Topco Introduces Latest Members of Board of Directors, Ops Team
During its 2024 Annual Membership Conference, Topco Associates LLC revealed its 2024-26 board of directors while also notifying the membership of changes in its operations team.
K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. President and CEO Steve Smith has returned as Topco’s chairman of the board (he last held the role in 2012). Abington, Va.-based K-VA-T has been a member of Topco since 1995. Smith replaces Randy Edeker, executive chairman at West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc., who is retiring from the grocer this summer. Edeker’s first joined Topco’s board in 2011, during which time he served as the chairman from 2013 to 2016 and from 2022 to 2024.
“Randy has been a highly visible leader in the membership for many years, and I can honestly say that he has been a key driving force in helping transform Topco into the organization it is today,” noted Randy Skoda, president and CEO of Itasca, Ill.-based Topco. “Additionally, we look forward to Steve’s return to the chairman role, as he has a lengthy track record of driving successful decision-making and growing strong collaboration across the membership.”
Also leaving Topco’s board is Frank Curci, CEO of Northeast Grocery Inc. (NGI). Curci is retiring from Schenectady, N.Y.-based NGI, the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets, LLC, after a 43-year career in the grocery industry.
Along with Smith and Skoda, the 2024-26 Topco board of directors consists of the following executives:
Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO, Brookshire Holdings Inc.
Chris Coborn, Chairman and CEO, Coborn’s Inc.
Michael D’Amour, President and CEO, Big Y Foods Inc.
Brian George, President and CEO, Alex Lee Inc.
Jeremy Gosch, CEO and Vice Chairman, Hy-Vee Inc.
John Persons, CEO, Northeast Grocery Inc.
David Rice, President and CEO, Associated Food Stores Inc.
Tony B. Sarsam, President and CEO, SpartanNash Co.
Todd Schnuck, Chairman and CEO, Schnuck Markets Inc.
Pete Van Helden, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Stater Bros. Markets
Changes to Topco’s operations team include a new co-chair: Rebecca Calvin, SVP and chief marketing officer at San Bernardino, Calif.-based Stater Bros. Markets. Calvin succeeds outgoing co-chair Dan Glei, EVP of merchandising and marketing at K-VA-T. Glei spent the past two years as co-chair and will remain a member of the operations team.
“I’d like to thank Dan for his leadership and productive tenure, and I look forward to working with Rebecca to advance our operations team’s objectives,” said Mike Ferguson, Topco’s SVP and operations team co-chair. “Many of Topco’s key initiatives and successes come as a result of recommendations from the operations team. Rebecca has demonstrated her ability to provide insightful and impactful thoughts that benefit the entirety of the membership.”
As well as Calvin, Glei and Ferguson, the 2024 Topco operations team consists of the following executives:
Nick Albrecht, President, The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Co.
Chuck Alexander, SVP, Procurement and Merchandising, Alex Lee Inc./MDI
Randy Arceneaux, President and CEO, Affiliated Foods Inc.
Brett Bremser, COO, Hy-Vee, Inc.
Rebecca Calvin, SVP and Chief Merchandising Officer, Stater Bros. Markets
Michael Cormier, SVP, Sales and Marketing, Big Y Foods Inc.
Ryan Cuba, Chief Merchandising Officer, Schnuck Markets Inc.
Jeff Culhane, SVP, Sales and Merchandising, Northeast Grocery Inc.
Bob Gleeson, SVP, Merchandising and Marketing, Weis Markets Inc.
Christine Heffernan, SVP, Center Store Sourcing and Supply Chain, Topco Associates LLC
Jerry LeClair, EVP, Chief Merchant and Retail Operations Officer, Brookshire Holdings Inc.
Bennett Morgan, SVP and Chief Merchandising Officer, SpartanNash Co.
Danell O’Neill, EVP, Brand, Marketing, Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Transparency, Topco Associates LLC
Kris Roberts, SVP, Merchandising-Center Store, Coborn's Inc.
Jay Sharrock, SVP, Merchandising and Marketing, C&S Wholesale Grocers
Roger White, EVP, Sales and Wholesale Operations, Associated Food Stores Inc.
In business for 80 years, Topco is an 18.3 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers, food service and pharmacy companies.
