Maurer’s Foods Welcomes Riley

Madison, Wis.-based Maurer’s Foods, parent company of Fresh Madison Market and soon-to-be Fresh City Market, has hired Dale Riley as its new chief operating officer to oversee the company’s expansion initiatives.

Known for his innovative vendor partnerships and local retail initiatives that have drawn national industry notoriety, Riley has spent more than 40 years in the grocery business.

“When I started Maurer’s Foods, one of the goals of the company was to expand,” said owner Jeff Maurer. “I feel that I have the right person in place now to help me reach this goal. I am excited to work with Dale again and to utilize his strong background and industry knowledge to help us grow our company.”

Starting age 16 as a supermarket bagger, Riley spent many years with Minneapolis-based Byerly’s, where he eventually served as general manager and president. Riley met Mauer at this time, when they both served on the company’s management team. When Byerly’s was acquired by Lunds in 1997, he took over the role of executive vice president and chief operating officer for both companies.

In 2000, Riley became COO of Kowalski’s Markets in the Twin Cities, where he helped facilitate expansion goals for the business. From there, Riley joined Rainbow Foods’ top management team. Most recently, Riley was instrumental in opening and operating Fresh Seasons Market, a new grocery concept in the Twin Cities market. Similar to Maurer’s Fresh Madison Market, Fresh Seasons focuses on upscale quality at affordable prices and has strong ties to the local community.

Maurer’s Foods has secured locations for two future sites yet to be announced. The stores will operate under the name of Fresh City Market. Riley’s first charge will be to finalize details of these locations and begin construction. He will also be instrumental in the operation of the stores ensuring customer and employee satisfaction. He will oversee all local community relations to help secure a strong foothold in these neighborhoods.

“My initial goals are to emulate what Jeff has in place in Madison and take his initiatives, ideas and goals to other communities,” Riley said. “My focus is to build a great store, tie in with the community as much as possible and have great employees working with us to reach these goals.”