Southern California supermarket chain Stater Bros. Markets announced the promotion of Bertha Luna and Gil Salazar to prominent positions on their executive team. Luna was named Regional Vice President of Retail Operations and Salazar will serve as Senior Vice President of Information Technology.
Stater Bros. founded in 1936 in Yucaipa, California, is the largest privately owned supermarket chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in San Bernardino County and Riverside County. It currently operates 171 supermarkets and has about 18,000 employees.
According to the company, Luna will continue to report to the store chain’s Executive Vice President of Retail Operations, Keith Thomas. In this role, Luna will direct retail operations for a regional area served by Stater Bros. Markets.
“Bertha is a well-respected and valuable member of our management team,” stated Pete Van Helden, Stater Bros. Markets CEO. “This promotion recognizes her outstanding leadership skills and dedication to providing our valued customers with the best shopping experience in Southern California,” Van Helden added.
Luna has over 32 years of experience in the grocery retail industry. She began her career in this industry in 1988 as Courtesy Clerk at Lucky Stores, and in 1999, during the acquisition of Albertson’s and Lucky Stores, Luna joined Stater Bros. Markets as a store manager in the Fullerton area.
In 2000, she was promoted to Supermarket Supervisor, and in 2006, she was promoted to Sales District Manager. In 2014, Luna transitioned to the position of Diversity Director and in 2017 resumed the role of Retail District Manager. In 2018, she was promoted to Senior Director of Retail Operations, her most recent position.
Related Article: Dollar General to Hold Summit for Potential New Vendors from Minority Businesses
Luna earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from Western Governors University and also graduated from the Food Industry Executive Program at the University of Southern California (USC). In addition, she is a member of the Company’s Update Committee, the Energy and Sustainability Committee, and the Electronic Commerce Committee.
A Leader in Innovation at Stater Bros.
Gil Salazar, a technology veteran, was promoted by the supermarket chain to the position of Senior Vice President of Information Technology and will continue to report to Stater Bros. Markets CEO Pete Van Helden.
In this position, Salazar will continue promoting the area of innovation, critical to satisfy the current and future needs of clients and all areas of the company.
According to the chain of stores, Salazar is part of the Company’s Executive Leadership Team that evaluates and establishes key strategies for the company.
“Gil is a valuable member of our executive leadership team,” said Stater Bros. Markets CEO Pete Van Helden. “This promotion recognizes their outstanding leadership and innovation in navigating the future,” added Van Helden.
Salazar brings more than 31 years of experience in information technology to his role. Before Stater Bros. Markets, Salazar served as Director of IT Services for Hyundai Capital America. He also served as Director of Information Technology for Partners Consulting, providing IT services to clients in multiple industries; Associate Vice President of IT Services at AIG; Vice President of Information Technology for Ford Motor Credit; and Senior Manager of Systems Infrastructure for ConAgra Foods Inc.
At Stater Bros. Markets Salazar he held the positions of Assistant Director of Operations / Technical Support in 2013 and in 2016 he was appointed Vice President of Information Technology at Stater Bros. Markets.
Salazar has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Liberty University. He also completed the Computer Information Systems Program at the United States Naval Technical Training Center and served four years in the United States Navy during Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch.
He graduated from the Executive Management Program at the University of Southern California (USC) and is a member of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. Additionally, Salazar is a member of the Stater Bros. Charities Board of Directors.