Former Dom’s Exec and Co-Founder Ready to Tackle New Role

Don Fitzgerald, co-founder and CEO of the recently shuttered Dom’s Kitchen & Market in Chicago, is lending his experience and expertise to a new organization. This week, the grocery veteran announced that he is joining consulting firm The Partnering Group (TPG) as a partner.

Based in Naples, Fla., TPG comprises a team of executive leaders who have served at respected retail and CPGs around the world. The company reports that it has partnered with 84% of the top CPG suppliers and 56% of leading retailers.

Within the company’s retail practice, Fitzgerald will advise organizations on transformational change and help build value for retailers and partner CPGs. “I’m excited about the opportunity to assist clients, both retailers and suppliers alike, to address the key challenges in today's complex omni-retailing environment, complexity starting from the all-important shopper, back through strategy, and the overall value chain,” he told Progressive Grocer in an exclusive interview. “The Partnering Group is a wonderful chance for me to collaborate with skilled practitioners who have operated very effectively, in industry roles as well, before joining the firm.”

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Fitzgerald said he’s glad to be back in the grocery game after a brief hiatus. After taking on the CEO role at Dom’s Kitchen & Market in 2023, he served as president and COO of the now-defunct Outfox Hospitality during a transition period that ended earlier this year. “My goal is to combine the many years of practical retail experience that I've acquired, with proven best practices, to help elevate this amazing food industry even further. Dare I say pay it forward once again to my peers and today's dynamic shoppers?" he declared.  

Before co-founding Dom’s with other legacy grocery pros Bob Mariano and Jay Owen, Fitzgerald was group VP of merchandising and marketing at Mariano’s in Chicagoland and group VP and chief merchandising and marketing officer at Roundy’s Supermarkets in the Milwaukee area. His background also includes tenures at Michigan-based Meijer, California-based Safeway, and Chicago-based Dominick’s Finer Foods. Fitzgerald shares his expertise as a professor of marketing at DePaul University and as an advisor for Food Systems for the Future project. He earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University.