Smith to Retire as Associated Wholesale Grocers President/CEO
David Smith, president and CEO of Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) will retire at the end of 2023. Dan Funk, AWG’s COO, will assume the company’s top spot upon Smith’s retirement.
Smith joined AWG in 2003 and was named president and CEO in 2015. During his time with AWG, he has seen the cooperative and membership grow from a Midwest company with 1,200 stores and three divisions with sales of $3.2 billion to a sprawling company with retail sales exceeding $24 billion and wholesale sales exceeding $11 billion.
[Read more: "Wakefern, AWG Among Top Revenue-Earning Cooperatives"]
"David's retirement and leadership transition has been in the planning stages for several years,” said Barry Queen, AWG's chairman of the board. “The board has worked with him and a leading management consulting and recruiting firm along with the executive leadership team on a comprehensive and strategic succession plan for the past two years.”
“All in all, this experience serving as AWG's president and CEO has been the most incredible experience of my life and an unmerited gift,” Smith said. “I feel blessed to have been chosen to serve, lead, and embrace AWG as my home. The board went through a comprehensive and deliberate process, ultimately selecting Dan as the next-generation chief executive. His selection ensures the executive leadership of AWG will remain in the hands of proven leaders from within whom we all know and trust."
Funk started his career with AWG as president of Valu Merchandisers Company (VMC) in October 2012. After two years leading the AWG subsidiary, he assumed the SVP of the Center Store role. In December 2015, Funk became EVP and chief merchandising and marketing officer. In January 2019, he became AWG's first-ever chief supply chain and merchandising officer, and in 2020 became the COO of AWG. Before AWG, Funk held numerous food retail and wholesale positions for leading independent and chain grocers.
"I am grateful to the board of directors, our cooperative members, and the AWG teammates for all your support as I transition into this new role,” Funk said. “I look forward to serving our team, membership, and the board of directors as we continue to support independent grocers in communities across America."
Kansas City, Kan.-based AWG, the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving more than 1,100 member companies and 3,100 locations in 28 states from eight full-line wholesale divisions, is No. 35 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 listing of North America’s top food and consumables retailers in North America.
