LIVE FROM NGA: New Board, Exec Committee Assume Duties

Among the first orders of business at its ongoing annual convention and exposition at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association (NGA) elected 13 new members and reelected six others to its board of directors.

Newly elected NGA retail board members include:

• RF Buche, president , GF Buche Co.
• Eric Geyer, president /CEO, Geyer's Markets, Inc.
• Nolan Lockwood, president/COO, Walla Walla's Harvest Foods
• Alan Nidiffer, EVP, C&K Market, Inc.
• Eric Stille, president, Nugget Market, Inc.
• Bill White, owner, Belle Foods, LLC

New Wholesalers elected to the board include:

• Ted Adornato, EVP, wholesale operations, Spartan Stores
• Martin Arter, president /CEO, Affiliated Foods Midwest
• Michael Bozzuto, chairman, president & CEO, Bozzuto's, Inc.
• David Mitchell, president, Mitchell Grocery Corp.

Newly appointed wholesalers include:

• Kevin Elliott, EVP/COO, Nash Finch Co.

New state association executive elected to the board is:

• Dan Shaul, state director, Missouri Grocers Association
• New manufacturer/service supplier elected to the board is:
• Brian Lernihan, VP/industry and customer development, Unilever

Retailers re-elected to the board include:

• Brad Brookshire, CEO, Brookshire Grocery Co.
• Barry Queen, CEO, Queen Enterprises, LLC

Wholesalers re-elected to the board include:

• Jim Denges, president/CEO, Central Grocers, Inc.
• Bob Ling, president, Unified Grocers, Inc.
• Cal Miller, CEO, Associated Grocers of Florida

Manufacturers/Service Supplier re-elected to the board include:

• Lisa Walsh, VP, customer management, PepsiCo, Inc.

Under the bylaws, Peter Larkin, NGA’s president/CEO, also serves as a member of the executive committee.

NGA also commended the following outgoing board members for their service and leadership:

• Michael Bourgoine, president /CEO, Associated Grocers of New England
• Christopher Brown, Nash Finch (retired)
• Nicholas D'Agostino III, president/CEO, D'Agostino Supermarkets, Inc.
• Eric Hench, chairman, Chief Supermarket, Inc.
• Dean Janeway, CEO, Key Food Stores Cooperative
• Derek Jones, EVP, wholesale operations, Spartan Stores, Inc.
• Steve Latham, SVP, First Data
• Roger Lowe, Jr., CEO/VP, Lowe's Supermarkets
• Michael Provenzano, president /CEO, Pro Ranch Markets
• Edward Roche, COO, Roche Bros. Supermarkets
• Brandon Scholz, president/CEO, Wisconsin Grocers Association
• Donald Weiss, president /CEO, WiseWay SuperCenters