Topco names Big Y’s Michael D’Amour, Associated’s David Rice to board

Group purchasing organization Topco Associates has appointed a pair of grocery executives as new directors on its board and announced the retirement of a third.

Michael D’Amour, executive vice president and chief operating officer at regional grocer Big Y Foods, and David Rice, president and CEO of Associated Food Stores, have joined the Topco board of directors, Elk Grove Village, Illinois-based Topco said Thursday.

D’Amour, part of Big Y’s founding family, has been with the company since 1996 and served as COO since 2019. A 27-year veteran of Associated Food Stores, Rice has been chief executive of the grocery retail cooperative since last October, taking over from Robert Obray, who passed away in August.

D’Amour replaces another D’Amour on the Topco board: his cousin Charles D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods, who has retired from the GPO’s board. He has served as a Topco board member since 1995, including as chairman.

“Charlie has a real vested interest in the success of Topco and has done a great job establishing a strong partnership between the membership and Big Y,” Topco President and CEO Randy Skoda said in a statement. “His influence has added to the success of the membership.”

The Topco board continues to be led by chairman Randy Edeker, executive chairman of Hy-Vee, and vice chairman Steve Smith, president and CEO of K-VA-T Food Stores.

Besides Skoda, D’Amour and Rice, other directors on Topco’s board include Brad Brookshire, chairman and CEO of Brookshire Holdings; Chris Coborn, chairman and CEO of Coborn’s; Frank Curci, CEO of Northeast Grocery Inc.; Brian George, president and CEO of Alex Lee; Tony Sarsam, president and CEO of SpartanNash; Todd Schnuck, chairman and CEO of Schnuck Markets; and Pete Van Helden, chairman and CEO of Stater Bros. Markets.

Topco also recognized members with awards for their growth and successes with Topco in 2022. Award winners include the following companies:

• Hy-Vee – Highest Purchase Volume • K-VA-T Food Stores – Greatest Purchase Penetration • Stater Bros. Markets – Total Program Greatest Dollar Growth • Affiliated Foods – Total Program Greatest Percentage Growth • Schnuck Markets – Greatest Dollar Growth, Fresh • Associated Food Stores – Greatest Percentage Growth, Fresh • Brookshire Holdings – Greatest Dollar Growth, Value-Add • Coborn’s – Greatest Percentage Growth, Value-Add • SpartanNash – Greatest Dollar Growth, Center Store • Alex Lee ­– Greatest Percentage Growth, Center Store

“The membership experienced a record year in growth, not only in the performance of Topco and member own brands, but in perishables, pharmacy, indirect spend and fuel purchases,” Skoda added. “These organizations exemplified the power of own brands while also showcasing new levels of success when we’re able to truly go to market as one. They also reiterated the influence our collective aggregation can have, offering today’s ever-evolving shoppers with the quality, value and innovation they seek.”

Five members also were honored for milestone Topco anniversaries, including Save Mart Supermarkets (15 years), Tops Friendly Markets (15 years), Stater Bros. Markets (20 years), Alex Lee (25 years) and Schnuck Markets (40 years).

A $17.6 billion, privately held organization, Topco Associates is the nation’s largest retail food GPO. The company provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for food industry member-owners and customers. Members include grocery retail, wholesale, foodservice and pharmacy companies.