Eight SpartanNash Associates Named ‘Top Women in Grocery’


Prestigious Progressive Grocer award recognizes outstanding service and industry contributions

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –
Food solutions company SpartanNash (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: SPTN) is proud to share that eight Associates have been named to Progressive Grocer‘s list of 2022 Top Women in Grocery. Since 2012, 90 SpartanNash Associates have been recognized with the prestigious industry award, which highlights the integral role women play across all segments of the food retail and grocery industry annually.

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Eight SpartanNash Associates Named 'Top Women in Grocery' (Photo: Business Wire)

Eight SpartanNash Associates Named ‘Top Women in Grocery’ (Photo: Business Wire)

Honorees of the Top Women in Grocery award, which is the industry’s longest running program recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of women, possess a breadth of retail and grocery industry knowledge and go above and beyond to meet the needs of customers, shoppers and fellow Associates.

The eight SpartanNash Associates named 2022 Top Women in Grocery are:

Store Managers:

  • Connie Cink, Store Director (Family Fresh Market, St. Peter, Minn.): Connie’s energetic, inclusive leadership style led to record Associate retention and outstanding customer service ratings this past year.
  • Lauren Golliver, Store Director (Family Fare, Rockford, Mich. and D&W Fresh Market, Grand Rapids, Mich.): Beyond high Associate engagement and positive customer reviews, under Lauren’s leadership, her store achieved sales in 2021 that were 5.9% over budget.

Rising Stars:

  • Michelle Cartrette, Inventory Control Director (Lumberton, N.C.): In 2021, Michelle’s exceptional work ethic, expertise and team leadership skills helped ensure inventory control operations were conducted at full efficiency and accuracy.
  • Pauli Gustafson, Human Resources Business Partner II (Omaha, Neb.): SpartanNash’s People First mentality comes naturally to Pauli, as she works diligently every day to be a source of professional support and expertise to her retail team partners.
  • Beth Melvin, Manager, Data Integrity (Moyock, N.C.): Beth skillfully applies her valuable technology and data security experience and embodies SpartanNash’s Core Capability of Operational Excellence.
  • Dina Nicodemus, Senior Manager, Networks & Telecommunications (South Bend, Ind.): Dina is a shining example of a leader who takes action to make each day productive and positive with her team, resulting in exceptional outcomes, such as a contract negotiation that saves the company $84,000 per year.
  • Krista Wendt, Director, Marketing (Mishawaka, Ind.): Having worked both in-store and in human resources, Krista is uniquely positioned with layered experiences to communicate effectively with her team and lead them to success.

Senior-Level Executive:

  • Adrienne Chance, Senior Vice President, Communications (Grand Rapids, Mich.): Building for the future from a foundation of People First principles requires well-coordinated, strategically focused communications, and Adrienne drives SpartanNash corporate initiatives enterprise-wide for maximum effect.

“I am constantly humbled by the talent, innovation and solutions-based thinking that comes from so many of our skilled Associates at SpartanNash,” said President and CEO Tony Sarsam. “As a People First organization, we celebrate these individuals on an ongoing basis, but receiving an industry award like Top Women in Grocery demonstrates the impact they bring beyond our company and into our communities and grocery industry.”

Through its Top Women in Grocery award, Progressive Grocer shines a national spotlight on many dynamic leaders from some of the most admired organizations in the U.S. supermarket business. All honorees will be recognized during Progressive Grocer‘s Grocery Industry Week, taking place Nov. 3-4, 2022 in Orlando, Fla. The full list of 2022 Top Women in Grocery is included in the June edition of Progressive Grocer.

About SpartanNash

SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. As a distributor, wholesaler and retailer with a global supply chain network, SpartanNash customers span a diverse group of national accounts, independent and chain grocers, e-commerce retailers, U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, and the Company’s own brick-and-mortar grocery stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. SpartanNash distributes grocery and household goods, including fresh produce and its Our Family® portfolio of products, to locations in all 50 states, in addition to distributing to the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Korea and Japan. In addition, the Company owns and operates 145 supermarkets – primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market – and shares its operational insights to drive innovative solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 strong and growing. For more information, visit spartannash.com.

Caitlin Gardner

Senior Manager, Public Relations

[email protected]