Food Industry Mourns the Loss of Bill Grize Illiam J
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THE All That’s News in the Food Industry of Food Marketing www.griffinreport.com January 2010 Volume 44 No. 01 Supermarket Report Food Service Report The C-Store Report New Channels Report Big Y Makes Store Changes ................................A2 Alex Ray Named To Food Industry Hall of Fame ..B1 Florida Law Aims To Eliminate Old Fuel Tanks ......C1 Kehe Foods Buy Tree of Life ................................D1 J’OH To Purchase Mid Atlantic Broker ..................A7 Sourcing, Nutrition Top Menu Trends for 2010 ....B1 7-Eleven Buys N.E. Pantry ..................................C1 CVS Outdated Products Draws Concern ..............D1 Making HBC Your New Year’s Resolution ..............A7 Famous N.Y. Restaurant Up For Auction ..............B1 Hess Express Has Top Manager In Kathy Carter ..C1 Tips For Resonating With Older Consumers ........D1 Kraft Sells Pizza Business To Nestle’ ..................A8 R.I. Honors Its Stars Of The Industry ................B4-5 Cathy Barber Is First NECSA Board President ......C4 A Healthy Happy You In 2010 .............................D1 NOTHING PERSONAL Food Industry Mourns The Loss Of Bill Grize illiam J. (Bill) Grize II , for - the Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, mer president and chief exec - and then in 1993 he was promoted to Wutive officer of the Stop & Shop executive vice president of retailing. Supermarket Co. and Ahold USA, Inc., In 1994, Mr. Grize was named Stop passed away Jan. 5 after a brief illness. & Shop’s chief operating officer. In BY KEVIN GRIFFIN According to Stop & Shop officials, 1996, he added president of Stop & PUBLISHER Mr. Grize, who retired from Ahold in Shop to that title. At the close of 1997, 2005, leaves behind a legacy of amazing at the age of 51, Mr. Grize was named We All Lost A Champion In dedication, firm commitment and gritty president and chief executive officer of determination. Stop & Shop. Bill Grize Mr. Grize had recently been diag - Under his leadership, Stop & Shop’s The food world has lost a champion in the pass - nosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a sales grew 22 percent from $5.5 billion ing of Bill Grize . He touched so many as the leader rare degenerative fatal brain disorder in 1997 to $6.7 billion in 1999, accom - of Stop & Shop and Ahold USA and those who met whose cause is unknown and for which panied by substantial growth in the com - him at many food-related events and functions. there is no known cure. Unfortunately, pany’s operating profits. In 2000, Mr. Almost five years ago in April, at a standing- the disease progressed very rapidly and Grize was appointed president and chief room event at Lombardo’s in Randolph, Mass., led to his untimely death at 63 years old. executive officer of Ahold U.S.A., Inc. more than 900 people, including Stop & Shop, Faith Weiner , Stop & Shop senior Subsequently, in 2001 Mr. Grize was Giant, Bruno, and Tops staffers as well as labor and director of public affairs, said Mr. Grize’s appointed to the Royal Ahold Corporate retail leaders, suppliers of Ahold and friends of Bill passing is a great loss to the Ahold USA Executive Board. Grize, came to honor him as he retired from Ahold retail family and the supermarket indus - Ms. Weiner said that during his USA and Stop & Shop. try. His career spanned nearly four career, Mr. Grize was well known in the Lombardo’s was a sea of food-trade represen - decades, and his innovative ideas and food industry as a person with extraor - tatives who came to celebrate 38 years that Mr. strong work ethic made him an inspira - dinary passion for people. Grize worked for Stop & Shop and Ahold USA. tion to associates across the company. He believed that his company’s man - Those who spoke, as well as a video, empha - “Our deepest sympathies are with agement had both a civic and business sized Mr. Grize’s strength as a leader of all kinds Bill’s beloved wife of 43 years, Emelyn , obligation to provide diversity in the of people, his attention to detail, his ability to solve children, grandchildren and his entire stores and corporate offices in order to problems and not to fear them, and his general extended family including the thousands serve the needs of the customer and the kindness and generosity. Before coming to a store, of associates and colleagues whose lives community. he made it his business to know everyone’s name he touched,” said Ms. Weiner. In 2005, the Food Marketing Insti - in that store. Danny Wegman , head of Wegmans of Mr. Grize grew up in Waterbury, tute (FMI) awarded Mr. Grize the pres - Rochester, N.Y., said in the video that Mr. Grize Conn., and graduated from Croft High tigious Sydney R. Rabb Award in appre - always put people ahead of himself.” School, where he met his wife, Emelyn. as a teenager, working for five years at clerk in the local Waterbury store. Over ciation of "his exceptional service to the Don Sussman of Stop & Shop also said that He then earned a B.S. in economics a Connecticut beef company doing case - the years, Mr. Grize quickly rose in the community, consumers and the indus - “only when you were up did he [Mr. Grize] beat you from Southern Connecticut State Col - work and performing cutting duties. ranks of Stop & Shop’s Connecticut Divi - try." up. When you were down, he was there to help you.” lege. Then, in 1967, he began his storied sion. In 1990, he became senior vice He served as a member of the Exec - Mr. Grize had a passion for the business and Mr. Grize entered the food industry career at Stop & Shop as a part-time president and general sales manager of (Continues on page A4 ) was always in the pursuit of excellence. Bob Tobin , another revered leader at Stop & Shop and Ahold, said Mr. Grize always stood out as someone who was very passionate, very artic - Senator Pleads ulate, and who set high standards, a man of high GIANT/MARTIN’s To Acquire integrity, and whose motto was that the team is more important than the individuals. To Slow Penn As an industry leader, Mr. Grize was a longtime Ukrop’s Supermarkets supporter of the Massachusetts and Connecticut Food Associations, the Food Marketing Institute, Traffic Sale the Joint Labor Management Committee in Wash - ington, D.C., the Coca-Cola Retailing Research n Jan. 5, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer of New Council, the Private Industry Council of Boston and York sent a letter to the heads of GE Capital and INROADS of Central New England. This is a nation - OPenn Traffic asking them to slow the process and al organization that matches high achieving col - not accept a liquidation bid for Penn Traffic that would lege students of color with business internship shutter many stores and lead to possible significant job opportunities. loss. A strong supporter of Stop & Shop’s communi - Penn Traffic, which has filed for Chapter 11, is search - ty partnership programs, Mr. Grize was a trustee of ing for buyers for its 79 stores in New York and surround - the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He was also a ing states. member of the Jimmy Fund’s Partnership Advisory Reports to Senator Schumer’s office indicate that that Board at the Dana Farber Cancer Hospital in Penn Traffic was pushing for a decision to be made by Jan. Boston and one of the fund’s most vocal advo - 8—well ahead of the previously established court date for cates. bids of Jan. 22. Mr. Grize, in his closing remarks at the Lombar - According to Senator Schumer, a decision that priori - do’s event, talked of the lessons learned from Mr. tizes a liquidation bid would likely result in a large portion Tobin, and that Stop & Shop and Giant were of the stores being liquidated. Senator Schumer urged the blessed with great people. He credited Sidney major players in the Penn Traffic negotiations to not accept Rabb, Avram Goldberg, Lew Schaeneman, and Mr. any low-ball liquidation bids offered by this Friday, Jan. 8 Tobin as his mentors and praised them for their iant-Carlisle, a division of transaction includes 25 stores, as part of the sale process. Cus - and instead to prioritize bids that maximize the greatest leadership skills. Ahold USA, increased its inventory, equipment, lease agree - tomers should expect to find the (Continues on page A7 ) At this event, a scholarship in Mr. Grize’s name Gpresence in Virginia last ments and one new store location. same friendly store teams, excel - was established by Stop & Shop, and he was given month with the announcement that Stores are located in the Greater lent customer service and quality a gift of a Steuben Crystal hand-carved heart with Royal Ahold would acquire 25 Richmond and Williamsburg, Va., foods that they have always found Celebrating RIFDA’s 100th the inscription, “For Bill Grize, whose heart is big stores from Ukrop’s Supermarkets. areas. at their local Ukrop’s.” enough for the entire company.” Giant-Carlisle operates more John Rishton , chief executive The Giant-Carlisle Division Anniversary As we were going to press, we learned that In than 150 stores in Pennsylvania, officer of Ahold, said, “This acqui - operates 152 stores in the states of lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made Virginia, Maryland and West Vir - sition is part of Ahold’s profitable Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland to “The Journey of Hope Campaign,” which is for ginia under the names of GIANT growth strategy. Ukrop’s is a great and West Virginia under the names the New Dana Farber , Brigham and Women’s, and MARTIN’S.