orleans on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. (Next issue In and Around Food World will be written from there.)

We love Cape Cod and we go there twice each year, during the summer and at Christmas time.

We highly recommend the Rock Harbor Grill in downtown Orleans where you can get great drinks and great seafood. We discovered it with our Harwich, MA friends Peter and Maisie Wall.

Enjoy the summer!

Weis Markets recently announced that its third annual Believe in Heroes campaign raised $115,000 for Wounded Warrior Project (WWP), an organization that grows awareness and enlists public support for the needs of injured service members. The program ran throughout the month of November and raised money through customers purchasing select brand name products, WWP bracelets, magnets, reusable tote bags and through monetary donations.

“We are proud of our store associates who helped make this campaign a success and would like to thank our generous customers for purchasing select products or who directly donated to the cause at the register. Together, we have raised $115,000 for our nation’s wounded veterans,” said Kurt Schertle, Weis Markets’ COO. “The Believe in Heroes program benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project is something we look forward to supporting for years to come.”

Founded in 2003, the Wounded Warrior Project was created to honor and empower service members returning from post 9-11 conflicts who have been injured mentally and/or physically. Its purpose is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured service members aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members. For more information, visit www.woundedwarrior project.org.

Our good friend Dave Carter, retired from Rita Ann Cosmetics, recently sent us an interesting article from the The Press of Atlantic City where the newspaper’s lead story was on the 100th anniversary of Wawa, the convenience store chain in the Mid-Atlantic. The chain’s first store opened in Folsom, PA in April, 1964 and today the company has more than 640 stores in six states and a Forbes-estimated $9 billion in annual revenue, making it the 40th largest private company in the United States.

The 2014 Seafood Excellence Awards winners were announced recently at Seafood Expo North America held in Boston.  King & Prince Seafood won the best new retail award for their bacon wrapped stuffed shrimp and High Liner Foods won the best new foodservice award for their flame-seared Guinness barbecue glazed Atlantic salmon.

Winners were selected from a group of finalists during a live judging by a panel of seafood buyers and experts from the retail and Foodservice industries.  This year’s judges included: Chef Michael Alleva, Caesar’s Entertainment; Scott Negro, seafood category manager at Weis Markets; and Mike Seidel, national category manager for frozen and seafood at Performance Foodservice.

The Seafood Excellence Awards serve to recognize the product leaders in the North American seafood market.

Co-located with Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo North America is the country’s largest seafood trade event, drawing more than 19,000 buyers and sellers from more than 100 countries and more than 1,000 exhibiting companies.

Wegmans Food Markets has been ranked as the number one supermarket in the country by customers in the latest Consumer Reports survey. Wegmans edged out Trader Joe’s, Publix, Costco, Sprouts, Tops Markets and 49 other grocery stores.

More than 27,000 readers rated the nation’s major grocery stores based on service, quality of perishables, prices and cleanliness. Wegmans received an overall rating of 87 out of 100, with 100 representing “completely satisfied”. Both Wegmans and Trader Joe’s earned the highest possible marks for service, defined by employee courtesy and checkout speed.

On a sad note, we extend our sincere sympathies to the owners of Washington Flour (Wilkins-Rogers), Sam Rogers and Dick Rogers on the death of their brother, Dr. Joseph Rogers. Dr. Rogers “was a country doctor and gentleman farmer, a breeder of Angus cattle and thoroughbred racehorses, a fox hunting and steeplechase jockey, a trainer of dogs and horses, a conservationist, naturalist, businessman, newspaper owner, and a defender of the rural lifestyles and folkways that defined his Virginia heritage” according to his obituary in the Washington Post on April 13^th.

While we didn’t know the doctor, we knew his brothers Sam Rogers and Richard Rogers who run Washington Flour in Ellicott City. As a business man Dr. Rogers’ interests not only included the Wilkins-Rogers Mill but also the Loudoun County Milling Co. With a friend he was a founder of the newspaper Leesburg Today in 1988.

I’m also saddened to report the death of industry veteran Bernie Levy. Bernie started his food industry career with Sweetheart Cup and later formed a successful food brokerage company, Mitchell Marketing, where he worked alongside his son Mitchell. Bernie was hard-working and well-liked in the industry. He will be missed. He is survived by his wife Carlyn Levy (nee Walblick); children Joann Levy and Mitchell Levy; brother Jay (Jill) Levy; and grandchildren Sarah Nelinson, Brenna Nelinson, Alex Levy and Jenna Levy. Donations in Bernie’s memory can be made to Foundation Fighting Blindness, P.O. Box 17279, Baltimore, MD 21297-0495.

As we approach the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer season, let’s celebrate the end of a challenging winter and fickle spring and enjoy the beauty and fun of the summer season.

Safeway has been named one of the 2014 World’s Most Ethical Companies (WME) by the Ethisphere Institute. This is the fourth time and third consecutive year that Safeway has been recognized by Ethisphere for its commitment to maintaining superior business practices.

The Ethisphere Institute is an independent center of research, best practices and thought leadership that promotes best practices in corporate ethics and compliance and enables organizations to improve governance, mitigate risk, and enhance relationships with employees, business partners, investors and the broad regulatory community. For the past eight years, it annually selects companies from throughout the world for its prestigious WME list.

Safeway is an industry leader in principled business practices, environmental sustainability and effective community outreach. For the last three years, the company has been at the top of the US Greenpeace Supermarket Seafood Sustainability scorecard, a ranking of sustainability practices for grocers. In 2013, Safeway was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America for the fifth year in a row and to the Carbon Disclosure Project for the fifth consecutive year.

In February of this year, President Obama chose Safeway’s Maryland distribution center as the site of an announcement where he called for new fuel efficiency and greenhouses gas standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. The president praised Safeway saying, “By improving the aerodynamics of its trucks, investing in larger trailers, more efficient tires, Safeway has improved its own fuel efficiency. And the results are so solid that Safeway now encourages all the companies it hires to ship its products to do the same.”

The company’s significant community outreach and philanthropic initiatives include raising and donating millions of dollars annually to benefit a range of non-profits, including food banks, schools, cancer research centers and numerous organizations assisting people with disabilities. Collectively, those funds average $200 million annually. To view the complete list of the 2014 World’s Most Ethical Companies, please visit http://www.ethisphere.com .

And speaking of Safeway, Academy Award-nominated Viola Davis in conjunction with The Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) last month launched “Hunger Is,” a joint charitable program designed to raise awareness and funds to fight childhood hunger in the United States. The year-round campaign encourages individuals and communities to get involved in solving a widespread problem that too often goes unnoticed.

The program will provide Safeway shoppers with multiple opportunities to give during an in-store childhood hunger awareness fundraiser during the month of April at more than 1,300 Safeway stores across the United States. Funds raised through the initiative will be designated toward programs focused on eradicating childhood hunger and improving health-related outcomes. During the inaugural year, breakfast programs will be the focus, giving children a healthy start to their day and the best chance to excel.

Eight industry leaders will lead in-depth “leadership circles” on how to acquire and leverage influence at this year’s Network of Executive Women (NEW) Executive Leaders Forum, July 29-31 at the Terranea Resort in Los Angeles. More than 300 senior executives from the retail and consumer goods industry are expected to attend the invitation-only event. The executives include: Susan Chapman-Hughes, senior vice president, U.S. account development for global corporate payments at American Express, who will offer advice for “Creating New Opportunities for Yourself,” and Joy Chen, CEO of Yes To Inc., who will share tips for “Bringing Other Women to the Table.” Vicki Escarra, CEO of Opportunity International, will offer insights on “Influence: Leveraging: What and Who You Know.” Marissa Nelson, senior vice president of Ahold USA, will offer her thoughts on “Using Your Power to Transform the Organization.” Maria Lindenberg, chief procurement officer for Chevron Corporation, will discuss “Global Leadership: It’s Within Your Reach.” Jesse Spungin, chief marketing officer of K&N Engineering, will address “The Power of Servant Leadership.” Virginia Simmons, director at McKinsey & Co., will share her insights on “”Gender Diversity at the Top: Changing Culture, Moving Boundaries.”

The NEW Forum also will present four keynote addresses, featuring famed editor Tina Brown; Al Carey, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages; Ann Fudge, former chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands; and Sumeet Salwan of Unilever. Kendra Doyel of The Kroger Co. will facilitate an interactive Town Hall.

The NEW Forum is open to invited senior-level industry leaders who are members of the Network. Contact your NEW Ambassador for details.

Based on a study of 10,000 U.S. consumers, H-E-B, Trader Joe’s, Chick Fil-A and Publix earned the highest scores in the 2014 Temkin Experience ratings, ranking 268 companies across 19 industries. Joining the firms in the top 14 spots are: Aldi, Food Lion, Sonic Drive-In, Dairy Queen, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Regions, Sam’s Club and Starbucks.

Wegmans Food Markets’ pharmacists are communicating with shoppers who don’t speak English through a service called Language Line Solutions. “Once it’s clear there is a language barrier, the pharmacist presents a simple card with several languages identified, and the patient/customer can point to his or her language.

“There is access to 200 languages,” explained Mary Ellen Burris, SVP of consumer affairs for Wegmans. Printed prescription information is also available in a number of languages.

Wawa Inc. and Sheetz, two of the country’s finest convenience store retailers, teamed up to provide more than 5,000 lunches to attendees at the commissioning ceremony of the USS Somerset in Philadelphia last month. The box lunches featured popular items from both company’s menus and were free of charge.

The commissioning ceremony is a time-honored tradition that marks a ship’s entry into the naval fleet. The vessel, currently moored at Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River waterfront, commemorates Flight 93 which crashed in SomersetCounty after the crew and passengers thwarted a terrorist attack on 9/11. It incorporates both a flight deck for helicopters and Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, in addition to a well deck for landing craft and amphibious vessels. It can carry up to 800 U.S. Marines and sailors.

Joe Sheetz, president and CEO of Sheetz, and Chris Gheysens, Wawa’s president and CEO greeted the more than 5,000 who attended the ceremony.

Recently I read an interesting article in Marketing Daily headlined, “More Guys in Grocery Aisles With Higher Brand Affinity,” reporting on a column in Defy Media’s second annual Acumen Report: “Brand New Men, tapping something over 2,000 men ages 18-49, suggests that men are becoming household helpers, perhaps as they are supplanted at work by women – a big change from household engagement meaning coming home for dinner now and then.”

“The study shows that men, as they become more involved with household duties, are also becoming more involved in shopping and brand choices. ……more than 65 percent of respondents said they now hold primary shopping responsibility for several household product categories, with 67 percent saying they enjoy shopping for the household and close to 63 percent open to choosing new brands.”

The study also showed that about 40 percent of men noted they became aware of a new brand from advertising and about 25 percent said they were apprised about a brand from a YouTube video, and about 28 percent from social media.

Our sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Michael Joseph Pastore, Sr., who died last month. Many of our readers will remember Mike, who along with his son Michael opened the Pastore Wholesale Grocers in 1966 in Baltimore’s Little Italy. Michael leaves his wife of 67 years, Dolores, son Michael and wife Maryann; and was the proud grandfather of Judge Nicole Pastore Klein and husband, Dennis; Michael J. Pastore II and wife Jessica; dear great-grandfather of Sienna, Naomi, and Page Klein and Sophia, Lucia, Michael III and Amelia Pastore. Michael was a gentleman at all times and was well known among the food trade in the Baltimore-Washington area. He will be missed. Any of our readers who would like remember Mike may make a contribution in his memory directed to St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 227 South Exeter Street, Baltimore, MD21212.

We also recently received word of the death of Diana Hill who passed away at the age of 66. Diana was a valued Giant/Landover associate for 36 years. She began her career in 1965 and progressed from office clerk to executive assistant in 1977. She served as executive assistant to three Giant/Landover CEOs….Izzy Cohen, Pete Manos and Dick Baird.

Retired Giant/Landover EVP Dave Herriman commented, “Diana was a respected Giant associate. She took care of all of the many assignments that would arise in the office of a CEO. She was loyal, reliable, honest and a person who was always there when needed. Diana possessed that unique quality that enabled her to take charge of assignments and deliver expected results. She always had the confidence of the three CEOs under which she served. And, I think it’s appropriate to say that Giant’s success was because of people like Diana Hill.”

On a personal note, while she was a business associate, all of us at Food World called her a dear friend.

Happy birthday wishes to Kathy’s and my son, Rick Bestany, Allegian Systems, and our son-in-law, Bill Ireland, Clyde’s Restaurant Group.

Congratulations to Klein’s ShopRite of Maryland, which was one of six retailers recently recognized by the Food Marketing Institute for community outreach programs and charitable initiatives. Klein’s ShopRite, through a partnership with the city of Baltimore and non-profit groups, allowed citizens to voluntarily surrender guns and receive a $100 ShopRite gift Card.

Supervalu announced recently that it will host its first national sales expo, Sales 4 All Seasons, this summer. The three-day event, to be held August 12-14 at the River Centre in St. Paul, MN, will combine all of Supervalu’s former regional shows into one major sales and education event. The event will offer nearly 2,000 independent grocery retailers the opportunity to access Supervalu’s supplier network via a sales expo featuring hundreds of exhibits, displays and products for every department and category across the store. The company anticipates approximately 3,000 attendees at the event, ranging from its independent retailers to industry personnel, grocery and food suppliers and employees. Supervalu also will announce winners of its 2014 Master Marketer competition, which celebrates the top marketing campaigns of the company’s independent retailers.

Congratulations to JOH’s Theresa Lowden on being Produce Business Magazine’s first winner of what will be an annual tradition of presenting an award to a woman who has exemplified the qualities of leadership that can both inspire other women and lead to a more successful industry.

The 2013 inaugural award was presented to Lowden, who is executive vice president of JOH Mid-Atlantic Produce. She was chosen for her efforts to launch the Women’s Leadership Committee for the Eastern Produce Council. In addition, the award was presented to her for almost two decades of tireless work, including an incredible amount of effort launching the New York Produce show and Conference.

Johnson, O’Hare, now called JOH, was founded in 1956 by the late Harry O’Hare Sr. and is now one of the strongest regional food brokers in the United States, with 10 offices and strategic partnerships located along the East Coast. JOH currently has over 500 employees and represents more than 400 clients.

On a personal note, we were saddened to hear about the death of John H. Griffin, founder of The Griffin Report of Food Marketing, who passed away last month. Both Jeff and I worked for John before purchasing Food World in 1978 – me in sales and Jeff in editorial.

For 50 years, John and The Griffin Report reported on the people, companies and products making food industry news the Northeast. He was controversial, he was provocative, and he was everything a good newspaper man should be.

John had worked as a reporter for the Boston Post (where his father was editor-in-chief) and when the Post closed in 1956, John went to work for Yankee Grocer, the food trade  paper in New England. He founded The Griffin Report in 1966 and stayed active with the paper until he sold his business to his youngest son, Kevin Griffin. John also founded Ad East, a publication for the advertising business, and Yankee Food Service, a publication for the food service industry. He was inducted into the Massachusetts Food Association Hall of Fame shortly before he retired.

In a quote from Tom Stemberg, a former supermarket executive in New England and the founder of the Staples Office Supply chain, …”You had to read it (The Griffin Report ) because you were always worried your name would be in it for something you did. If there were a given operator who was doing bad things, unethical or just bad form, he was never scared to point it out. If it was an advertiser or a non advertiser, he just didn’t care. He was direct, brutally honest.”

On a personal note, I would not have gotten into the food trade publishing business had it not been for John. He exposed me to “food people,” who are the most generous and nicest people on earth. The food industry is a great industry and one which requires a strong work ethic. Working with the food industry is a way of life, not a job.

Kathy and I became very close to John and Mary Rose and their family. We went to food conventions with them – New England had numerous food organizations that would hold yearly conventions in some of the most beautiful places in New England  – and we and our children vacationed with the family on Cape Cod.

John Griffin was a “legend” in the food industry of New England and the East Coast.

Our sympathies go out to his wonderful wife, Mary Rose Griffin and to his children, grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was a good man and a good teacher. He will be missed.

Ten Network of Executive Women sponsors were recognized by the National Association for Female Executives as 2014 Top 50 Companies for Executive Women.

Noted for their efforts to advance women were Accenture, American Express, Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, Kraft Foods Group, Procter & Gamble, Target Corporation and Wal-Mart.

The NAFE Top 50 Companies for Executive Women survey is completed by for-profit companies with at least 1,000 employees and two women on the board of directors. The survey tracks female representation at all levels, but especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss leadership ranks; how many employees have access to programs and policies that promote the advancement of women; how many employees take advantage of those programs and policies; training of managers to help women advance; and how those managers are held accountable for the advancement of female employees that they oversee.

Congratulations to Kraft Foods Group executive Regenia Stein, who has been named secretary of the Network of Executive Women. She replaces Betsy Hosick of Chevron Corporation, who now serves as NEW vice chair.

Stein has been a member of the NEW Board since 2006. As sponsorship chair, she was instrumental in launching a partnership program that doubled sponsor support.

In October 2013, Stein was honored with the Network’s William J. Grize Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes industry leaders who have demonstrated “an enduring commitment to the advancement of women and to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.” She retired from Kraft Foods Group last year after more than 26 years of service.

New York-based BrightFarms Inc. has signed a partnership with Giant/Landover to supply produce grown at a 100,000-square-foot greenhouse near giant’s store at 1535 Alabama Aveenue SE. BrightFarms is leasing the site from the District. Construction is expected to begin in May and be completed by October.

The farm was first announced by the District last May. BrightFarms did not have a local grocery partner lined up at the time of last year’s announcement. The farm will source exclusively for Giant. The project will create 20 full-time jobs and more than 100 construction jobs. The farm will grow produce year round and deliver it to Giant stores throughout the Washington region.

Since 2011, BrightFarms has partnered with seven supermarket chains and has seven commercial-scale greenhouses in development. A greenhouse in Bucks County, PA, is its first operational farm.

Publix Super Markets took the top spot again on this year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index. Publix tallied a score of 86, compared with a satisfaction score of 78 for the supermarket industry overall. Collectively, the group of smaller regional operators scored an 81, up three points over the year-ago score. Included in the smaller regional banners are Food Lion, Stop & Shop, Meijer, ShopRite and Giant Eagle.

NumbergMesse North America (NMNA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) recently announced the co-location of InterBev Beverage 2014 with FMI Connect: The Global Food Retail Experience. The joint event will be held June 10-13, 2014, in Chicago.

FMI Connect is the new FMI show, redesigned to connect the industry and inspire the future of food retail. As the industry’s pinnacle event, FMI Connect is where 15,000 retailers and wholesalers, along with 900 exhibitors from every channel of food retail, meet to uncover solutions for the entire store and every aspect of the business.

Recently Giant/Landover opened its first in-store bar at a store in McLean, VA. Now don’t get excited, it’s not a liquor bar, but rather a Smoothie Bar. The smoothie bar offers 10 flavors like pina colada, banana nut bland and crazy carrot, as well as a smoothie of the month and custom-made drinks.

The Safeway Foundation recently hosted an awards ceremony at the Safeway’s Eastern Division headquarters in Lanham, MD to distribute grants to local charities. The Foundation is funded through the generous contributions of Safeway employees throughout its Eastern Division which operates 125 grocery stores in Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC. The Foundations distributed $248,500 in donations in 2013 with special emphasis on organizations in the areas of hunger relief, education, health and human services and special needs.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all. I’ll be celebrating at my favorite local pub, Clyde’s of Columbia. Slainte!

When you travel around the food world in the mid-Atlantic you can run into some very interesting people doing very interesting things. One of those interesting people is someone who most of our readers know, Ed Sherwin.

Ed Sherwin is owner of Sherwin Food Safety, Inc. which provides education and services to the food, lodging and travel industries. His clients include independent restaurants, multi-unit food service operators, hotels, conference facilities, cruise operators, government offices, convenience stores and supermarkets. In addition to food safety programs, SFS offers the services of HACCP compliance plans, quality assurance audits, human resource training and development, secret shopper reports and 24-hour crisis response. His daughter, Kelly Sherwin, is following in her father’s foot steps. Kelly Sherwin is Senior Manager of Life Sciences, Health, and Food for the City of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

According to a report issued by the international advocacy confederation Oxfam, the Netherlands was ranked number one in the world for food quality, based on the availability of nutritionally diverse food options and access to safe water. The U.S. tied with Australia for fourth place for food quality, and ranked Number One for affordability of food.

Oxfam America is a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger, and injustice. The group saves lives, develops long-term solutions to poverty, and campaigns for social change. As one of the 17 members of the international Oxfam confederation, Oxfam America works with people in more than 90 countries to create lasting solutions.

In 1970, Oxfam America became an independent, non profit organization and an Oxfam affiliate in response to the humanitarian crisis created by the fight for Bangladesh independence. Oxfam America’s headquarters are located in Boston, MA; a policy and campaign office was opened in Washington, DC in 1994. There are seven regional offices around the world. For more information about Oxfam America visit www.oxfamamerica.org.

In an effort to continue to grow what is already one of the most successful charity golf tournaments in the country, the Committee of the Easter Seals Celebrity Pro-Am Golf tournament is making some changes this year. In the past the tournament was sponsored by the Safeway Foundation. This year, however, the committee has decided to expand the event to include the entire food industry, including multiple supermarket VIPs so that participants will have the opportunity to network more broadly and they can raise more

funds for Easter Seals.

The mission of the tournament remains the same – to raise funds that enable Easter Seals serving DC/MD/VA to provide urgent, direct services that support veterans searching for meaningful employment, lay the foundation so at-risk young children succeed in school and live, and enable seniors to stay in the community and out of institutions. “It is an incredible tribute to the Committee and Safeway that we have such a strong foundation to build upon. Thank you for your many years of support and for supporting this change that will enable us to do even more in the future,” said Lisa Reeves, president and CEO of Easter Seals serving DC, Maryland and Virginia. “I am excited by the committee’s vision, and I fully expect that we will realize their goal of creating an even bigger event where each year we can honor a particular retailer for its significant contributions to the success of Easter Seals community services.”

Giant/Carlisle donated nearly $650,000 to local charities between November 24 and December 7. The division of Ahold USA also made a $9,000 donation to Philabundance, a hunger-relief organization in the Philadelphia area.

NurnbergMesse North America (NMNA) and Food Marketing Institute are going to co-locate the InterBev Beverage 2014 trade show with FMI Connect: The Global Food Retail Experience, in June in Chicago.

“InterBev is the premier beverage trade show in North America, and given the strength of the beverage category in recent years, their presence will provide food retailers with multiple opportunities to explore new product innovations,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, in a recent statement.

NMNA is a U.S. subsidiary of Germany-based NurnbergMesse GmbH, which is one of the world’s largest trade show companies. Past InterBev Expo conferences had been held as stand-alone events in Las Vegas.

Six independent coffee shops in the District of Columbia have joined forces to launch an attack on Starbucks, according to the Huffington Post, in an attempt to drive customers from the coffee giant. Peregrine Espresso, Filter, the Coffee Bar, Chinatown Coffee Company, Lama no and the Blind Dog Café have created the DC Disloyalty Card and will give card holders a stamp each time they visit a location. Once they get six, the coffee fan receives a free drink from one of the participating shops. We understand that the shops made 500 cards for the initial printing and are already running out.

FMI Connect is the new, redesigned FMI show, scheduled for June 10-13 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Some of the country’s largest food companies have cut daily calorie counts by an average of 78 per person, a study says, more than four times the amount the industry pledged to slash by next year 2015. The study sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that between 2007 and 2012, the estimated total cut in food product calories from a group of 16 major food companies was in the range of 6.4 trillion.

The 2010 pledge taken by the companies – including General Mills., Campbell Soup, ConAgra, Kraft, Kellogg, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Hershey – was to cut 1 trillion calories by 2012 and 1.5 trillion calories by 2015.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation signed on to hold the companies accountable, and then hired researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to painstakingly count the calories in almost every single packaged item the grocery store. To do that, the UNC researchers used the store-based scanner date to hundreds of thousands to foods, commercial databases and nutrition facts panels to calculate exactly how many calories the companies were selling. Researchers aren’t yet releasing the entire study, but they said that the companies have exceeded their own goals by a wide margin. The companies involved are all part of an industry coalition of food business called Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation that has organized to help reduce obesity.

More than 100 Network of Executive Women members learned the value of channeling and celebrating personal experiences at the NEW Mid-Atlantic fall networking event held in December at the Bethesda Marriott. Socialist, author and comedian Dr. Bertice Berry used humor and stories drawn from her own life in her keynote presentation “ReNew, ReEnergize, ReEngage the Leader in You.” Emphasizing the importance of celebrating success as a group, Berry recalled a trip to Africa, where she gave a coat to a tribal woman and was thanked by other women in the village as though they had received gifts themselves. “When you do well, I do well,” Berry said. “We are all connected. Women leaders must mentor others,” she added. “When you get to the top, you need to send the elevator back down.”

Among the organizations sending large delegations to the event were Altria, Coca-Cola, Giant/Landover, Harris Teeter, Nestle, Safeway, Shoppers Food and Pharmacy and Staples.

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) elected its association officers and members of the board of directors for 2013-2014 at its annual membership meeting in San Diego, CA.

Scott Haws, VP of Retail/Deli Sales, Land O’Lakes, has been elected chairman of the board. Haws has served on the board since 2005. He is also a member of the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats and Honorable Order of Golden Penguins.

Other officers sworn in at the association’s 69th annual meeting were: David Welch, Winn-Dixie, chairman-elect; Scott Rouse, Tyson Foods, secretary; Ray Tarnowski, Philadelphia Warehouse & Cold Storage, treasurer; Dave Jones, Kellogg Company, vice chairman-frozen; and John Farmer, Dairy Farmers of America, vice chairman-refrigerated.

Newly elected to the board were: Shawn Buckner, Meijer; Ken Cassara, Wegmans; Dave Cichocki, Kraft Foods; Richard Gillis, Lactalis Retail Dairy; Ken Lahey, ConAgra Foods; Philip Payment, HAC; Kevin Schwab, Pictsweet; Mike Witt, Supervalu.

Elected for a second term on the board were: Bob Cronin, Wells Enterprises; Ken Messick, Boulder Brands; Joe Mrozek, Pinnacle Foods Group; Dan Nolan, Stremick’s Heritage Foods; Michael O’Keefe, Advantage Sales & Marketing; Trenton Potts, Daisy Brand; Angela Rosenquist, Boboli International.

National Grocers Association has launched an online political action center that will seek to connect independent grocers with their legislators. The new website – www.GrocersTakeAction.org – also will integrate NGA’s grassroots efforts with its Political Action Committee, the NGA Grocers PAC.

Wegmans Food Markets is ranked number12 this year on Fortune Magazine’s annual list of Best Companies to Work For. The Rochester, NY-based company ranked number five last year. Fortune Cited Wegmans’ flexible scheduling, employee scholarship program, and other initiatives that “help young employees grow within the company.” In addition, 66 percent of jobs are filled through internal promotions.

Convenience store chain Sheetz of Altoona, PA., also made the list for the first time at number 87.

Food Marketing Institute presented the Sidney R. Rabb Award to Neil Golub, executive chairman of the board of Price Chopper Supermarkets for his “statesmanship and community service.” Golub received FMI’s highest honor at the Midwinter Executive Conference held in Phoenix, AZ.

We end this column on a very happy note. Our congratulations go out to Dana Metzger, daughter of Best-Met’s Jeff and Audrie Metzger, who was named one of the “Rising PR Stars 30 and Under” by PR News at their annual dinner held in December at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. (We always knew she was a Star!)

We received an interesting news release from The Harris Poll, which polls just about everything under the sun. For the past decade, The Harris Poll has measured the  percentage of Americans who perceive 19 large industries as “generally honest and trustworthy.” This year, this perception has dropped for 18 of the 19 industries, as overall U.S. adults seem to have lost trust in most of corporate America. And, the only industry that did not drop is tobacco companies, as just 3 percent of Americans say they normally would believe a statement from someone in that industry – same as it’s been for the past few years. At the other end of the spectrum, the most trusted industries are supermarkets – where three in ten (30 percent) say this industry is generally honest and trustworthy. For more information visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

In an interesting article in The Washington Post, reporter Reid Wilson wrote about some interesting shopping habits: “If you call yourself a Republican, you were more likely to stock up at Wal-Mart or Costco. Independent voters are more likely to get their groceries at traditional grocery stores, like Giant, Safeway, Food Lion, Publix or Albertsons.”

Giant/Landover and the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation worked together to support children in need during the holiday season. Toys for Tots collected bins in 170 neighborhood stores in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC and Delaware.

This was the third consecutive year that the bins were used. As in past years, thousands of children received toys they normally would not have. In 2010, Marines distributed toys to more than 7.2 million children who might not have otherwise experienced the magic of the Christmas holiday season. The Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is now in its 65th year.

In keeping with the holiday spirit, we received a lovely and “newsy” note from retired Baltimore-Washington food broker, Charles “Charlie” Nolte. Charlie and his lovely wife, Susan spent the early part of 2013 on a seven-day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. One of Charlie’s favorite past times is playing the piano, so while at his 55th college reunion at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, Charlie played the piano at the school. And it wasn’t just any old piano, it was the piano that once belonged to Robert E. Lee. (Charlie was quick to remind us that wife Susan’s grandfather fought in the Civil War for the North.)

Safeway supermarkets throughout the mid-Atlantic area celebrated Chanukah in partnership with the local rabbinical community. Several Safeway stores provided an opportunity for local synagogues to display a menorah, and others hosted cooking demonstrations for the preparation of latkes, one of the food items associated with Chanukah. The company also made product donations to synagogues to assist needy families to celebrate the holiday.

Partnering with Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the Maryland Food Bank hosted a vital press conference to speak out against a proposed farm bill that would cut $40 million from the already-gutted federal food assistance program, SNAP. Also speaking at the conference were Senator Barbara Mikulski, Representative John Sarbanes, and president and CEO of the Maryland Food Bank Deborah Flateman.

Recently saw an interesting article on e-commercetimes.com titled “Beginning of the End of the Supermarket Aisle.” It stated, “A new marketing push is reminding consumers of how easy it can be to shop for groceries online when they have a few spare minutes—say waiting on a platform for a train—and then schedule their orders for later pickup or delivery. Virtual shopping is more efficient not only for consumers, but also for manufacturers and marketers,” said Brian Todd, president and CEO of The Food Institute.

We are all living in a very exciting time. It is going to be really interesting to see where this all ends up. If you are interested in reading more about this, go to http://www.ecommercetimes.com and read the article. It’s fascinating reading and it is about the future of retailing in the grocery industry.

Women’s leadership is critical to the future of the global retail business, but organizations, individuals and society must fundamentally change, according to a report released by the Network of Executive Women at the NEW Leadership Summit in Los Angeles. “Women 2020: The Future of Women’s Leadership in Consumer Products and Retail” reports that while women control nearly three-fourths of consumer spending in the United States and comprise nearly half of the retail industry’s workforce, women are still “vastly underrepresented in senior leadership” and represent only 1.8 percent of the industry’s CEOs. The report concludes with an action agenda for organizations and individuals. “Companies must make having more women leaders an organizational priority,” said NEW president and CEO Joan Toth. For more information, visit www.newonline.org/news

Kathy and I will be ringing in the New Year at our favorite watering hole on Cape Cod – Land Ho – in Orleans, MA, with a toast to all our wonderful advertisers and readers and a wish for a prosperous and healthy 2014 for everyone. Happy New Year to all in the food world!

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) elected its association officers and members of the board of directors for 2013-2014 at its membership meeting held last month in San Diego, CA during its annual convention.

Scott Haws, VP of retail/deli sales for Land O’Lakes, Inc. was elected chairman of the board. Haws has served on the board since 2005, including as vice chairman-refrigerated from 2010-2011, as secretary from 2011-2012, and as chairman-elect from 2012-2013. He is also a member of the Distinguished Order of Zerocrats and Honorable Order of Golden Penguins.

Other officers sworn in at the Association’s 69th annual meeting were: David Welch, Winn-Dixie Stores, chairman-elect; Scott Rouse, Tyson Foods, secretary; Ray Tarnowski, Philadelphia Warehouse & Cold Storage, treasurer; Dave Jones, Kellogg Company, vice chairman-frozen; and John Farmer, Dairy Farmers of America, vice chairman-refrigerated.

Newly elected to the board were: Shawn Buckner, Meijer; Ken Cassara, Wegmans; Dave Cichocki, Kraft Foods; Richard Gillis, Lactalis Retail Dairy; Ken Lahey, ConAgra Foods; Philip Payment, HAC; Kevin Schwab, Pictsweet; and Mike Witt, Supervalu. Elected for a second term were: Bob Cronin, Wells Enterprises; Ken Messick, Boulder Brands; Moe Mrozek, Pinnacle Foods Group; Dan Nolan, Stremick’s Heritage Foods; Michael O’Keefe, Advantage Sales & Marketing; Trenton Potts, Daisy Brand; and Angela Rosenquist, Boboli International.

Congratulations and best wish to Nestle/Carnation’s Anthony McPhail on his retirement from Nestle after 34 years with the company. Anthony was a credit to the company, as he lived and breathed Nestle from every pore of his body. When you were with Anthony, he could never stop talking about Nestle and his job. We wish him well in retirement and I’m sure he will be an Ambassador for Nestle no matter where he goes.

Bradmer Foods, LLC, a Baltimore-based natural and specialty food focused venture capital firm, recently announced the appointment of Dan Krause as managing director. Krause will assume the day-to-day responsibilities of Bradmer Foods and spearhead the firm’s efforts to consult in the natural and specialty industry. Dan is a former General Mills and McCormick executive with over 20 years of experience in both traditional grocery and specialty items.

Bradmer Foods is a consulting and investing firm that partners exclusively with natural and specialty food and beverage businesses to help them grow their brands. Bradmer Foods works with food and beverage entrepreneurs through management and best practice consulting, delivering years of industry experience in ways that enhance a company’s existing

processes. Bradmer has previously consulted to numerous manufacturers, importers and distributors and also invested in six brands. Learn more about Bradmer Foods at www.bradmerfoods.com

The William J. Grize Hall of Fame Award was presented to Regenia Stein, former president for business development, industry development and communications at Foods Group Inc., at the Network of Executive Women Leadership Summit’s Celebrating Excellence Awards last

month in Los Angeles. More than 1,000 NEW members were present as president and CEO Joan Toth presented award, which is named after the late Ahold USA CEO Bill Grize, an early advocate of industry diversity. It honors industry leaders who have demonstrated “an enduring commitment to the advancement of women and to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.”

Stein has been a member of the NEW board since 2006. As sponsorship chair, she was instrumental in launching a partnership program that doubled sponsor support. She served on the NEW Diversity and Inclusion Council and has played significant roles in the Network’s succession planning project, the NEW Multicultural Workforce Conference and the NEW LeadershipAcademy and has represented NEW at industry events and inside Kraft Foods Group as a NEW Ambassador.

The Network also presented board service awards to outgoing NEW Treasurer Rosa Stroh, vice president and treasurer of The Hershey Company, and outgoing board members Linda Johnson, former chief diversity officer and vice president of talent management and diversity at Supervalu, and Christy Consler, senior vice president for human resources and corporate sustainability at Jamba Juice.

Wegman’s Food Markets is a standout among Baltimore-Washington area stores, with comparatively low prices and high quality, according to a 152-item basket analysis by

Consumers’ Checkbook magazine.

According to the magazine’s article, compared to average prices at Giant and Safeway stores in the region, prices are 20 percent lower at WalmartSupercenter stores, 19 percent lower at SuperTarget, 14 percent at Food Lion, 14 percent at Target and 13 percent at Wegmans, according to the report.

Wegman’s ranked highest in overall quality with the vast majority of Wegmans consumers—93 percent–rating it “superior” vs. 34 percent of Safeway shoppers and 39 percent of Giant shoppers. Area price leaders also got relative low marks for quality with just 27 percent of Walmart shoppers rating it “superior,” 23 percent of Food Lion shoppers and 21 percent of Target shoppers.

Wegmans likewise received high ratings for “quality of fresh produce,” “quality of meats” and “helpfulness of staff.”

The number of people utilizing digital devices for holiday shopping is expected to rise this year, according to the 28th annual holiday survey by Deloitte of New York. More than one-third of respondents said they still prefer to shop in a physical store rather than on line.

Edward “Eddie” Dopkin, popular Baltimore Restaurateur who founded and owned Miss Shirley’s and co-owned the Classic Catering People, died last month at age 61. Dopkin’s dining successes and relationships within the community earned praise from Baltimoreans who patronized his establishments and who, like the Baltimore Ravens organization, relied on his family’s Owings Mills-based catering company.

In addition to launching the original Miss Shirley’s on East Cold Spring Lane in 2005, Dopkin formerly owned several other restaurants in the Keswick and Evergreen neighborhoods along Cold Spring Lane in North Baltimore, including Alonso’s, Loco Hombre, S’ghetti Eddies and the Roland Park Bagel Co.

As the caterer for the Baltimore Ravens, Dopkin was a recognizable figure throughout the organization, and was even asked on occasion by players to provide catering for private parties.

Dopkin’s efforts within the restaurant and catering industry included a term as board president of the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM).

We also recently learned of the passing of Alvin R. Mindel, former director of sales and merchandising of Gian/Landover. Al retired from Giant in the early 1990s. He leaves his wife Estelle Mindel and was the brother of Rochelle Nezin and Wilma Mindel. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Our condolences to the family of Herb Whiteside, long time A&P vice president, who passed away last month.

As this is the last issue of Food World in 2013…from all of us at Best-Met Publishing a very happy and healthy holiday season to all the beautiful people who work in the food industry! We will see you in 2014!

We begin this column on a very personal note. Best-Met Publishing’s secretary and treasurer William H. Speakman 3rd passed away on October 8, 2013 at Augusta Health in Fisherville, VA after a long illness.

When Jeff and I decided to purchase Food World in 1978, we visited with an accountant friend in Boston and asked him if he would represent us. He said he could not, but he knew someone in Washington who would be perfect for us.

And thus began Jeff’s and my relationship with Bill Speakman. Bill led us through the very complex process of forming a corporation, borrowing money to buy Food World and other very complicated corporate and financial procedures we had to get done. He also negotiated the process of becoming incorporated in the state of Maryland. And thus Best-Met Publishing Company, Inc. came to be, and Bill Speakman became our treasurer. Not only was Bill our accountant, both in business and personally, he and his wife Ann became personal friends of ours and our families. “Uncle Bill” advised my children regarding their college choices, their career choices and their financial decisions.

He was a tough negotiator in business, but he also had a heart of gold when it came to family and friends. He will be missed.

Bill was born in Abington, PA, a son of the late William Henry and Edith (Gemunden) Speakman. He was the owner/president of Speakman Management.

In addition to his wife of 50 years, Ann (Johnson) Speakman, he leaves two sons, William Henry Speakman 4th of Houston, TX and Jonathan Edward Speakman of Austin, TX; a daughter, Lisa Ann (Speakman) Shelton and her husband Ryan of Staunton, VA; and two grandchildren, Jake T. and Joseph R. Shelton. Our prayers go out to the entire Speakman family.

The Hershey Co. of Hershey, PA is launching a new confectionery brand in the United States called Lancaster Soft Cremes. The new brand will feature a line of caramel soft crèmes that will roll out nationwide in January. This is the first time in 30 years that Hershey has launched a new brand that is not a brand extension or acquisition The new brand is rooted in Hershey’s heritage and is inspired by Milton Hershey’s original confection company, The Lancaster Caramel Company.

Earlier this year, Hershey successfully launched the Lancaster brand in China, which underscored the company’s deep commitment to China, as well as the importance of the market in Hershey’s global growth plans. The launch of Lancaster brand in China marked the first time a brand launch originated outside of the United States.

Giant/Landover was honored last month by the USO of Metropolitan Washington (USO-Metro) and named to USO-Metro’s 2013 Circle of the Stars during the nonprofit’s 100th Annual Stars and Stripes Night networking event at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, VA. USO-Metro’s 2013 Circle of Stars is an elite award bestowed on the top-level corporate donors who provide generous funding to support USO-Metro’s mission to lift the spirits of military service members and their families. Giant was named to the Circle of Stars at the Four-Star level, which is the highest level honored by USO-Metro.

When women are put in leadership roles, “brands get better and morale gets better,” Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, told 300 senior executives at the Network of Executive Women (NEW) Executive Leadership Forum at Rancho Palos Verdes, CA recently.

Gender equality – especially in sales and marketing organizations – is “a huge enable to repeat success,” said Kent, during a one-on-one interview with NEW forum designer Trudy Bourgeois, CEO and founder of the Center for Workforce Excellence.

Kent said his belief in advancing women’s leadership dates to the mid-2000s, when he was promoted to president of Coca-Cola international, leading all of the company’s operations outside North America.

NEW is the consumer products and retail industry’s largest diversity organization,  with more than 7,000 members representing 700 industry companies. The organization has 92 national sponsors and 20 regional groups in the United States and Canada. It hosts dozens of local events and two national conferences each year. For more information visit www.newonline.org.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for a new retail center commencing in the Croom, MD neighborhood featuring an 110,000 square-foot shopping center on the corner of Crain Highway and Osborne Road. The project will be anchored by a 56,000 square-foot, full-service Safeway, which is expected to open in 2014.

Safeway purchased the entire property in order to replace a small, outdated Safeway with a state-of-the-art store to better serve the community in addition to redeveloping the shopping center. This project is part of the company’s effort to upgrade its entire store base with its popular Lifestyle format.

Here’s some interesting information about Croom, MD. Croom is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George’s County, MD. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 2,631. It largely consists of former tobacco farms and forests converting to Washington, DC bedroom subdivisions such as nearby Marlton. The main part of Patuxent River Park (Jug Bay Natural Area) is in Croom. The ColumbiaAirCenter was located in Croom from 1941-1956. It was among the first African-American owned airports in the United States.

Food Marketing Institute and the United Fresh Produce Association plan to co-locate their annual trade shows in Chicago for the next three years, it was announced recently.

The two organizations had decided on a combined 2014 FMI Connect and United Fresh Show last year, but confirmed last week that the partnership would continue through 2016.

Though FMI and United Fresh have co-located shows before, most recently in Dallas in 2012, leaders said the new partnership would bring more integration between the two groups this time around. Exhibitors and attendees will see this particularly on the show floor but also possibly in joint education sessions. Registration for the show, taking place June 10-13, is now open.

Professional Woman’s Magazine has named Ahold USA among the “Top Supplier Diversity Programs for Women” for 2013 as a result of the company’s commitment to working with diverse and women-owned businesses. This annual review is an evaluation of the nation’s employers, initiatives, government agencies and educational institutions, compiled from market research, independent research, diversity conference participation and survey responses. Ahold USDA’s signature efforts with local diverse businesses include hosting annual trade local/diverse business opportunity fairs, events which strengthen the company’s connection to prospective local agricultural and diverse businesses. 2013 events were held in February in Quincy, MA, and last month in Carlisle.

During the 2013 Quincy and Carlisle events, a total of 81 companies were given the opportunity to have their products reviewed by Ahold USA for potential placement through its retail divisions in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Attendees included representatives of women-and minority-owned businesses.

We were saddened last month to hear of the death of Larry Adam, charismatic founder of Harvest for the Hungry. Larry formed Harvest for the Hungry in 1987 after participating in a holiday food drive at Morgan Stanley where he was a stockbroker. He quickly realized that “hunger doesn’t take a holiday” and launched a series of year-round food drives that engaged WBAL, Safeway, the Girl Scouts and many other organizations. Harvest for the Hungry campaigns, including the Kids Helping Kids Food & Funds Drive in public schools across the state of Maryland, have collected more than 30 million pounds of food and more than $1 million for hungry children and families in Maryland.

Birthday wishes go out to my daughter-in-law Stephanie and to grandson RJ Bestany.

A happy, healthy Thanksgiving to all of our readers in the Food World!