Northeast Grocery names new COO, CAO and Tops president

Northeast Grocery, Inc. (NGI) has promoted three of its top executives, naming John Persons as chief operating officer, Ron Ferri as president of Tops Friendly Markets and Mike Miller as chief administrative officer.  

The announcement comes just a few weeks after NGI named former BJ’s executive Scott Kessler executive vice president, chief information officer.  

Schenectady, New York-based NGI, the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Friendly Markets, described the latest round of promotions as the completion of its executive team. The company runs nearly 300 stores across New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. 

Persons, who previously served as Tops president, will oversee operations of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets, as well as NGI subsidiary Northeast Shared Services, which provides services to both grocery chains. Persons, a 39-year Tops veteran who has served as president of the chain since 2015, will report to NGI CEO Frank Curci. 

Persons has overseen every aspect of the chain during his nearly four decades with the store, including operations, merchandising, sales, marketing, real estate, information technology and organizational strategy. He earned a B.A. and an M.B.A. from the University of Buffalo and has served on several nonprofit boards, including his current role on the board of directors of Kaleida Health and his former role as board chair of The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation.  

“After nearly 40 years of learning and growing with Tops, I’m excited to continue building the company in this new role, working collaboratively with the talented teams at Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32 to help our combined businesses meet the grocery needs of the communities we serve,” Persons said in a statement.  

Miller, in his new role as chief administrative officer, will oversee human resources, legal, government affairs, corporate communications, public relations, risk management functions and merger integration. 

“Promoting John to COO and Mike to CAO fills out our executive leadership team and bolsters our experience and expertise in many of the functional areas that continue to contribute to our combined company’s growth,” said Curci in a statement. “I’m confident that our executive team, which also includes Dave Langless (CFO), Scott Kessler (CIO), Blaine Bringhurst (Price Chopper/Market 32 President), and Ron Ferri (Tops’ newly promoted president), is equipped to provide us with cutting-edge leadership. We are very fortunate to have the seasoned, proven leadership of Blaine Bringhurst at Price Chopper/Market 32 and now Ron Ferri at Tops at the helms of our operating companies.” 

Ferri, a 34-year Tops veteran who has served as executive vice president of operations and distribution at Tops since 2016, succeeds Persons and will report directly to the newly appointed COO. Ferri began his career with the company as a produce clerk in 1989 and has held a variety of executive management positions with the company during his tenure. He earned a B.A. from Houghton University and an M.B.A. from the University at Buffalo. 

“Among the tremendous workforce we’ve developed at Tops, Ron Ferri stands out as someone who understands our communities and cares deeply for our customers,” Persons said in a statement. “As he has for over 30 years, he’ll continue to give this job his all. Ron is well prepared to lead Tops forward.” 

Ferri will be succeeded by Mike Patti, who most recently served as regional vice president for Tops’ West Region shops. Jim Gibson succeeds Patti, the company said. 

“One of the things that connected Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops was that the strength of our companies was in our people, from our executive offices to our stores. The talent in our teams continues to be an asset, fostering stability and consistency in our store experience as we build this new enterprise and develop further synergies that will benefit our people, customers, and communities,” said Curci in a statement.