Ala. Retailers Receive N.G.A. Spirit of America Award

John L. Davis of A & R Supermarket and Dennis Stewart of Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. Inc. have received the National Grocers Association’s (N.G.A.) Spirit of America Award. The presentation took place July 26 at the Alabama Grocers Association (AGA) Annual Convention in Sandestin, Fla.

Presented by Greg Ferrara, director of government affairs at Arlington, Va.-based N.G.A., the awards recognized Davis’ and Stewart’s involvement in community and civic affairs, as well as their support and leadership of Alabama grocers.

Davis served on the board of directors of the AGA, as well as its chairman in 1994. He has been a member of the board of the Associated Grocers of the South for the past 16 years. Purchased by Davis’ father in the 1940s, A&R Supermarkets now operates four locations throughout Alabama.

Named AGA Wholesaler of the Year in 1995 and 1999, Stewart has served on the AGA and N.G.A. boards. He has been a Piggly Wiggly Alabama employee since 1965, and is now its president and CEO.

The N.G.A. Spirit of America Award, established in 1982, pays tribute key industry and community figures who have led in the areas of community service and government relations. More than 400 individuals have received this honor, including Presidents George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford, and Vice President Dan Quayle, as well as other individuals serving the public interest.Previous Alabama recipients of the award include Ferris Youmans; Mary Hardin; Peter Gregerson Sr.; Reps.Tom Bevill, John H. Hawkins Jr. and Seth Hammett; Sens.Richard Shelby and Howell Heflin; and, most recently, James Smotherman.