Jonathan's Sprouts Reveals Succession Plan
Founded in 1976 by Bob and Barbara Sanderson, Jonathan's Sprouts Inc. has made its family-owned business succession plan public. Niece, nephew and longtime employees Liz Reilley and Rich Wolfe will take the reins of the produce supplier as president and CEO and COO/CFO, respectively.
The founders will remain on the board of directors and will continue to build opportunities for the sprout-growing community by refocusing on existing initiatives of seed sanitation, food safety and the improving of Food and Drug Administration regulations regarding the produce sector. The Sandersons will also continue to serve on the board of the Warwick, R.I.-based International Sprout Growers Association, which they helped form in 1990. Jonathan's Sprouts will remain in Rochester and East Freetown, Mass.
Reilley was the national sales manager for Guess Jeans and Danskin, provided PR for The Estee Lauder Cos., and in her new role will oversee marketing, sales, production and line extensions. Wolfe continues to oversee finance operations for a family manufacturing business in Chicago, EMCO Gears, and owns a Liberty Tax Franchise in Rhode Island. As the COO/CFO of Jonathan's Sprouts, Wolfe will oversee financial aspects of the company, human resources, administration and operations. Together Reilley and Wolfe bring complementary skills to their new positions to plot a course of new growth at Jonathan's Sprouts.
"Jonathan's is now a mainstay in grocery and restaurants from Maine to North Carolina, and our next stage of growth will include helping more national-brand retailers and foodservice companies to realize [the] benefits of providing fresh sprouts to their customers," said Wolfe.
Jonathan's Sprouts can be found in major grocers in the Northeast, including Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Market Basket, Hannaford Supermarkets, Price Chopper, Big Y, Giant, Food Lion and Giant Eagle, as well as major foodservice distributors such as Albert's Organics, Sysco, Fresh Point, Costa, Matarazzo and Baldor.
Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, is the parent company for Ahold Delhaize’s U.S. companies, consisting of Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford, and Stop & Shop. Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in the United States. Based in Schenectady, N.Y., Price Chopper/Market 32 is No. 56 on the list while Springfield, Mass.-based Big Y is No. 76 and Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle is No. 37.
