And the Store Manager Award Finalists Are…

<p>By: Jordan Pietrak, Manager of Education, Food Marketing Institute<br /> <a href="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/sma-finalists.png?sfvrsn=0"><img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/sma-finalists.tmb-large-350-.png?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="SMA Finalists " title="SMA Finalists " data-openoriginalimageonclick="true" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /></a></p> <p>Each year, I have the pleasure of collecting the nominations for our <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/awards/2016-finalists">Store Manager Awards</a> and managing the judging process. Reading through 85 nominations this year was like taking a sneak peek into the lives of these everyday heroes; I was virtually witness to the impact they&rsquo;ve made on their stores, with their employees and in their communities. Now that the judges have narrowed the field down to just 10 finalists, I&rsquo;m on the edge of my seat waiting to celebrate the final four winners!</p> <p>Our judges for the Store Manager Awards&mdash;human resources and training executives in the grocery industry&mdash;paid close attention to the nominees&rsquo; ability to generate sales growth, provide exceptional customer service and/or community relations, execute innovation in-store and demonstrate team leadership. And because we think our finalists are exceptional examples of the qualities an exemplary store manager should possess, we&rsquo;ll be sharing their stories with you so that you can vote for your favorite store manager via our<strong> People&rsquo;s Pick Award</strong> contest on FMI&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FoodMarketingInstitute/?ref=bookmarks">Facebook Page</a> during the <strong>week of May 16</strong>. All 10 finalists will be posted to the FMI Facebook page under the page tab Store Manager Awards starting at 9:00 a.m. ET on May 16. The finalist with the most votes by Friday, May 20, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. ET will receive a special award and $500 to celebrate their store employees. Join in with <strong>#StoreManager</strong> and <strong>#FMIConnect</strong>.</p> <p>And now, I&rsquo;m pleased to announce our 10 Store Manager Award finalists:</p> <p><strong>Category A: (1-49 Stores)</strong></p> <p>Alberto Ayala, Northgate Gonzalez Market, Los Angeles, California</p> <p>Larry Baxter, Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Boston, Massachusetts </p> <p>Jon Wieser, Festival Foods, Green Bay, Wisconsin</p> <p><strong>Category B: (50-199 Stores)</strong></p> <p>Patty Bianco, Tops Markets, LLC, Grand Island, New York</p> <p>David Couture, Hannaford Supermarkets, Wells, Maine</p> <p>Piotr Soja, Big Y Foods, Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts</p> <p><strong>Category C: (200+ Stores)</strong></p> <p>Josh Birmingham, The Kroger Co. Columbus Division, Holland, Ohio</p> <p>Jen Knesel, Hy-Vee, Inc., Winona, Minnesota </p> <p>Angel Robles, Smart &amp; Final Stores, LLC, Upland, California</p> <p><strong>Category D: (International)</strong></p> <p>Ted Pigeon, Overwaitea Food Group, Victoria, BC, Canada</p> <p>These finalists join the industry at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/">FMI Connect</a> where the 2016 winners will be announced on <strong>Wednesday, June 22, during the 10:00 AM CT</strong> keynote address, <a href="http://fmi16.mapyourshow.com/7_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?ScheduleID=20">Riding the Wave of Food Trends</a>, featuring FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin, Mario Batali and Robert Irvine. Four grand-prize winners will receive a $1,000 prize and a crystal award.</p> Read the full stories of our <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/awards/2016-finalists">2016 Store Manager Awards finalists</a>.&nbsp;