FMI Unveils Its 2021 Store Manager Award Winners

FMI–The Food Industry Association has announced the four store managers voted as winners from a field of 10 finalists for its 2021 Store Manager Awards. The association also recognized the People’s Pick category winner, which received more than 2,500 votes out of over 9,700 ballots cast in the online contest.

Each manager was credited for, in the face of unprecedented challenges, displaying unparalleled commitment to quality shopper services and experience, generating sales growth, and prioritizing effective workplace communication with both staff and customers that drive the success of their stores.

“In addition to the range of health and operational disruptions the pandemic presented to the food industry this year, the emergency also contributed to a range of related challenges, including active shooter situations, civil unrest and redevelopment disruption,” FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said. “Each of our 2021 Store Manager Award recipients has a distinct nuance to the variety of challenges encountered and the imaginative means he or she managed to turn these challenges into opportunities. They inspired their employees, motivated their communities, and with their civic-mindedness, served as local reminders of why grocery workers were designated as essential workers during the pandemic.”

The 2021 Store Manager Award Winners are:

Category A (1-49 stores): Katie Swenson, Lunds & Byerlys, Minneapolis

Category B (50-199 stores): Morris Lewis, Super 1 Foods Store, Brookshire Grocery Co., New Iberia, La.

Category C (200 or more stores): Brandon Lampkin, Hy-Vee, Inc., Omaha, Neb.

Category D (international): Malene Hansen, SPAR Haderup, SPAR International, Haderup, Denmark

People’s Pick: Hugh "Rusty" Rollins, Food City, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., Athens, Tenn.

Each of the 2021 Store Manager Award winners will receive a prize of $1,000, along with a crystal commemorative award. The People’s Pick award winner will receive a trophy along with a $500 award. The Store Manager Awards are sponsored by The Coca-Cola Co.