Stater Bros. Adds to Board of Directors
Stater Bros. Holding Inc., the parent company of Stater Bros. Markets, has elected Janel Haugarth and Sean Varner to the Stater Bros. Holdings board of directors.
Currently president of Highpoint Retail, LLC, Janel Haugarth has more than 40 years of experience in the food wholesale and retail grocery industry, including the areas of procurement, pricing, logistics, transportation, finance, technology services and sales. In her most recent supermarket industry role at Supervalu, she oversaw the company’s supply chain network, including the transportation fleet and 18 distribution centers serving more than 800 independent and franchised grocery retail store owners. While she was at Supervalu, Haugarth received the 2014 Trailblazer Award as part of the Top Women in Grocery program, and she was a Top Women in Grocery honoree in 2007, 2011 and 2013.
Sean Varner is the managing partner of business law firm Varner & Brandt LLP, located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, with offices in Riverside and Ontario. He has more than 25 years of legal and business expertise focusing on corporate and business law, real estate transactions, real estate development and land use, finance, and technology. Varner’s appointment continues a decades-long professional partnership between Stater Bros. Markets and Varner & Brandt. Following the recent death of Bruce D. Varner, founder of Varner & Brandt and former Stater Bros. Holdings board director, corporate secretary, and general counsel at Stater Bros. Holdings, Sean Varner was also recently appointed corporate secretary and general counsel of the company.
Additionally, Stater Bros. Holdings has appointed Pete Van Helden to the position of vice chairman of its board of directors. Van Helden joined Stater Bros. Markets as president and COO in 2013. Three years later, he was appointed CEO by Stater Bros.’ late executive chairman, Jack H. Brown.
“On behalf of the entire board of directors, it’s my pleasure to welcome our newest board members,” said Phillip J. Smith, chairman of the board of directors for Stater Bros. Holdings. “Pete will continue providing the board with insight into Stater Bros. Markets’ operations and future growth, while Janel and Sean will provide guidance and expertise for our future strategic goals.”
The largest privately owned supermarket chain in Southern California and the largest private employer in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties, San Bernardino-based Stater Bros. operates 170 supermarkets and employs about 18,000 associates. The company is No. 54 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
