Change Makers

MICHAEL GARRY

SN is pleased to announce the winners of its fifth annual Technology Excellence Awards: in the chain retailer category, Wegmans Food Markets; in the independent retailer category, Mollie Stone's Markets; in the wholesaler category, Associated Grocers of Florida; in the online retailer category, Grocery Gateway/Longo's; and in the international retailer category, AEON.

The winners for 2007 all demonstrated how food retailers and wholesalers can drive dramatic improvements in their organizations through the innovative and proactive use of information technology.

SN editors selected the winners based on nominations submitted earlier this year via supermarketnews.com, as well as on industry reporting and consultations with industry experts. The winning companies all had a compelling technology story to share, whether it involved developing new ways to improve the supply chain, taking advantage of available technologies, or upgrading to state-of-the-art systems. They often made significant changes within their companies, while pointing the way for others in the industry.

Representatives of the winning companies received their awards May 6 at a dinner and ceremony at the Chicago Firehouse Restaurant. As in the past, the awards dinner was scheduled to take place at the same time as the Food Marketing Institute's Marketechnics show, which is being held through Tuesday at McCormick Place in Chicago. This year's show is co-located for the first time with the FMI Show. FMI is once again providing complimentary registrations to next year's Marketechnics show to the winners.

Click on the Related Articles for profiles of the winning companies.