2015-2016 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS Helping Our Future Grow Presented by the California Grocers Association Education Foundation CGA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION CONGRATULATES THE 2O15–2O16 COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS Congratulations to the 2015-16 CGA Educational Foundation College Scholarship recipients. This year, 327 scholarships totaling $552,500 were awarded to deserving students attending college this fall – which represents a nearly $150,000 increase over last year’s award total. Beginning with a single scholarship in 1992, the Foundation has grown exponentially over the last 24 years to bestow more than 2,600 worthy college students with awards totaling more than $4 million — ensuring that California’s grocery employees and their dependents have the resources necessary to start or complete their higher education. The scholarship program includes four types of scholarships: CGAEF Funded, Legacy, Donor, and Piggyback. CGA Educational Foundation college scholarships are open to high school seniors, college undergraduates and graduate students who are employees, or the dependents of employees, of California Grocers Association member companies. “CGAEF scholarship donors are investing in the development of tomorrow’s grocery industry leaders,” said CGAEF Executive Director Shiloh London. “We are grateful for the tremendous ongoing support of CGA member companies which allow the Foundation an opportunity to provide college scholarships to deserving students.” The CGA Educational Foundation was created under the direction of the California Grocers Association Board of Directors in 1991. Its mission is to provide financial assistance to advance the educational goals of CGA member company employees and their dependents and offer educational programs to advance the grocery industry. For more information on the scholarship program, please contact Brianne Page at [email protected] or (916) 448-3545. 2 MEET THE SCHOLARS CGAEF is pleased to introduce the first group of students to benefit from the partnership between the California Partnerships Grocers Association Educational Foundation and California Polytechnic State University’s Agribusiness Food Retail Management Program. Each of these students received a for the $5,000 scholarship and has participated in one or more internships as part of his or her degree program. Future Name: Marko Gera* In 2014, California Grocers Association Educational Foundation and California Polytechnic State Hometown: Saratoga, California University (Cal Poly) Agribusiness Department embarked on a partnership designed to help shape Cal Poly Class of 2016 future generations of grocery industry professionals in a wide range of disciplines through support Major: Agricultural Business of Cal Poly’s Food Retail Management Program. * Funded by Grocery Outlet, Inc. While enrolled in Cal Poly’s Agribusiness Food Retail Management Program (CPAFRM), students Name: Jeffrey Tyler “JT” Janowski will take a set of core classes, including economics, accounting, finance, marketing, sales, data Hometown: Rocklin, California analysis, quantitative methods, agriculture and food policy, and human resources management. Cal Poly Class of 2016 Elective courses include Agribusiness Supply Chain Management, Transportation and Logistics Major: Agricultural Business major with in Global Agribusiness, Food Category Management and Fact-Based Selling with Scanner Data, emphases in Food Retail Management and Food Retail Management, Advanced Sales Techniques, Field Studies, and Food Retail Internships. Finance and a minor in Economics. As part of its commitment to recruit the next generation of grocery industry executives, the Foundation will fund scholarships, internships, and professional development opportunities: Name: Kathleen “Katie” Carolyn Keaton • CGAEF will award four (4) $5,000 scholarships to Cal Poly students that have completed a minimum Hometown: Sacramento, California of 8 units of CPAFRM classes with a 3.0 grade point average. Cal Poly Class of 2016 Major: Agricultural Business • CGAEF will provide Cal Poly students enrolled in Food Retail Management coursework that are completing a grocery industry internship with $1,000 stipends to help defray the costs of housing, food, and transportation. Name: Jordan Mahrt Hometown: Petaluma, California • CGAEF will sponsor Cal Poly students to attend the annual California Grocers Association Strategic Cal Poly Class of 2016 Conference, including the cost of registration, hotel, conference meals and a travel stipend. Major: Agricultural Systems Management Attendance at the annual Conference will provide Cal Poly students and faculty and grocery with a minor in Agricultural Business industry representatives the opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships. Name: Raushni “Jasmine” Singh Hometown: Yuba City, California Cal Poly Class of 2016 Major: Agribusiness 3 Food for Thought ay Noel, chair and professor of Cal Poly’s Agribusiness This is the first higher education partnership in the Department, knows that with 12,000 traditional U.S. CGAEF’s 22-year history, and it didn’t happen overnight. J food outlets selling more than $570 billion worth of Louie Brown, chair of the Agribusiness Department’s advisory retail food and nonfood products annually, significant job council and a lawyer and lobbyist whose client base includes opportunities exist for properly prepared graduates. the California Grocers Association, arranged a meeting So in 2011, he set out to develop a program that would do between Noel and Shiloh London, Executive Director, just that — prepare graduates for leadership roles in the food CGA Educational Foundation. “We are looking for retail management area. At the time, the department was practice-ready graduates who can step right into developing program or career areas of focus. “We developed a the grocery industry,” said London. “This is strategic plan for the department with the goal to secure more a great match.” public-private partnerships,” Noel said. The partnership is designed to help That goal became a reality in September 2014, when the shape future generations of grocery California Grocers Association Educational Foundation industry professionals in a wide (CGAEF) announced a historic partnership with Cal Poly range of disciplines, including designed to strengthen California’s future grocery industry grocery store management, workforce. The CGAEF will fund $25,000 to provide category (produce, meat, etc.) scholarships, internship stipends, and professional development management, sales and marketing, opportunities for students taking courses in the in the purchasing and procurement and Agribusiness Food Retail Management Program curriculum. customer relations. 4 CAL POLY AGRIBUSINESS PARTNERS WITH CALIFORNIA GROCERS ASSOCIATION’S EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION TO PRODUCE NEW FOOD RETAIL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Cal Poly’s stellar reputation certainly played a role in the for students and faculty. On average, more than 100 foundation’s decision to fund the program. And it didn’t hurt agribusiness students complete an internship each year. that the three agribusiness students who attended “The agreement is a win-win for the students, too,” Noel CGA’s annual meeting in September just said. “They have a Learn by Doing opportunity to use their happened to “wow” everyone with their skills, gain industry experience, and get to find out about “superior interpersonal skills and ability a company to see if they like it,” Noel said. “It is a very to carry on a good conversation. Everyone powerful experience to include on their resumes.” who met them was impressed,” Noel said. Noel expects the program to grow both in terms of In return for its investment, the CGA-member finances and internships. “It is one of those things you have companies get a pipeline to Cal Poly students, Noel to build on. said. “This can cut down on recruitment costs, For more information on Cal Poly’s Agribusiness which can be very high. Studies show that Department, go to: http://www.agb.calpoly.edu/. students who have completed internships start the job up-to-speed with little or no training For more information on the CGAEF, visit www.cgaef.org needed, are more productive, and tend to stay on the job longer.” Reprinted from California Polytechnic State University Agribusiness The program will facilitate internship Department Newsletter - Fall 2014 Edition opportunities with CGA-member companies and foster additional learning opportunities 5 CGA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS JOHN RODRIGUEZ DAVID ROSEN MASON TAKIDIN JACOB AYALA JESSICA CHANDLER JESSICA CHILINGERIAN PAIGE COMBS SARA DEMING Amen/Arceneaux Hall of CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation CGA Educational Foundation Achievement Scholarship - Graduate Scholarship - $2,000 Graduate Scholarship - $2,000 Scholarship - $1,000 Scholarship - $1,000 Scholarship - $1,000 Scholarship - $1,000 Scholarship - $1,000 $2,000 University of La Verne; Business Arizona State University; CSU Sacramento; English/ University of Nevada at Reno; UC Berkeley; Business San Jose State University; CSU Long Beach; Liberal Studies College of the Sequoias; Employed by Vicente Foods, Business Analytics History Biochemistry Mother, Janet Chilingerian, Sociology Employed by Gelson’s Markets Business Inc. in Los Angeles Employed by Whole Foods Employed by Raley’s in Employed by Raley’s in Reno employed by Chili’s Warehouse