Coborn’s names Dave Meyer president

St. Cloud, Minn.-based grocer Coborn’s Inc. on Thursday named current chief operating officer Dave Meyer as the new president of the company. Meyer is only the second person outside the Coborn family to hold that position in the 101-year history of the company. He replaces Chris Coborn, who will continue to lead the company as chairman and CEO.

In his new role as president, Meyer will oversee store operations, human resources, fresh and center store merchandising, and marketing. He will also retain his position as COO and continue to serve on the board of directors.

“Dave Meyer is the perfect leader for our company at this point in our growth,” said Coborn. “He will be instrumental in continuing to bring our leadership team and our business to the next level and position us well as we begin our next 100 years. Dave has a long history of strong, strategic vision and leadership in our organization. He has been instrumental in our growth, in implementing our next-generation and brand promise vision and he has a strong sense of the challenges we have before us as we plan for our future. It’s these qualities that make Dave an invaluable leader for the organization.”

Meyer (left) joined Coborn’s in 1985 as an evening shift manager and over the years has served with the company as store manager, deli supervisor, district manager, vice president of operations, senior vice president and executive vice president before being named COO in January 2021.

Related:Coborn’s marks 100th year in business

“I am honored to serve in this role as this company continues in our next phase of growth,” he said. “We have been strategic to develop a business model, focused on our guests and delivering our brand promises. Those strategies have benefited our guests creating a great experience in our stores and have made Coborn’s Inc. the greatest place to work. Meeting our goals will strengthen our commitment to our communities.”

In addition to Meyer, Coborn’s announced the promotions of several key leaders in the company:

• Troy Vosburgh (left), vice president of fresh merchandising, has been named vice president of operations-Eastern Region. Vosburgh currently oversees the company’s merchandising strategy in its produce, meat, deli, bakery, and floral departments. He will report to president & COO Dave Meyer. Vosburgh joined Coborn’s in 2020 from Skogen’s Festival Foods in Wisconsin, where he was vice president of fresh foods for more than 14 years. He also previously served as director of produce, wine and spirits.

• Emily Coborn has been named vice president of retail services and will oversee pharmacy, liquor, and e-commerce operations. Coborn previously was vice president of operations- Eastern Region.

Related:Coborn’s focuses on fresh with updated store formats

• Marti Sunderlin has been named vice president of center store and fresh merchandising. Sunderlin has held various positions with Hornbacher’s since 2004 and with Coborn’s since 2018.

• Sarah Putnam has been promoted to senior director of fresh merchandising, overseeing deli, bakery and floral. Putnam most recently served as director of operations-Eastern Region and has been with the company since 1998.

• Jenn Weisgram has been promoted to senior director of fresh merchandising, overseeing produce, meat and seafood. Jenn most recently served as director of operations in the Western Region. Weisgram has held various positions with Hornbacher’s since 2003 and with Coborn’s since 2018.

• Amy Petersen has been promoted to social media strategist overseeing the growing needs in social media and content strategy for the company’s retail locations. She most recently served as a registered dietitian and has been with the company since 2016.

Coborn’s operates 66 grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan under the Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods, Tadych’s Marketplace and Hornbacher’s banners.