B&R Stores Adds H&W Post; Promotes Schafers To Bakery/Deli Director

Kelli Kennel has joined B&R Stores, Inc. as its new health-and-wellness coordinator, while Eric Schafers was promoted to director of bakery/deli director for the regional independent’s Russ’s Market and Super Saver grocery stores. Both Kennel and Schafers are based in the 18-store grocer’s Lincoln, Neb., headquarters, where they work to develop and implement programs in their respective areas of expertise.

“Great companies are defined by their employees,” said Pat Raybould, president of B&R Stores. “Eric and Kelli are exactly the type of people we want to have at B&R Stores. Kelli has the blend of exercise and wellness experience combined with the hometown charm we wanted in a health-and-wellness coordinator, and Eric has the depth of knowledge to lead our deli and bakery teams effectively, delivering better value for our customers on a daily basis.”

With more than 23 years of experience with B&R Stores, Schafers has worked in almost every retail department and has managed several departments since starting his career with the company at the 48th and O St. Super Saver as a teenager in 1985.

Kennel, meanwhile, joined B&R Stores in December 2008 after receiving her MS in health and sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a specialization in nutrition and exercise. A registered dietitian since 2007, Kennel was certified as a licensed medical nutrition therapist in 2008. In addition to working as a graduate assistant in the UNL College of Nutrition and Health Sciences, lecturing and assisting with research, Kennel has also worked as the senior nutritionist at Camp LaJolla in Coronado, Calif., and additionally spent time as a dietetic intern at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Russ Raybould founded the employee-owned B&R Stores in 1962. During the past 46 years, the company has grown to include four store concepts -- Russ’s Market, Super Saver, ALPS and Grand Central Apple Market -- located in seven cities across Nebraska and Iowa.