FMI—The Food Industry Association announced the 2024 Store Manager Awards recipients. These outstanding individuals have demonstrated exceptional commitment to driving success within their respective stores, fostering a culture of excellence, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
“We are immensely proud of these store managers for their unwavering commitment to the communities they serve and for their innovative approach to leadership,” said Leslie Sarasin, FMI president and CEO of FMI.
“These awardees are a testament to hard work and creativity and demonstrate the positive contributions the food industry makes in people’s lives each and every day. Congratulations to all our deserving winners,” Sarasin noted.
The 2024 Store Manager Awards Recipients
Category A: Kerri Hunsley, PCC Community Market, Columbia City, Washington.
Nothing against desks or offices, but manager Kerri Hunsley doesn’t hang out in those places very much. She spends about two-thirds of her typical day working on the floor at the PCC Community Market in Columbia City, Washington, interacting with customers and associates. That kind of immersion allows her to see what’s working, what’s not working, and what might be missing at one of the highest-volume and heavily trafficked PCC locations.
Category B: Roman Perez, The Fresh Market, Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Many kinds of statistics support strong store management. Although Roman Perez has hit important metrics for sales and EBITDA, the fact that his store in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is under the company turnover goal by double digits is arguably the most impressive. Employees stay at the store because of his leadership and, more importantly, turn in their best performances to make the location a standout.
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Category C: Alex Spurlock, QFC – The Kroger Co., Redmond, Washington.
If you watch Alex at work for a few shifts at the QFC store in Redmond, Washington, owned by the Kroger Family of Companies, you can see how her approach to work and mentorship was influenced by her time as a soccer player. It’s not just the hustle and competitive spirit, either: it’s how she sees a path to the goal, anticipates moves that may get in the way, and rallies her team to get the best performance from them as individuals and as a group.
Category D: Rita Khijakadze, SPAR, Tbilisi, Georgia.
If imitation is the finest form of flattery, Rita Khijakadze has a lot of admirers. A constant innovator, she has launched several “firsts” at her SPAR store that were emulated and implemented by other locations in Georgia.
Chris Lawlor, manager at Eurospar Wallace Village/Henderson Retail in Lisburn, United Kingdom, is the “People’s Pick” of 2024, garnering over 4,300 social media votes.
The fact that he doesn’t seek out credit is exactly why his colleagues nominated Chris Lawlor for an FMI Store Manager Award. His natural humility – evident in one of his favorite phrases about “Our wee team!” – enables him to focus on the business and others around him and has been a key factor in lifting the store’s performance.
Sarasin concluded, “We look forward to continuing the celebration next year. Thank you to all participants in this year’s Store Manager Awards, and we are grateful for the support of our partner in sponsoring this year’s Store Manager Awards program, The Coca-Cola Company.”