THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION ... · THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA FOOD...

THE NE WSLET TER OF THE GEORGIA FOOD INDUS TRY A SSOCIAT ION VOL. 17 NO. 3

“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia”

I read an interestingquestion the other day – Who are five people you have worked with that you truly respect as leaders? One of my choices is my good friend, Commissioner Gary Black. I met the Commissioner 28years ago, when he was President of the Georgia Agribusiness Council. He and I were young lobbyists and association executives, representing the food industry from farm to table. New with

Who Are Your Five Great Leaders?By Kathy Kuzava, GFIA President

the association, and one of the few female lobbyists at the time, I spent the first several years learning everything I could about lobbying and association management. I chose a handful of people with strong ethics to emulate, including Gary Black.Years later, Gary Black is now the Commissioner of Agriculture. He is still the same down to earth, ethical and all around good guy that I met many years ago. Many in the press give all elected

officials a bad rap. They do not know Gary Black. He was highly respected when he was a lobbyist, and he is highly respected as Commissioner. He has built a tremendous team and is the epitome of a servant leader. Statewide campaigns are ex-pensive and raising campaign money is the worst part of any elected official’s job. The members of the Georgia Food Industry Association recognize Commissioner Black’s lead-ership, and want to show our support of his election. We will hold a fundraiser on September 28, and we hope we can count on your support to re-elect one of my top choices of a leader I respect! (See page 5 for details)Ironically, the fundraiser will be held at the home of another of my picks for great leaders…GFIA’s new chairman, Mike Coggins, President of Sher-wood Foods. (Read the full story about our new chairman on page 6). I look forward to seeing you on September 28!

JOIN US!

Registration and details at www.GFIA.org

Contact Michelle Boyer for sponsorship information [email protected] (678) 654-3316

GFIA Board of Directors’Fall Golf Tournament

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

CHATEAU ELAN GOLF CLUBBraselton, Georgia

Purchase $10 raffle tickets forthe chance to win fantastic prizes!

GOOD NEWSregarding

WIC Reform! Read about

upcoming WIC reform championed

by GFIA onpages 2-3.

INSIDE This Edition

Day in Washington News .................. Page 4

Gary Black Fundraiser ........ Page 5

Mike Coggins Takes the Wheel .......... Page 6

Grocers Give Project ............... Page 7

ScholarshipWinners.............. Page 8

Anderson Dilworth Honored ........... 2

Convention Pages 10- 19

“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia” 2

I N D U S T R Y N E W S

USDA Approves GFIA’s Request for WIC Reform!

Thank you to the officials at the Georgia Department of Public Health who have worked with the GFIA to bring some important reforms to Georgia’s WIC program in two major areas. Minimum inventory levels have been reduced, and changes in WIC’s definition of expired products will bring much needed relief to Georgia’s WIC vendors. (for example – no more sanctions on “expired” dried beans!)

Although the state of Georgia is still on probation with the USDA, recent changes in state personnel and the confirma-tion of Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue gave the GFIA optimism for WIC improvements. “The right leadership is now in place at the state and federal level to allow these reforms to happen,” according to GFIA President Kathy Kuzava. We still have work to accomplish in many areas, but this is a great start!

Request #1 – Redefine Requirements for Out of Date Product Have you experienced a WIC sanction for an out of date product? You are not alone! Retailers have been receiving dating sanctions for items ranging from dried beans to infant formula. Many of our retailers lost their WIC license for six months after receiving violations for out of date foods.

The GFIA office was receiving calls on a regular basis from store owners who were concerned about WIC inspec-tors spending more than five hours in a store searching for out of date items. Georgia’s retailers have been incredibly frustrated that the policies regarding product dating have led to inspectors having a “gotcha” mentality when visiting stores. With between 25,000 - 45,000 or more products stocked in each grocery store, it is impossible to maintain perfection in dating. The GFIA has spent years asking for changes to the unrealistic and unattainable requirements for monitoring inventory dates. Our members desperately needed some relief.

Request #2 – Reduce Minimum Inventory Requirements Have you experienced sanctions for not meeting minimum inventory requirements? Again, you are not alone! In cer-tain categories, such as soy powdered infant formula, retailers have been required to carry more product than neces-sary to take care of their customers. Many times, this leads to them having to destroy product, at a loss to the store, in order to avoid having expired product on the shelf.

The GFIA proposed that WIC reduce the inventory level requirements to reflect what is being sold at retail. We un-derstand WIC’s goal is to ensure product availability for recipients, but we made WIC officials aware that retailers can order any product customers need and have it available that same week. Getting rid of paper vouchers will also clear up some of our challenges, because WIC recipients are currently required to purchase everything on a voucher at one time. USDA has mandated that all states implement EBT systems by October 1, 2020. Georgia WIC is prepar-ing for the change, but no implementation date has yet been announced.

Georgia WIC officials agreed with our proposal that WIC should look for expiration dates only on those products listed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture as “potentially hazardous foods”. WIC products on this list include baby formula, eggs, milk and any products that have time and/or temperature controls for the safety of the product, and that are labeled “Keep Refrigerated”.



DEW, MTN DEW, the MTN DEW Logo and the Mtn Dew Landscape are registered trademarks of PepsiCo, Inc. YGE175113

The Georgia Food Industry Association continues our work to bring common sense reform to the GA WIC Program and to highlight the essential partnership role that Georgia’s grocers play in providing healthy food to WIC recip-ients. Some of the issues still facing retailers include: unfair pricing models on many WIC items and application process delays. Additional burdens on retailers below 15,000 sq. ft. include restrictions on selling some infant for-mula and the burdensome requirement for an annual assessment to determine if more than 50 percent of their food sales come from WIC revenue.

What is your next priority for WIC reform? Let Kathy Kuzava hear from you! [email protected]

A special shout out goes to Kathie Nance, The Kroger Company and John West, West Foods IGA, for their suggestions and diligence to make the Georgia WIC Program stronger for every retailer in the state! We hope to bring you more good news in the near future!

Independent Retailers -Want to hear more details about the new WIC regulations?Make plans to attend our next Independent Council Meeting on September 18, 2017. (See page 4 for information)

Georgia WIC officials agreed with our proposal that WIC should look for expiration dates only on those products listed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture as “potentially hazardous foods”. WIC products on this list include baby formula, eggs, milk and any products that have time and/or temperature controls for the safety of the product, and that are labeled “Keep Refrigerated”.



DAY IN WASHINGTONS U P E R M A R K E T I N D U S T R Y F LY- I N

L I A I S O N C A P I T O L H I L L H O T E L | D . C .

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:GROCERSDAYINWASHINGTON.COM

In a joint effort with FMI, NGA and FIAE, hundreds of retailers from across the country flew in to our nation’s capital in May to visit mem-bers of Congress. Keeping debit reform was our biggest goal. Big banks were fighting hard to repeal the protections of the Durbin Amendment, and our members urged their lawmakers to stand firm against pressure from the banks. Shortly following our visit, the key legislation came up for a vote, and our legislators heard our voice! Debit reform is safe for now, but the fight is far from over. It’s more important than ever to make sure that our industry voice is heard – make plans now to attend with us in 2018!

Thanks to GFIA members Don and Amy Barnette, Market Grocery Company; Jeff Downing, Foothills IGA; Ron Edenfield, Greg Edenfield and Moses White, Wayfield Foods; Greg Crook, Crook’s Marketplace and Michael Gay, Foodfresh for representing Georgia’s supermarket industry!

The GFIA delegation poses with Senator David Perdue. Ron & Greg Edenfield stop for a moment in front of the newly renovated capitol building.

Monday, September 18, 20172:00PM - 5:00PM

Atlanta Airport Marriott • 4711 Best Rd, Atlanta, GA

Make Plans to Attend Our Fall Independent Council Meeting

We will be sharing valuable information with our independent retailer community, including:

• WIC Reform Victories and Next StepsHear about the recent reform and help us determine the next reform priorities!

• FMS and NGA 2017 Independent Grocers Financial Survey Results! How did your store compare with industry benchmarks?

Sponsored By:


A S S O C I A T I O N N E W S

Join industry friendsand host, Mike Coggins,for a delicious BBQ dinner to support our friend,Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black Commissioner

Gary W. Black

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Mike Coggins’ “Garage” 3134 Trickum Road, Woodstock, GA 30188RSVP to Kathy Kuzava at [email protected]

SUPPORT LEVELSHost Committee $1,000

Supporter $500Friend $250

Please make your personal checks payable to:Gary Black for Agriculture Commissioner

PO Box 1700, Commerce, GA 30529

If you are unable to attend the event, please mailyour contribution to the GFIA office at:

1260 Winchester Pkwy. Suite 110Smyrna, GA 30080

SAVE THE DATE

Fall Independent Council MeetingSeptember 18, 2017 Atlanta Airport Marriott

Fall GolfTournamentOctober 18, 2017 Chateau ElanBraselton, GA

HolidayExtravaganzaNovember 28, 2017The Cobb GalleriaAtlanta, GA

LegislativeReceptionJanuary 23, 2018 The Sloppy Floyd BuildingAtlanta, GA

Spring GolfTournamentMarch 21, 2018 Mirror LakeGolf ClubVilla Rica, GA

GFIA ConventionJuly 19-22, 2018 OMNIChampionsGateOrlando, FL



Mike Coggins, President of the Atlanta division of Sher-wood Food Distributors, was inducted as chairman of the Georgia Food Industry Association at our July convention. Mike grew up in Columbus, Georgia as the son of a preach-er. The father’s influence rubbed off on his son, because so many people talk about Mike’s servant leadership qualities.

“Mike will be a great leader, not only because of his ex-perience and dedication to the GFIA, but more so because of his passion to serve,” according to Joe DiBenedetto of Publix Super Markets. GFIA’s board of directors have also been impressed by our new chairman, and in 2011, Mike was awarded the Legacy Award, GFIA’s highest honor.

Mike’s passion for service was evident when he joined the Navy as a young man, work-ing in special weapons maintenance, before beginning his career in the meat business. “Mike is respected in our industry because he always wants what is best for his cus-tomers and is always willing to go the extra mile,” says Verlin Reece of Quality Foods.

Mike served as GFIA’s membership chairman for sev-eral years and is passionate about building the associ-ation. “The association has meant so much to me, both personally and professionally and it is my honor to serve as chairman”, says Mike. What is his priority during his term as chairman? “I want people to really know the importance and the value of this great organization.”

It is his passion for classic era cars and antique memorabilia that keeps our chairman busy when he’s not at work. He has bought and sold more than 150 classic cars over the years and is a well-known figure at car shows across the country. Mike currently owns 10 cars, but his favorite is his 1937 Packard. He says he’s always liked elegant cars from the 30’s.

Over the years, Mike and his wife Cindy have decorated the garage with a unique collection of antiques, ranging from vintage license plates to old gas pumps, vintage signs and memorabilia. Mike has found a way to use his garage for

serving GFIA. This month, he is hosting his third fundrais-er for Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black in his im-pressive garage. (Mike says his garage is his “happy” place.)

Mike attributes much of his success to his “secret weap-on”—his wife, Cindy. As one of 17 children, Cindy never meets a stranger. “She is so supportive of my business and fits in with everyone. She is an all-around good person.”

Cindy was the reason Mike took on a leadership role with the GFIA. After Mike turned down the ini-tial request to chair the membership com-mittee, it was Cindy who confided to Kathy Kuzava that Mike was shy. We promised him he would never have to get on stage (what a sucker!) and he agreed to take on the role. Ron Edenfield, Wayfield Foods, has known Mike for over twenty-five years and talks

about Mike’s integrity and great character. Darrell Wi-ley, J &J Foods says that the “GFIA is a stronger or-ganization because of the efforts of Mike Coggins.”

Mike’s numerous long-time employees are proof of the fact that great leaders instill loyalty. Ten of his sales peo-ple and three truck drivers have been with him for more than 25 years! How does that happen? According to Mike, “People always know where they stand with me. I don’t hold grudges and I treat people with respect.”

Past chairman Jeff Downing, Foothill’s IGA, describes Mike as “giving, faithful, reliable, likeable and generous. I have never heard anyone say anything about Mike that was not positive.”

Whether Mike is driving up GFIA’s membership, or driving his ’37 Packard, the Georgia Food Industry As-sociation is extremely lucky to have Mike at the wheel.

Mike CogginsTakes the Wheel



GROCERS GIVE A FAMILY SERVICE PROJECT FOR GFIA MEMBERS

Working with Food For Thought, more than 200 GFIA convention attendees gathered together to assemble 3,000 bags of food for hungry children.

GFIA board member Bob McTeir and Education Foundation trustee Dave Logue hosted Grocers Give again this year, and were instrumental in securing the donation of over $20,000 worth of food products from Merchants Distributors, Inc. and its suppliers. Many thanks to them, and everyone else who made this event possible.

GFIA members show the generosity of our great industry.

Jarrod Lord, Craft Brew Alliance, and his family help stuff backpacks for children in need.

We are proud to be in an industry that supports feeding people. No child should ever go hungry. The Grocers Give program allows GFIA members to have a lot of fun and do a lot of

good at the same time….priceless.Bob McTeir, President, MDI

ShaRonda Younger, Senior Director of Sales for the Southeast Region of Frito-Lay, was hired 15 years ago, straight out of college. She ran a route for her first year before going into the leadership program. ShaRonda enjoys spending time with her husband and two chil-dren at their sporting events, as well as playing on FIVE kickball teams herself!

David Jones is Key Accounts Manager at United Distributors, where he has been employed for 22 years. The GFIA team con-siders David Jones to be a “super volunteer,” having been an integral part of many GFIA events. In fact, he was chosen as director for our 2016 fall golf tournament. In his free time, David enjoys hiking and backpacking with his wife, as well as hunting and fishing.

Meet Our Newest Education Foundation Trustees


E D U C A T I O N F O U N D A T I O N

If you would like to know more about how you can offer scholarships to your own employees, or to your customers, call the GFIA office at (770) 438-7744. We will take care of everything at no cost to you.

AldiDill’s Food City

Associated Wholesale Grocers Empire Distributors, Inc.

Floco Foods, Inc.Food Depot

Food CityFoothills IGA Market

Fresh ExpressGeorgia Lottery Corporation

J & J Foods, Inc.Jackson Beverages

The Kroger CompanyMarket Grocery Company

Mayfield Dairy Farms Merchants Distributors, Inc.

Milkco, Inc.National Distributing Co.

Pepsi Beverages CompanyPOSTEC, Inc.

Publix Super Markets, Inc.Quality Foods, Inc.

Rubo’s, Inc.Satilla Grocery

United Distributors, Inc.Wayfield Foods, Inc.

Wells Enterprises [Blue Bunny]The Wine Group

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING GFIA MEMBER COMPANIES WHOSE EMPLOYEES WERE AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2017-2018

Winning this scholarship will greatly benefit me in my education moving for-ward. I am very honored to receive such an award as I pursue a career in biology and furthering my education through a pharmaceutical pathway. This award is

very much appreciated and will be utilized at its greatest potential.Caleb Ladd, Aldi Inc.

Winner of a Blue Bell Sponsored Award

The scholarship awarded to me will help lay the foundation of a new life for me and my

daughter by furthering my education, which will strengthen my employment opportunities

and enable a brighter future for my family.Lisa Jones, Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Winner of a Publix Super Markets Piggyback Award

I just want to take this time to give the scholarship sponsor a thank you from

the bottom of my heart. This scholarship means so much to me and my family.

Without you, my dream of going to college would not be possible.

Brandon Rowand, Quality FoodsWinner of a Foundation Award

Winning the GFIA scholarship will definitely assist my family and myself as we have re-

alized more and more that college costs are extremely expensive. This additional money

from the GFIA scholarship will help with college tuition and books.

Ayanna Brooks, Wayfield FoodsWinner of a Wayfield Foods

Piggyback Award

I’m so grateful for being given this scholar-ship because it means that my hard work

is paying off. This scholarship will help me get one step closer to reaching my goal of

becoming a Clinical Pharmacist.Alexandra Franklin,

National Distributing CompanyWinner of a Foundation Award

This year, the Education Foundation awarded 90 scholarships totaling over $130,000.

Funding for these awards is made possible by the generous donations of our participating member companies, and through our live and silent auction fundraisers, raffle ticket sales and spring golf tournament.

A $15,000 annual grant from Publix Super Markets Charities also gives us the ability to increase the amount of the Foundation Awards by more than 26%.


9

GFIA Members “Shoot for the Stars” to Bring in Dollars for Industry EducationOur Education Foundation trustees did a stellar job hosting our Silent & Live Auction Fundraisers at the GFIA convention last month. GFIA members took home some fantastic items from the silent auction. We appreciate all of the members who donated items and money to the auction – and also the shoppers who bought them!

Sincere thanks also go to the retailers who generously pledged their time to host some of our Live Auction events - Bruce Lucia of The Kroger Company, Verlin Reece and Warren Brown of Quality Foods, Greg Edenfield of Wayfield Foods and Jamey Leseueur of Food Depot.

Dinner with Bruce LuciaDonated By:

The Kroger Company

Purchased By: Coca-Cola Bottling Company United / Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.

Golf with Bruce LuciaDonated By:

The Kroger Company

Purchased By: Pepsi Beverages Company

Recreation for EducationDonated By:

Food Depot, Quality Foods, Inc. and Wayfield Foods

Purchased By: Coca-Cola BottlingCompany United

Mitsubishi Electric ClassicDonated By:

Quality Foods, Inc.

Purchased By: PERNOD RICARD USA

NFL Experience Donated By:

Flowers Foods & Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.

Purchased By: General Produce, LLC.

Concert with Ruben Fernandez

Donated By: The Kroger Company & Pepsi

Beverages Company

Purchased By: Cousin Willie’s Popcorn

& Sparkling Ice

Thank you to all of the companies and individuals who participated in our Live Auction

1 1


“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia”

How Can You Help?1) DONATE ITEMS! To make a donation, call GFIA or download a form from the GFIA weekly emails. We request that all donations be delivered or shipped in advance to assist in planning. Donation ideas in-clude: event tickets, trips, gift baskets, sports memorabilia, electronics, kids & teen items, jewelry, etc.2) SHOP TILL YOU DROP! Come prepared to spend, spend, spend! A list of auction items will be available prior to the con-vention.

Thank You Publix Super Markets Charities!

The GFIA Education Foun-dation would like to say a huge thank you to the Publix Super Markets Charities for their very generous donation of $15,000. The $15,000 will be used to increase our annual scholar-ship awards. Scholarships are awarded each year to deserving students in our industry and we are grateful for supporters like Publix, who have helped increase the monetary value of Founda-tion awards by $45,000 over the last 4 years.

Education Foundation Trustees Mike Faulk (The Kroger Company) and Tim Crain (Pro-Form Group) show off Eat at Home Georgia’s new logo as they place decals on their cars!

The GFIA Education Foundation had the oppor-tunity to partner with senior marketing students from Georgia State University this past spring. The partnership was a huge success as Geor-gia State students got the chance to put all that they have learned to use in the business world. Students tar-geted areas such as research, advertising, social media and public relations. With Geor-gia State’s help, Eat at Home

GFIA Education Foundation Silent Auction Accepting DonationsThe GFIA Trustees are excited to celebrate the Foundation’s 19th year on the opening night of the annual convention! All proceeds benefit the GFIA Education Foundation (GFIEF) which awards scholarships to deserving students and pro-vides GFIA members with educational tools for our industry.

Eat at Home Georgia Partners with Georgia State University

Georgia showed a 144% in-crease in FaceBook follow-ers and a 30% increase with Twitter followers. Students also presented the Board of Trustees with new marketing material ideas and a new logo! If you are interested in par-ticipating in the Eat at Home

program, now is the time to do it! The Education Foun-dation plans on continuing the partnership with Georgia State and looks forward to having a GSU student intern for the Eat at Home program. For more information, please contact the GFIA office.

Our Trustee Team posing for a picture before Thursday’s Opening Night Party!

Publix Super Markets Charities also contributes $15,000 each year directly to the Education Foundation! This money is used exclusively to increase the amount of the Foundation scholarship awards, which are available to all GFIA members.

“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia” 1 0

C O N V E N T I O N

shoot for the stars

These companies each donated $10,000 or more in sponsorship

DIAMOND SPONSORSAnheuser - Busch, Inc. & The Georgia Wholesaler FamilyAtlanta Beverage / Eagle Rock D.G. Yuengling Monday Night Brewing Reformation Brewing Sparkling Ice

Atlanta Beverage / Eagle Rock Jekyll Brewing Kona Brewery / Redhook Brewery Red Hare Brewing

Bimbo Bakeries USACoca-Cola Bottling Company United Colorado Boxed Beef Company Constellation BrandsE & J Gallo WineryEmpire Distributors, Inc.C.Mondavi & Family Fetzer Vineyards Rodney Strong Vineyards Samuel Adams Flowers FoodsFrito-Lay / PepsiCoGeorgia Crown Distributing Company Brooklyn Brewery Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits Excelsior Wines Stella Rosa Wines

Heineken USAKraft Heinz CompanyMDIMillerCoorsMondelez International National Distributing Company Jones Soda KOBRAND Fine Wine and Spirits PERNOD RICARD USA The Wine Group

Nestle Waters North AmericaNortheast Sales, Inc. Executive Wines, Inc. Hi-Wire Brewing mike’s hard lemonade Pampa Beverages

Pepsi Beverages Company / PepsiCoPiggly Wiggly Alabama Dist. Co. Sherwood Foods Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.SUPERVALU INC.United Distributors, Inc.Ballast Point Brewery Orpheus Brewing Co. Southbound Brewing Co. SweetWater Brewery

United Distributors, Inc. DIAGEO Beer Company mike’s hard lemonade Sierra Nevada Warsteiner

Wise Foods

C O N V E N T I O N


PLATINUM SPONSORSBunzl

GFIA Education Foundation Golden Flake Snack Foods

Kellogg’sMayfield Dairy Farms

Publix Super Markets, Inc.Walmart

GOLD SPONSORSBlue Bell Ice Cream

Deoleo USA, Inc. Dr Pepper

Georgia Lottery The Kroger Company

Mitchell Grocery Corporation SpartanNash Company

TNGTruno Retail Technology Solutions

Western Union

SILVER SPONSORSAssociated Grocers of the South, Inc. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

Country Delite FarmsCousin Willie’s Simply Better

Deep River Snacks DIAGEO Beer Company

Domino Foods, Inc.Emerald Hare Wine Company

General Produce, LLC.Ira Higdon Grocery Company

Milo’s Tea Company Pabst Brewing Company

Riteway Sales & Marketing Sugardale

Sunset Farm Foods, Inc. Truco EnterprisesVOSS USA, Inc.

Warsteiner

BRONZE SPONSORSDelhaize America, LLC.Icelandic Glacial Water

North American BreweriesPepsiCo / North American Nutrition

Quality Foods, Inc.Red Bull North America

shoot for the stars


C O N V E N T I O N

Anderson Dilworth Honored withGFIA Lifetime Achievement Award

Each year, the Georgia Food Industry Association recognizes an industry leader with its Legacy Award. This year, however, the group presented a different honor—a Lifetime Achievement Award. Its recipient, Anderson Dilworth, the 88-year-old president of Dill’s Food City, operates four stores in Royston, Lavonia and Hiawassee. “Anderson is known for cultivating relationships with state legislators and decision makers,” according to GFIA President Kathy Kuzava, who said Dilworth understands the “impor-tance of building relationships with legislators before an issue arises.” Dilworth was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by State Senator John Wilkinson and former independent grocer, State Senator Jack Hill, during the GFIA 2017 convention. “He is the epitome of what a small business owner should be,” Wilkinson said of Dilworth, who opened his first store in 1955. Dil-worth—alongside his wife of nearly 65 years, Joel, and his family—have run the business ever since. Dilworth, in fact, continues to go to work each day. Senator Hill, who served with Anderson on the board of directors for the Georgia Grocers Association, called Anderson a “remarkable and distinguished Georgian.” During the past legislative session, Dilworth was recognized with Senate Resolution 218 for “his lifelong service within his community and state.” “This is a good business—good friends, and it’s been very good to my family,” Anderson said after accepting the award. He is proud to see his sons Stan and Tracy, who are active in the family business, have also taken on leadership roles with the association and education foundation.

Anderson is a longtime GFIA member and leader. He has served as treasur-er and as chairman, and believes in volunteering his time for the industry he loves. The association has recognized his commitment and has presented Anderson with numerous honors over the years, including GFIA’s Legacy Award. In 1971, he was recognized as the Georgia Grocer of the Year and was the first retail grocer to receive the Alfred Dorman Wholesaler Award presented by GFIA.

Like so many independent grocers, Dilworth has also been very involved in his local community. He served in leadership roles in the Royston Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce. He has served as mayor of Royston and served in the Georgia Legislature during Gov. Ernest Vandiver’s term. He also served on Gov. Zell Miller’s Commission of Effectiveness and Econo-my in Government.

Anderson received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Piedmont College and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict. Our Lifetime Achievement Winner has seven grandchildren and this year became a great-grandfather. The GFIA is lucky to have Anderson Dilworth and his wonderful family as examples of our terrific membership.

Anderson Dilworth

Meet GFIA’s NewVice Chairman –Jamey Leseueur Vice President of Operations for Food DepotJamey Leseueur, GFIA’s membership chairman for the past year, has added the role of vice chairman to his responsibilities. Jamey stays busy overseeing the 40 Food Depot stores, scattered across Georgia from Dublin to Carrolton to Columbus to Acworth. He was hired over 35 years ago as a frozen food/dairy clerk in the Old Hwy 5 store in Douglasville. In Jamey’s spare time, he “loves to travel with my wife and see all the natural beauty and wildlife God provided for us to enjoy.”

Jamey and his wife, Cindy at the GFIA convention


C O N V E N T I O N

WELCOMENEW GFIA MEMBERS

Joining After April 15

Associate MembersAline Greetings

Allen & Barbour LLCAxiom Energy Solutions

Emerald Hare Wine CompanyEverything Marketing

Gonnella Frozen ProductsGrecian Delight Foods

Hi-Wire Brewing Co.Interstate Total Retail Solutions

KeHE DistributorsNorthstar Consulting Services LLC

Pampa BeveragesRiboli Wine Estates / Stella Rosa Wines

Rodney Strong VineyardsSmokin’ Temptations

TessemaesVOSS USA, Inc.

WaterWipes USA

Retail MembersGiant Mart Foods

Murphy’s Meat & Grocery

Congratulations to Our Trade Show Booth Contest Winners

Coca-Cola Bottling Company United won best overall multiple booth

Kraft Heinz Company took top honors for best single booth


C O N V E N T I O N

Kirk Hendricks of WaterWipes USA discusses his product line with GFIA board member and Associated Grocers wholesaler Jim Warren

Scott & Michelle Carey of Emerald Hare Wines offer tastings to trade show attendees

Steve Wright of Allen & Barbour presents his loyalty program products to Sandy & Jeff Downing of Foothills IGA

Terry Harvin, Kevin Ricci & Anthony Tippins of Axiom Energy Solutions offer cost-savings measures to GFIA members

Gary Damm of Polished Concrete Atlanta is ready for business at the trade show

Shelly Fisher & Jim Flanagan of Designer Greetings had a beautiful display of greeting cards in their booth

Ryan Morley-Stockton and Spencer Nix of Reformation Brewery offered “Free Beer” to attendees

The Hi-Wire Brewing & Executive Wines crew pose with their distributor, Wendell Keeling of Northeast Sales, Inc.

David Voeks of Gonnella Frozen Products had a beautiful display of breads at his booth

Vicki Aghajanian and Dan Kaiser of LGE Community Credit Union visit with GA legislator Howard Maxwell during the pre-show

New Members Take GFIA’sTrade Show by Storm


C O N V E N T I O N

The Kroger Team congratulates Elijah Allahdem on winning Georgia’s Best Bagger contest. Elijah will go on to compete in the national competition at the NGA show in February.

Kroger Bagger Shoots the MoonOur annual Georgia Best

Bagger contest was held on July 13th at the GFIA convention in Destin, FL. Excitement levels were high as representatives from Food City, The Kroger Company, Publix Super Markets and Quality Foods bagged like crazy for scholarship money and a chance to compete for the title of National Best Bagger at the NGA convention in Las Vegas!


C O N V E N T I O N

Wade and Judy Batten, Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.; Bob Wade, Deoleo USA, Inc.

The Publix Super Markets, Inc. team with speaker Morris Morrison, Morris Morrison Global

Kenny Parker, Sparkling Ice; ShaRonda Younger, Frito-Lay, Leslie Parker, Sparkling Ice

Vance Rosenow and Ryan Smith, MillerCoors

New GFIA members Michael and Lynn Pitman, VOSS USA, Inc.

Quinn Benedict, Samuel Adams; Carrie and Daniel Buchanan, Empire Distributors, Inc.

Commisioner Gary Black; Jerry McCann, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Dist. Co.; Keith Milligan, J.T.M. Corporation; Eddie Frye, Piggly Wiggly Alabama Dist. Co.

Michelle Nachtweih, Chad and Lisa Ledbetter, Heineken USA; Lisa and Ruben Fernandez, The Kroger Company

Kate and Dave Logue, MDI; David and Yong Kim, Nam Dae Mun Farmers Market

Wade Grote, Fetzer Vineyards; Jimmy Tryon, Empire Distributors, Inc.

Rita and Vernon Kelly, General Produce, LLC.

Teross Young, Delhaize America, LLC.; Tony McNair and Jack Carlile, SUPERVALU, Inc.

Donna and Brandy Maine, Frank Underwood, Sunset Farm Foods

Greg Edenfield, Wayfield Foods; Danny Dunbar, Snyder’s-Lance, Inc.

Anheuser-Busch, Inc. & The Georgia Wholesaler Family

Randy and Melodie Scrimpshire, Mike Headley, Western Union

Jamey Leseueur, Food Depot; Brandon Barrow, Bunzl

Elvis Ballester and Ed Dellapi-ana, Warsteiner

Joe Balzano and Jim Feister , Truco Enterprises


C O N V E N T I O N

Joe Lambert, United Distributors, Inc.; David Lombard, SweetWater Brewery; Katie and Reed Bjorkman, mike’s hard lemonade

Chad and Elizabeth Cramer, Teresa and Martin Hernandez, Kellogg’s

The PepsiCo Team

Tony Shaff, Publix Super Markets, Inc.; Wyatt Whalyey, Orpheus Brewing Co.; Matt Crawley, Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Courtney Klein, E & J Gallo Winery, Morgan Klein, Kevin Smith and Dave Black, Northeast Sales, Inc.

Kerry Cook, Lynn Crisp and Stephanie Bullock, TNG

Bo Bebeau, Eagle Rock Distributing Company; Patrick and Kristin Greenfield, Nestle Waters North America

Mike Parrott, Steve Batchelor, Colorado Boxed Beef Company; Tom Coogle, Reynolds Foodliner; David Bryan, Colorado Boxed Beef Company

Jeff Smith and Eric Swann, Georgia Power; Verlin Reece, Quality Foods, Inc.

Jim Joyce and Fred Caldwell, Deep River Snacks

Jerry Jeffery and Mark Ash-ley, Mayfield Dairy Farms

Fred and Lauren Noens, Trace and Lisa Hohenstein, DIAGEO Beer Company

Bob McTeir, MDI; Sebastian and Claudia Souto, Souto Foods

Mickey Burch, Cousin Willie’s Popcorn; Ruben Fernandez, The Kroger Company; Wilfred Sieg and Scott Preston, Cousin Wille’s Popcorn

Mike and Paula Overton, Blue Bell Ice Cream

Chris Floyd, Stella Rosa Wines; Brent Ducker, Ex-celsior Wines; Mike Rivers, Georgia Crown Distributing Company

The Signature Foods team really had fun with our convention theme!


C O N V E N T I O N

Peggy and Randy Bates, Keith Shirah, Golden Flake Snack Foods / UTZ

Dave Alvarez, Milo’s Tea Company

Mike Coggins, Sherwood Foods; Joe DiBennedeto, Publix Super Markets, Inc.

Rob Flora, Gary Rosser and George Tolson, Wise Foods

Doug Small, Sugardale; Daniel Yancy, Elite Food Sales

Tasha West, West Foods; Lynn Micale, Mondelez International; John West, West Foods

Tony Scavo, North American Breweries

Tim Jahnke, Constellation Brands Beer Division; Blake Legrand and Jamie Langford, Ballast Point; Chris McCurdy, Constellation Brands Beer Division

Chip Stevens, AJ Governale and Kevin Collins, National Distributing Company

Lindsey Cagle, Bimbo Bakeries USA; Dan Kelly, Georgia Crown Distributing Company; Warren Brown, Quality Foods, Inc.

Joel Veatch, Ellaville Piggly Wiggly; Larry Higdon, Ira Higdon Grocery Company; Preston Brinson, Spartnan Nash Company

Rachel and Peter Kiley, Monday Night Brewing

Kevin O’Farrell, Barry Thompson, Mark Lord, Jim Hampton, Gerry Argo, Flowers Foods

Mike and Cindy Coggins, Sherwood Foods; Sandy and Jeff Downing, Foothills IGA

Jim and Margaret Warren, Associated Grocers of the South, Inc.; Karen and Jimmy Freeman, Freeman Foods Group

Sheila Humberstone, GFIA; Nicole and Glen Wilkins, Walmart; Representative Trey and Amy Kelley

Robb Finkey, Eagle Rock Distributing Company; Bryan Layman, Jekyll Brewing

Keith Standard and Dave Bielski of Nature’s Best Seafood show off their frozen seafood products


C O N V E N T I O N

That is why adding membership at LGE Community Credit Union to your employee benefit package is a smart choice. It costs your company nothing and lets your employees know you care about their financial health. LGE has been around for more than 65 years and is widely recognized as one of the safest and most soundly managed credit unions in the nation.

YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT QUALITY PRODUCTS AT A REASONABLE PRICE.

YOUR EMPLOYEES WANT QUALITY BENEFITS THAT WON’T COST THEM A LOT.

LGE benefits:• Membership is available to your employees and their immediate

family members.

• A full suite of banking products, from savings and checking accountsto auto loans and credit cards, with convenient online access.

• Better loan and deposit rates than a typical bank.

• Ownership of LGE by its members means that every decision is made with the member’s best interest in mind.

• Deposit accounts are insured by the National Credit Union ShareInsurance Fund up to $250,000.

• LGE membership is a lifetime benefit, even if the member movesor changes jobs.

To learn more or sign up, visit LGEccu.org/PartnerGroup

or call 770-421-2590. A smarter way to bank.

Membership eligibility and $5 minimum balance required to maintain base savings account. Federally insured by NCUA.

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked hard to make our convention a success!

Josh FullerRelevant Business Solutions

A special shout out to our Registration STARS, Laura Ritcey of Quality Foods, and Josh Fuller of Relevant Business Solutions for investing many hours of their time to help registration run smoothly. We are very thankful for your help!

Laura Ritcey with her husband, David

Registration volunteers Robb Finkey, Eagle Rock Distributing; Clint Gilchrist, Albany Beverage Co.; Stephanie Bulloch, TNG; Jarrod Lord, Craft Brew Alliance; and Leslie Peoples, Icelandic Glacial Water are all smiles at the registration desk

Thanks to General Produce and Vernon Kelly for providing the truck

for convention

Thanks to the Monday Night Brew Crew for unloading the truck after

convention!

“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia” www.gfia.org

1260 Winchester Parkway, Suite 110, Smyrna, GA 30080-6546

T H E N E W S L E T T E R O F T H E G E O R G I A F O O D I N D US T RY A SSO C I AT I O N VOL. 17 NO. 3

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“The Voice of the Food Industry in Georgia” www.gfi a.org

1260 Winchester Parkway, Suite 110, Smyrna, GA 30080-6546

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THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA FOOD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION ... · THE NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA FOOD...

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