Elk Grove Village, Illinois, March 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At Topco Associates, LLC’s recent 2023 Annual Membership Conference, Topco announced its 2023 Board of Directors while also recognizing member-owners for their exceptional commitment and partnership in 2022. These announcements were in addition to highlighting notable membership anniversaries. The changes to the Board of Directors are as follows:

Charlie D’Amour has announced his retirement from the Topco Board of Directors. The Big Y Foods Inc. President and CEO previously served as Topco’s Chairman of the Board and has been an active member of the board since 1995.

“Charlie has a real vested interest in the success of Topco, and has done a great job establishing a strong partnership between the membership and Big Y,” said Topco President and CEO Randy Skoda. “His influence has added to the success of the membership.”

As a result, Michael D’Amour, Big Y’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, was appointed as a Director to the Topco Board of Directors. Michael has been with Big Y since 1996.

Additionally, David Rice, President and CEO of Associated Food Stores, has joined the Board of Directors. Rice has spent more than 27 years at AFS and previously held the titles of Executive Vice President and President of Associated Retail Operations.

The complete Topco Board of Directors is comprised of:

• Topco Chairman of the Board: Randy Edeker - Executive Chairman of the Board, Executive Director, Hy-Vee, Inc.
• Topco Vice Chairman of the Board: Steve Smith - President and Chief Executive Officer, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.
• Brad Brookshire - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brookshire Holdings, Inc.
• Chris Coborn - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Coborn’s Incorporated
• Frank Curci - Chief Executive Officer, Northeast Grocery Inc.
• Michael D’Amour - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Big Y Foods, Inc.
• Brian George - President and Chief Executive Officer, Alex Lee, Inc.
• David Rice - President and Chief Executive Officer, Associated Food Stores, Inc.
• Tony B. Sarsam - President and Chief Executive Officer, SpartanNash Company
• Todd Schnuck - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Schnuck Markets, Inc.
• Randy Skoda - President and Chief Executive Officer, Topco Associates, LLC
• Pete Van Helden - Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Stater Bros. Markets

Topco also recognized members for their growth and successes with Topco in 2022.

“The membership experienced a record year in growth, not only in the performance of Topco and member own brands, but in perishables, pharmacy, indirect spend and fuel purchases,” Skoda said. “These organizations exemplified the power of own brands while also showcasing new levels of success when we’re able to truly go to market as one. They also reiterated the influence our collective aggregation can have, offering today’s ever-evolving shoppers with the quality, value and innovation they seek.”

Topco announced the following award winners:

Hy-Vee, Inc. – Highest Purchase Volume

Topco honored Hy-Vee with one of its highest awards. In 2022, Hy-Vee led all members in overall purchase volume. Hy-Vee has been a member of the Topco Board of Directors as well as the Operations Team for 20 years. Through a strong commitment to growth as well as participation in key initiatives, this 23-year member achieved best-in-class results in 2022.

K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Purchase Penetration

K-VA-T Food Stores earned one of Topco’s highest achievement awards: Greatest Purchase Penetration. In 2022, this 27-year member increased their purchase penetration through consistent participation across all Topco programs. Additionally, K-VA-T is an active participant in key initiatives and participates in multiple advisory committees as well as serving on the Board of Directors and Operations Team. 

Stater Bros. Markets – Total Program Greatest Dollar Growth

In 2022, Stater Bros. achieved this accomplishment without any Pharmacy or Fuel programs. Their strong commitment to driving Own Brands and ongoing collaboration and focus on fresh really set them apart in the marketplace.

Affiliated Foods, Inc. – Total Program Greatest Percentage Growth

A strong commitment to Topco brands within Center Store helped lead Affiliated Foods to this achievement. They also had significant growth in Produce including launching the Basket & Bushel produce brand which really helped propel them to a strong performance in 2022.

Schnuck Markets Inc. – Greatest Dollar Growth, Fresh

A significant increase in purchases of Fresh Meat and the addition of the Fresh Chicken program led Schnuck Markets to earning this award. 

Associated Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, Fresh

Increased growth in Deli Chicken as well as key categories within Produce and Floral, led Associated Food Stores to impressive results.

Brookshire Holdings, Inc. – Greatest Dollar Growth, Value-Add

A double-digit increase in Pharmacy and strong growth in Fuel drove this achievement for Brookshire Holdings.

Coborn’s Incorporated – Greatest Percentage Growth, Value-Add

A record double-digit increase within the Indirect Spend program and Fuel during 2022 helped Coborn’s earn this honor.

SpartanNash Company – Greatest Dollar Growth, Center Store

Increased purchases in Center Store as well as a focus on Own Brands throughout the year led to strong growth in dollars and cases across several Center Store categories for SpartanNash.

Alex Lee ­– Greatest Percentage Growth, Center Store

Through increases in Food Club and That’s Smart! brands, along with significant incremental volume from Crav’n Flavor and Simply Done, led Alex Lee to earn this award.

Finally, the following members were honored for their milestone Topco anniversaries:

Save Mart Supermarkets – 15 years

Tops Markets – 15 years

Stater Bros. Markets – 20 years

Alex Lee, Inc. – 25 years

Schnuck Markets Inc. – 40 years

—About Topco Associates, LLC.—

Topco Associates, LLC is a $17.6 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers, food service and pharmacy companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities. For more information, please visit #" Topco Associates 2023 Board of Directors The Board of Directors met in February during Topco's Annual Membership Conference.