Safeway EVP Renda to Be Inducted into Calif. Grocers Hall of Achievement
PLEASANTON, Calif. -- Larree Renda, e.v.p., chief strategist and administrative officer of Safeway Inc. will become the first woman to be inducted into the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation Hall of Achievement.
The Sacramento-based association created the Hall of Achievement in 1993, to recognize California grocery retailers and suppliers who have contributed substantially to the advancement of the grocery industry.
“Larree Renda is the perfect candidate for this very prestigious food industry award,” said acting CGA c.e.o. Jill Rulon, who also serves as foundation president. “Her remarkable story as a pioneering woman executive and her long and distinguished list of business and personal achievements as one of Safeway’s top executives exemplifies all the important qualities of our great industry.”
Renda is a key member of the senior management team at Safeway, which operates more than 1,700 stores and employs more than 200,000 people throughout North America. She is responsible for all retail strategies and a broad range of critical administrative functions including labor relations, public affairs, human resources, industrial engineering, reengineering, and communications.
Renda also manages the company’s relationship with Casa Ley, Safeway’s joint venture in Mexico, where she is a member of the board of directors.
She was the first woman and youngest person in Safeway history to be promoted to s.v.p. in 1994, and subsequently became the company’s first female e.v.p. in 1999.
Renda was a key factor in the transformation of Safeway over the past several years from “a company that sells products to one that provides solutions,” as Progressive Grocer noted it when it recognized the chain as its 2007 Retailer of the Year, which it earned because of the success of its transformation. Progressive Grocer also recognized Renda as one of the Top Women in Grocery in 2007.
Under her direction, Safeway has become a strong voice in the retail sector in advancing important legislative, government relations, and community-based programs, demonstrating the company’s leadership on key industry issues including healthcare reform, organized retail crime, and workers compensation.
Renda also serves as chair of the board for the Safeway Foundation, which oversees all of Safeway’s charitable giving programs. Safeway annually contributes millions of dollars to a range of different charitable initiatives including hunger relief, education, breast and prostate cancer research, and awareness programs as well as other health services such as Easter Seals, Special Olympics, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, where Ms. Renda serves as an MDA national v.p. In 2007, alone the company contributed $172 million to these causes.
Renda is a member of the board of directors of HSBC Finance Corp. She is also a member of the Retailing Initiative Advisory Board of the Wharton School of Business, and serves as a Trustee on the National Joint Labor Management Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for the California Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
She has been twice voted one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Business” by Fortune magazine.
Previous Hall of Achievement inductees are:
Byron Allumbaugh, Ralphs Grocery Co.
Lou Amen, Super A Foods
Bernard Briskin, Gelson’s Markets
Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. Markets Inc.
Jim Brown, Western Association of Food Chains/Ralphs Grocery Co.
Steven Burd, Safeway Inc.
Charles Collings, Raley's Supermarkets
Paul Gerrard, Gerrard's Inc.
Dave Hirz, Ralphs Grocery Co.
Don Lee, Dairy Fresh
Robert Piccinini, Save Mart Supermarkets
Alfred Plamann, Unified Western Grocers, Inc. (now Unified Grocers)
Thomas Raley, Raley's Supermarkets
Bill Roulette, Gelson’s Markets
Allan Scharn, Gelson’s Markets
Jerry Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Joe Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Joey Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Bob Spengler, Save Mart Supermarkets
Roger Stangeland, The Vons Companies
Bob Stiles, Gelson’s Markets
Wilfred Von Der Ahe, The Vons Companies
Bob Wilson, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream
The Sacramento-based association created the Hall of Achievement in 1993, to recognize California grocery retailers and suppliers who have contributed substantially to the advancement of the grocery industry.
“Larree Renda is the perfect candidate for this very prestigious food industry award,” said acting CGA c.e.o. Jill Rulon, who also serves as foundation president. “Her remarkable story as a pioneering woman executive and her long and distinguished list of business and personal achievements as one of Safeway’s top executives exemplifies all the important qualities of our great industry.”
Renda is a key member of the senior management team at Safeway, which operates more than 1,700 stores and employs more than 200,000 people throughout North America. She is responsible for all retail strategies and a broad range of critical administrative functions including labor relations, public affairs, human resources, industrial engineering, reengineering, and communications.
Renda also manages the company’s relationship with Casa Ley, Safeway’s joint venture in Mexico, where she is a member of the board of directors.
She was the first woman and youngest person in Safeway history to be promoted to s.v.p. in 1994, and subsequently became the company’s first female e.v.p. in 1999.
Renda was a key factor in the transformation of Safeway over the past several years from “a company that sells products to one that provides solutions,” as Progressive Grocer noted it when it recognized the chain as its 2007 Retailer of the Year, which it earned because of the success of its transformation. Progressive Grocer also recognized Renda as one of the Top Women in Grocery in 2007.
Under her direction, Safeway has become a strong voice in the retail sector in advancing important legislative, government relations, and community-based programs, demonstrating the company’s leadership on key industry issues including healthcare reform, organized retail crime, and workers compensation.
Renda also serves as chair of the board for the Safeway Foundation, which oversees all of Safeway’s charitable giving programs. Safeway annually contributes millions of dollars to a range of different charitable initiatives including hunger relief, education, breast and prostate cancer research, and awareness programs as well as other health services such as Easter Seals, Special Olympics, and the Muscular Dystrophy Association, where Ms. Renda serves as an MDA national v.p. In 2007, alone the company contributed $172 million to these causes.
Renda is a member of the board of directors of HSBC Finance Corp. She is also a member of the Retailing Initiative Advisory Board of the Wharton School of Business, and serves as a Trustee on the National Joint Labor Management Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for the California Chamber of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
She has been twice voted one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Business” by Fortune magazine.
Previous Hall of Achievement inductees are:
Byron Allumbaugh, Ralphs Grocery Co.
Lou Amen, Super A Foods
Bernard Briskin, Gelson’s Markets
Jack H. Brown, Stater Bros. Markets Inc.
Jim Brown, Western Association of Food Chains/Ralphs Grocery Co.
Steven Burd, Safeway Inc.
Charles Collings, Raley's Supermarkets
Paul Gerrard, Gerrard's Inc.
Dave Hirz, Ralphs Grocery Co.
Don Lee, Dairy Fresh
Robert Piccinini, Save Mart Supermarkets
Alfred Plamann, Unified Western Grocers, Inc. (now Unified Grocers)
Thomas Raley, Raley's Supermarkets
Bill Roulette, Gelson’s Markets
Allan Scharn, Gelson’s Markets
Jerry Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Joe Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Joey Scolari, Scolari's Food & Drug Co.
Bob Spengler, Save Mart Supermarkets
Roger Stangeland, The Vons Companies
Bob Stiles, Gelson’s Markets
Wilfred Von Der Ahe, The Vons Companies
Bob Wilson, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream