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Barb Buck, director of deli food service for Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Cos., has been integral in growing the company’s deli business over the past year. Buck’s role is to influence, mentor and supervise Albertsons’ sales managers in the six divisions she oversees. One of her recent achievements has been helping to create the “perfect chicken.” “She worked with several teams across our company to come up with the perfect chicken guide. How to bread our chicken, how to fry our chicken (exactly what it should look like) and how to sell our chicken,” her nominator said. Buck has also been working on automating ordering in the deli.
Kurt Burmeister, west regional sales manager for Cedar Grove, New Jersey-based David’s Cookies, a specialty bakery that offers a range of desserts custom packaged for corporate and personal gifting, is often described as an “energetic go-getter” with a great work ethic. “Every task presented to him is accomplished in a timely fashion with vigor and precision,” his nominator said. Prior to his current role, Burmeister was a regional bakery specialist for David’s Cookies.
Callan Bustos, director of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons’ Ready Meals program, has a wealth of experience that ranges from product development to testing and going live in stores. He also leads Albertsons’ digital connection work in labeling attributes, including ingredient/nutrition content, and technology developments. Bustos connects food to digital applications such as order ahead and digital storytelling for customers’ needs online. “Callan digs in to learn what is needed and creates solutions by building relationships as well as by taking down roadblocks to create solutions. Every area Callan works on has a better outcome,” his nominator said. Bustos’ accomplishments also include developing meals in categories such as snacks, better-for-you and mini meals.
Cedric Christien, U.S. sales manager for Interval Export, an ambassador of French regional dairy products with U.S. headquarters in Hoboken, New Jersey, has helped the company open new distribution in Mexico. Described as “empathetic, dedicated and willing to learn,” Christien routinely goes above and beyond and takes the lead in training and educating newer employees. “He is the poster child for French imported cheese and butter,” Christien’s nominator said.
Jessica Fontenot joined De Pere, Wisconsin-based Festival Foods in 2022 as a bakery buyer and has quickly grown in her current role as senior director of bakery. “Jessica creates an environment of openness, trust, innovation and collaboration with not only internal teams but with supplier partners as well while providing leadership to Festival Foods’ store teams, buyers and support specialists to best meet guest demand in the bakery,” Fontenot’s nominator said. “Additionally, Jessica sees the value in industry trends and events, understands how to deliver results and, in turn, communicates with her peers on best practices.” One of her recent accomplishments includes launching a new cake commissary that provides cakes to stores pre-iced and ready for finishing touches.
Jackie Jackson has more than 25 years of experience in the retail grocery industry. Currently service deli sales manager of Albertsons’ Southern California division, Jackson “sees her career as a means to improve the lives of the people around her, through hard work, innovation and great food,” her nominator said. Jackson helped lead Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons’ companywide rollout of its extensive cut fruit and vegetable program and had a hand in developing innovative products such as Edible Potato Flowers, a 7-layer bean dip, Mini Meals and Greek Hummus salad items. “Jackie realizes you have to change operations and assortment to make a difference and keep growing as a person and a department. Her generosity and tireless work ethic make her a dynamic personality that always puts other people first.”
Mark Jenkins’ passions include creating solutions, winning scenarios and long-term partnerships. As senior key account manager for Rise Baking Co., a bakery goods provider based in River Falls, Wisconsin, Jenkins is “data-minded and solutions-oriented, which sets his accounts up for success as they make fact-based decisions that are right for the opportunity and arm the customer with consumer data to help them make educated decisions for their business,” his nominator said. “Whether you know him personally, professionally or just meet him on your travels, any insight or advice he gives you is worth listening to.”
In her role as senior director of fresh item management for Festival Foods, De Pere, Wisconsin, Jackie Johnson supports all fresh teams, with a focus on the deli and bakery. Her recent achievements include launching a production planning and forecasting tool and building departmental segmentation and clustering, which has led to better merchandising the right assortment in the right locations and at the right time. Johnson is also working on introducing new AI-based technology to departments that have historically relied on experience and recipes from the past. “Jackie has immersed herself in the deli and bakery departments to better understand the day in the life of these teams. Her commitment to comprehending team operations has provided valuable insights that Jackie transformed into actionable strategies,” her nominator said.
Alex Libell has more than 13 years of experience in the supermarket industry and recently stepped up as interim prepared foods director for Cranberry, Pennsylvania-based Giant Eagle. “Alex is a proven leader. ... He has and continues to be effective through his leadership style, results and staying on trend with menu development,” his nominator said. “He is authentic, honest and ethical. He remains positive and is relentless to find solutions and drive results. The strength he brings to the team comes from his 11 years of store operations experience and his passion for having the right assortment for our guests, our business and that our team members can execute in-store.”
Aside from cheese, Michelle Love has a passion for teaching. She regularly leads workshops, encouraging buyers and cheese managers to learn more about cheese and its role with consumers and buying trends. In her new role as a made-to-order merchandising manager for San Antonio-based H-E-B, she continues to teach partners and coaches them to run a successful and well-kept restaurant in the stores. “Her positive attitude is contagious, and she understands that a successful business and deli department requires strong, passionate and innovative team members,” Love’s nominator said.
Elaine Magee, wellness corporate dietitian for Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, helps create content for the company’s Cheese of the Month and charcuterie programs. She also puts together training documents for Albertsons’ stores that give customers, as well as store associates, information on pairing items with meat as well as wine. “She is passionate [about providing] a better eating experience for our customers, and she is teaching our customers as well as all of our team associates valuable information on how to make items that are healthy as well tasting great,” her nominator said.
Patty McCormack, national account manager for New Boston, Michigan-based Champion Foods, has four decades of experience and expertise in the prepared foods arena. She spends countless hours researching and touring supermarket delis, convenience stores and foodservice providers identifying and noting food trends, then turning trends into programs that help retailers to grow their sales and market share. “She looks beyond the prepared food category seeing the whole channel,” her nominator said.
Amanda Rutherford, senior account representative for Dover Food Retail, Conyers, Georgia, has been heralded for her enthusiasm, attention to detail and exceeding expectations. “In the continuously evolving food retail world where expectations are high and ever-changing, Amanda brings her ‘A’ game every day she arrives to the office and is ready to solve problems, improve our customer experience, and create a positive environment that helps everyone to be successful,” her nominator said.
Matt Smith, national category director of deli for Albertsons Cos., Boise, Idaho, uses his expertise in category development to propel the service deli and better understand what Albertsons’ customers are looking for. “Matt is inspiring; he goes out of his way to help the entire team,” his nominator said. “He always asks what else can I do to help you and the team be more successful.”
Sandi Smith has more than 25 years of experience in the retail grocery industry. In her current role as deli/food service sales manager of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons’ Intermountain division, Smith has focused on sales, assortment, process simplification and shrink reduction. “It is one thing to be as positive as Sandi always is, but equally as important to also deliver company and industry leading results for sales and market share growth and employee development,” her nominator said. “The combination of extensive industry experience, the awareness of the work team and community around her, and innovative drive for results makes Sandi an exceptional leader.”
Joshua Talbot, deli, seafood and bakery specialist for Crosby’s Marketplace, Manchester, Massachusetts, is known for his ability to train and mentor individuals and providing opportunities for others to shine. One of his recent achievements is assisting with the merchandising, product authorization and employee product knowledge of a new line of deli meats and cheeses. “Josh is an experienced and approachable supervisor who understands the challenges and provides suggestions while he accepts input,” his nominator said.
As business development manager of specialty cheese for H-E-B Mexico, Cruz Venzor has helped grow the deli program in the 84 stores the San Antonio-based grocer has in Mexico. He is credited for empowering his department managers to take pride and ownership of their stores. “He is about education and encouraging his team to look forward, be progressive thinkers in merchandising and communicating with consumers as they walk an H-E-B. When you enter their stores, you can see the enthusiasm of his partners and the pride they take in their departments,” his nominator said.
As vice president of dairy and frozen, Tracy Aquila oversees all dairy and frozen departments for Jacksonville, Florida-based Southeastern Grocers’ stores in the Southeast. In 2023, Aquila and her team successfully integrated natural and organic items into dairy sets, allowing a better shopping experience for customers. Aquila also consistently demonstrates that she is an exceptional leader and is “passionate about elevating women leaders and ensuring that women not only get a seat at the table but have a powerful voice,” her nominator said. She is actively involved in the Women’s Development Network, a Southeastern Grocers associate resource group with the purpose to empower and engage women and allies in their professional careers and personal lives.
Linda Avila, vice president of retail for Presenture, a food marketing agency based in Houston, is known for her passion for the industry and for being an innovative thinker. “Linda has proven to be incredibly intelligent, passionate, patient and witty. She commits her time to learning and teaching retailers how to grow in the deli industry and be successful,” her nominator said.
Colleagues say Abbey Byers’ strength is her passion—both for her profession and her people. They applaud the energy she brings to the department and to the curation of products, with an eye toward surprising cross-merchandising that customers gravitate to. Byers began her career at West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee in 2012 as an assistant store manager and is currently vice president of delicatessen. “Byers ascended to vice president in short order and drove a transformation that has positioned Hy-Vee as a Midwest culinary leader whose delicatessens are a resource and repository for the best cured meats, the finest cheese, and the best people to tell those stories to customers,” her nominator said.
As chief marketing officer, Sheree Cardoos has helped FoodLuma, a specialty food broker based in San Fransico, carve out a niche in the industry and been instrumental in helping small brands grow into big companies. “We love selling food,” she has said. “Food brings people and cultures together. Everyone needs food to live, and we want everyone to experience the great food we sell.”
Luis Florencia has been with David’s Cookies for more than 20 years and has a lifetime of experience in the bakery industry. He is currently vice president of new business development for the Cedar Grove, New Jersey-based specialty bakery. “He is a true leader and will complete any task given to him,” his nominator said.
Edward Gasparini, president of Gasparini Sales, has grown with the deli category and has led the four-generation family food brokerage based in Syracuse, New York, from the early days of four-foot deli counters to now. “Ed developed a broad range of cheese island planogram styles and tailored them for independent and medium-sized supermarket chains,” his nominator said. “These stores benefited from his newly created job-aids and seminars in cheese handling, slicing sections and meals preparation. He brought marketing solutions to stores that needed guidance to compete.” An important part of his philosophy is sharing his knowledge with the trade, including customers, manufacturers and even competitors.
As chief technology officer for Toronto-based Invafresh, a technology solutions provider for the grocery industry, Will Hansmann’s leadership is marked by his dedication to leveraging technology to revolutionize the grocery retail sector. “Will's commitment to innovation, particularly in the integration of artificial intelligence, sets him apart as a visionary leader driving positive, transformative change in the industry,” his nominator said. Hansmann is also heralded for prioritizing mentorship, valuing diverse perspectives, and championing innovation, creating an environment where every team member feels valued and motivated to contribute their best.
As the leader of Marra Forni, a provider of authentic, Italian wood-fire ovens based in Beltsville, Maryland, Francesco Marra is known for embracing the opinions of all employees. “He welcomes everyone into the Marra family with his brother Enzo, the COO, making them feel welcome and heard,” his nominator said. “The brothers create a feeling of family within the company and for the customers they serve. This sense of community provides employees with the desire to work hard and care about their customers, and company loyalty is rare in these times.”
As CEO of St. Louis, Missouri-based ASI Food Safety, Tyler Williams has worked with hundreds of bakeries, helping them improve the safety of their operations. “Food safety is hardly ‘just a job’ for Tyler; he’s a self-proclaimed ‘food safety nerd’ who’s gone great lengths to safeguard the future of our food supply chain,” his nominator said. “His humility as a leader, his passion for consumer safety and dedication to running an honest and successful business are some of his most admirable traits.” Williams is also the founder of Show Me Food Safety, a nonprofit that provides resources to small food manufacturers and growers to help improve their food safety practices.
Brandon Campbell, deli cheese manager for San Antonio-based H-E-B, is credited for leading the deli cheese department into the next decade. “He builds creative out-of-the-box displays, carries an impressive selection of cheeses that impresses buyers across the country and runs a very profitable high sales department,” his nominator said. “Anyone visiting stores in the [Dallas-Fort Worth] area should make it a point to stop at his store in Fort Worth on Hulen Street to completely appreciate the value he brings to the industry.”
Vanessa Garcia Alaniz is a deli and grocery buyer for Houston-based Spec's Wines, Spirits & Finer Foods. She has 12 years of experience and enjoys staying abreast of the current food market trends and creating an eclectic shopping experience for Spec’s customers. “She takes pride in her day-to-day activities, makes sure everything is presentable and customer appealing, utilizing her creative merchandising skills,” her nominator said. “She has demonstrated her ability to work with team members and encourage them to contribute to the success of the entire department and the store.”
During his nine-year tenure with IDDBA, Michael Eardley directed the association through many changes and positioned it as an industry forerunner to connect buyers and sellers in the dairy, deli and bakery retail landscapes. Prior to the president and CEO role, Eardley supported the association for decades in various committee and board appointments. His foundation in the industry began early as he gained experience in his family grocery business. He was a key operator and merchandiser for independent retail grocers in Michigan and then deli business development manager and director of deli, cheese and prepared foods for H-E-B, where he stayed for 14 years. Since his retirement in 2023. Mike continues to be a pillar in the industry and lends support to countless manufacturers and retail groups. He was and remains an advocate for the growth of dairy, deli and bakery throughout grocery retail, whether brick-and-mortar or e-commerce.
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