Big Y Promotes 6
The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. has revealed the following new appointments: Devyn Blais to VP of finance; John P. Fraro to senior director of fresh foods; David J. Argento to director of pharmacy; James T. Billingsley to director of accounting; Iliana Del Valle-Colon to director of deli, bakery and kitchen; and Amanda M. Pereira to director of treasury.
“It’s always gratifying to see dedicated and talented individuals grow within our company,” said Big Y President and CEO Michael P. D’Amour. “I’m confident that through their collaboration, we will continue to innovate and excel in serving our communities.”
In her new role, Blais will provide strategic leadership, planning and direction for all financial management activities, among them accounting and financial reporting, cash management and financial services, and financial planning and analysis. She reports to SVP/CFO Theresa A. Jasmin. Blais has more than 18 years of experience within Big Y’s finance and accounting departments. She started in 2005 as a senior accountant, became assistant controller in 2010, was named director of accounting in 2016 and was appointed to the role of senior director of finance in 2022. Before Big Y, she worked in public accounting and as an internal auditor for a local retailer/manufacturer. Blais was named a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer in 2017.
Reporting to SVP of Sales and Marketing Michael R. Cormier, Fraro will now be responsible for all aspects of Big Y’s fresh departments, including meat, seafood, bakery, deli, kitchen, produce and floral. Fraro started at Big Y in 2005 as an assistant foodservice/kitchen manager after having held roles in meat, bakery and deli for two other retailers for the previous five years. In 2006, he was appointed sous chef at Big Y’s Fresh Acres Market and later in 2008 became meal solutions manager there. In 2009, he then became the company’s junior deli buyer, followed by a promotion to bakery sales manager. From 2014 to 2017, he was deli sales manager; then he held the role of produce sales manager until his 2017 appointment as director of deli, bakery and kitchen.
Argento will set overall direction and goals for the pharmacy division, and the development and execution of programs, promotions, services and operational excellence for Big Y’s 33 in-store pharmacies. He will report to Nicole D’Amour Schneider, SVP of retail operations and customer experience. Argento worked from 1985 to 2006 at Bayer Pharmaceutical in various positions, including sales and marketing, sales management, strategic planning, and trade relations, until he took on the role of pharmacy manager at CVS in 2007 and then at Big Y in 2010. By 2013, he was named manager of pharmacy operations in Connecticut, and in 2020 he became senior manager of pharmacy operations.
Reporting to Blais, Billingsley will provide leadership, planning and direction for corporate accounting, inventory and financial reporting, ensuring that Big Y’s financial statements are compliant with evolving technical accounting requirements. He started at Big Y in 2005 as staff accountant in fixed assets, and in 2006 he became an inventory staff accountant. By 2007, he was named senior financial reporting project specialist, and in 2011 he took on the position of financial reporting manager, a role he held until he became senior accounting manager in 2018.
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Reporting to Fraro, Del Valle-Colon will oversee all sales, marketing and merchandising for the deli, bakery and kitchen. She began her retail career in 1999 as a greeter at New York & Co., where she held several roles, among them cashier, co-manager and store manager, until she joined Stop & Shop in 2002. There, she worked in various capacities, including customer service manager/assistant manager, perishable and nonperishable manager, division sales analyst, center store and general merchandise specialist, and store manager. She joined Big Y in 2017 as a reserve store director, and then later became corporate deli sales manager and corporate seafood sales manager. Del Valle-Colon was named a Progressive Grocer Top Women in Grocery in 2015.
Also reporting to Blais, Pereira joined Big Y in 2014 as a manager of accounts payable and fixed assets after several years in public accounting. She then went on to become accounts payable and accounts receivable manager, treasury manager, and senior treasury manager. In her new role, she will provide leadership, planning and direction for accounts payable and receivable, fixed assets, store accounting, and financial services across all areas of the company.
Springfield, Mass.-based Big Y Foods is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England. It operates locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including supermarkets, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and Big Y Express gas and convenience locations, with more than 10,000 employees. The company is No. 72 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of North America’s top retailers of food and consumables.
