Wegman, Smucker Receive GS1 Achievement Awards
GS1 has bestowed its inaugural GS1 Lifetime Achievement Awards on Danny Wegman, CEO of Wegmans Food Markets, and Tim Smucker, chairman of the board of the J. M. Smucker Co. Wegman and Smucker were honored for their contributions to the advancement and adoption of GS1 Standards, the most broadly used supply chain standards worldwide. The awards ceremony was held May 21 at the GS1 General Assembly and Global Leadership Summit in Los Angeles.
“The leadership, vision, and innovation demonstrated by both Tim Smucker and Danny Wegman have not only advanced the food and beverage industries, but all industries that use information standards to improve business processes, share information efficiently and conduct business one way around the world,” noted Bob Carpenter, president and CEO of Lawrenceville, N.J.-based GS1 US. “As visionaries, they have elevated their family businesses to become two of the world’s most respected brands, while also generously giving their time to lead collaboration with their peers and trading partners to move industry forward.”
Wegman joined his family business, Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, in 1964, becoming CEO in 2005 after being president for almost 30 years. A former chairman of the GS1 US board of governors as well as the GS1 management board, Wegman has been a strong advocate of GS1 Standards and data synchronization, leading the industry forward by facilitating collaboration between manufacturers and retailers, and more recently between health care providers using electronic health records and GS1 Standards for products. Wegman is also an active member and former chair of the Food Marketing Institute.
The great-grandson of company founder J.M. (Jerome Monroe) Smucker, Tim Smucker has been chairman of the J.M. Smucker Co. since 1987, after stints as co-CEO, president and COO. A former member of the GS1 US board of governors, Smucker is now vice chairman and chairman emeritus for the GS1 management board, continuing his 40-year mission to spur supply chain innovation and advocate for more widespread adoption of GS1 Standards, most recently in the area of financial services. Smucker has worked for the Grocery Manufacturers Association for decades, serving on its board of directors, executive committee and board committee on health and wellness.
Taking place May 20-23, the GS1 General Assembly and Global Leadership Summit is an annual event uniting GS1 member organizations and industry leaders from around the world to discuss the state of business and innovations for the future. This year, to mark the 40th anniversary of GS1 and industry leader collaboration, GS1 US welcomed a number of world-class speakers, among them Rollin Ford, EVP and CAO at Walmart, and Sandy Douglas, SVP and global chief customer officer at the Coca-Cola Co.
More than 300,000 businesses across 25 industries depend on GS1 US, a member of GS1, for trading-partner collaboration and maximizing the cost-effectiveness, speed, visibility, security and sustainability of their business processes. GS1 US also manages the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC).