Associated Wholesale Grocers President and CEO David Smith retires

Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. President and CEO David Smith has retired as of December 2023. His successor, Dan Funk, has now assumed the role of president and CEO.

Smith joined AWG in 2003 and became president and CEO in 2015. Under David his leadership, AWG experienced significant growth and success, solidifying its position as a leader in the industry. David was instrumental in steering the company through various challenges and played a key role in shaping AWG’s strategic direction. During his time with AWG, the cooperative and membership grew from a Midwest company supplying 1,200 stores and three divisions with sales of $3.2 billion to a sprawling company with divisions across the central U.S. with retail sales exceeding $24 billion and wholesale sales exceeding $12 billion.

Smith said, “It has been an incredible journey leading AWG, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together. I am confident in the bright future ahead for the company under Dan Funk’s capable leadership.”

Funk started his career with AWG as president of AWG’s subsidiary, Valu Merchandisers Company (VMC) in October 2012. After two years leading VMC, he held roles of increasing responsibility including leading center store, merchandising and marketing, supply chain and, most recently, as COO where he had responsibility for operations for the cooperative. Before AWG, Funk held numerous food retail and wholesale positions for leading independent and chain grocers.

Funk stated, “I am honored to lead AWG into its next chapter. I am committed to building on the strong foundation laid by David and working collaboratively with our talented leadership team, membership, and board of directors to drive continued innovation and growth.”

“On behalf of the Board, I want to express our deepest gratitude to David Smith for his outstanding leadership. Under his guidance, AWG has thrived, and we wish him a well-deserved retirement. We are confident that Dan Funk is the right leader to continue AWG’s success, and we look forward to working with him in this new capacity,” said Barry Queen, AWG’s chairman of the board.