PA Food Merchants Assoc. Names Wegmans Exec to Board

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) has appointed Gary Fechter, SVP of Wegmans Food Markets’ Pennsylvania division, to the trade organization’s board of directors. Fechter succeeds Wegmans’ Blaine Forkell on the board.

In his current role, Fechter oversees the operations of 16 Wegmans stores across Pennsylvania. He joined the Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer in 2013, having previously been regional VP for Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurants. Fechter has also held senior multiunit operations leadership positions over a 20-year span with such large companies as Boston Market, Blockbuster Video, Panera Bread and Qdoba Mexican Grill, and has corporate and franchise operations experience with both startups and turnarounds. 

“We are very pleased to have Gary join our board of directors and look forward to his contributions,” said Alex Baloga, president and CEO of Camp Hill, Pa.-based PFMA. “Gary is a leader in the food and beverage industry in Pennsylvania, and his more than 25 years of experience in management at retail and hospitality establishments will be a tremendous asset to our organization moving forward.”

PFMA, a statewide trade association, advocates the views of almost 800 convenience stores, supermarkets, independent grocers, wholesalers and consumer product vendors. The organization’s members operate more than 3,200 stores and employ 150,000-plus Pennsylvanians.

Wegmans is No. 14 on Progressive Grocer's 2018 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.