Michael P. D’Amour Elected to Big Y Board
Michael P. D’Amour, EVP of Springfield, Mass.-based Big Y Foods Inc. has been elected as a corporate director on the company’s board. D’Amour will continue in his corporate role of overseeing sales, marketing, distribution and merchandising for Big Y.
“I am delighted that Michael will be serving as a member on our corporate board of directors,” said Big Y President and COO Charles L. D’Amour, a cousin of Michael’s. “As a member of our third generation of D’Amour family members now involved in leadership of our company, Michael will be continuing the legacy begun by his grandfather and our co-founder, Paul D’Amour. Over the years and through various roles both within our company and our industry, Michael has proven to be a thoughtful, passionate and innovative leader. I look forward to being able to continue to work with him to grow, lead and develop our company on behalf of our customers, our employees and their families, all of our stakeholders, and the communities we serve.”
Michael D’Amour joined Big Y in 1987 as a service clerk in the East Longmeadow, Mass., store. He has worked in all areas of the markets, including grocery, deli and foodservice. In 1996, he took on deli and foodservice management at the West Springfield, Mass., World Class Market. A year later, he became a trainer/merchandiser for the chain’s foodservice department. After completing the company’s store manager training program, he was named assistant store manager at the Manchester, Conn., Big Y World Class Market and later held the same role in the Westfield, Mass., store. By 2000, he had been promoted to store manager at the Rocky Hill, Conn., location. The next year, he opened the new Big Y World Class Market in East Windsor, Conn. He left the operations team in 2002 to become a category sales manager for the frozen foods and dairy departments, and then subsequently moved to the same position in produce. In 2006, he was appointed director and then senior director of fresh foods. He rose to the position of VP of fresh foods in 2008. Three years later, he was named VP of sales and merchandising, and in 2013, he embarked on his current role of EVP.
“Growing up in our family business, my son Michael has matured remarkably and earned the respect he has generated at this stage of his career from his co-workers as well as the management team, and he has a solid vision of where and how the company should grow as we move into the future,” noted Big Y Chairman of the Board and CEO Donald H. D’Amour. “Michael understands that the family’s role is to serve the business and not be served by the business.”
Michael D’Amour is a member of Arlington, Va.-based Food Marketing Institute and serves on the operations committee for Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Topco Associates, a member-owned cooperative and the largest American retail food group purchasing organization. Outside of Big Y, he worked as a sales representative for the former Food Enterprises food broker and worked in food and beverage services at the student center while in college.
One of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in New England, Big Y operates 79 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 70 supermarkets, 39 pharmacies, Fresh Acres Market, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and seven Big Y Express gas and convenience stores. The company employs more than 11,000 associates.