King Kullen Makes Executive Appointments
King Kullen Grocery Co. Inc. has named Joseph W. Brown president and COO and Bernard P. Kennedy EVP, chief administrative officer and secretary, following a vote by the King Kullen board of directors.
In March, Brian C. Cullen and J. Donald Kennedy revealed that they would retire from their roles as co-president and co-COO. Both Cullen and Kennedy will remain as members of the King Kullen board of directors and the executive committee of the board.
Brown began his career at King Kullen as a teenager 48 years ago, rising through the ranks to the role of SVP/ chief merchandising officer and, most recently, EVP. Brown was also president of Wild by Nature, an independent subsidiary of King Kullen. In addition to his King Kullen responsibilities, Brown is past board president of Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Food Bank.
Kennedy, a third-generation member of King Kullen’s founding family, was most recently SVP corporate and legal affairs. Beyond King Kullen, he sits on the board of directors of the Long Island Association and Providence House, has held executive positions on the boards of both the Family & Children’s Association and Little Flower Children and Family Services, and was co-managing member of the Garden City, N.Y., office of Bond, Schoeneck & King.
“I am deeply honored to assume leadership of such an iconic Long Island company,” noted Brown. “King Kullen has been a part of my life for nearly 50 years. I have witnessed many changes within the supermarket industry during that time but what has not changed is King Kullen’s commitment to its associates and customers and dedication to the communities in which it operates. I look forward to guiding by these same principles and working with Bernie Kennedy and the executive team on behalf of the entire King Kullen organization.”
“King Kullen has been part of the Kennedy family for three generations,” said Kennedy. “My father, Bernard, and brother, Don, held leadership positions, and it is a privilege to carry on the tradition. I would like to thank the King Kullen Board, congratulate Joe on his appointment to president and COO, and express my steadfast commitment to maintaining King Kullen’s position as a leading regional supermarket with a proud history.”
Founded in 1930 by Michael J. Cullen, Hauppauge, N.Y.-based King Kullen operates 29 King Kullen supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores in New York’s Nassau and Suffolk counties.
