BGC’s Trent Brookshire, Kevin Fridinger Promoted to Key Operations Positions

Brookshire Grocery Co. officials recently announced two key promotions in the organization’s retail operations: Trent Brookshire, most recently VP-division manager, has been promoted to SVP-division manager, and Kevin Fridinger, formerly store director at a Brookshire’s supermarket in Tyler, has been promoted to VP-district manager.

Brookshire will be responsible for all aspects of operations in four districts composed of stores located in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. He will focus on accomplishing the company’s short-term and long-term strategic plans and initiatives to grow sales and increase profitability.

“Trent has shown exceptional leadership abilities in every position he has held with our company,” said Mike Terry, EVP-retail operations. “He is very talented in efficiently operating stores, and has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to teach and train the people he leads.”

As a great grandson of company founder, Wood T. Brookshire, he grew up in the grocery business. Following college, Brookshire gained additional experience working for another supermarket chain prior to rejoining BGC in 2006. He was promoted to store director after completing the BGC manager training program and working in different areas of the company. He was named VP-district manager in 2009.

Fridinger is a 24-year BGC employee who began his career as a courtesy clerk in one of the company’s Dallas-area stores. He worked his way up as a grocery stocker, grocery manager and assistant store manager in five different stores before being promoted to store director in Lake Worth, Texas, in 2004. In 2006, he moved to a Brookshire’s store in Palestine, Texas, as store director and then to a Tyler, Texas, store in 2010.

“Kevin has demonstrated the ability to improve store operations and results in every opportunity he’s had with BGC,” Terry said. “Throughout his career, he has distinguished himself as a strong mentor of people and a customer service leader. We look forward to the leadership he will bring to his new role with our company.”

Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Co. operates 151 stores in three states — Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas — with three distribution centers and seven manufacturing facilities.