The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced FMI’s 14th annual Store Manager Awards’ finalists. FMI will select four grand prize winners among the 10 finalists on Tuesday, April 30, during the Future Connect leadership conference at the Peabody in Orlando.

The Store Manager Award finalists developed programs that achieved positive growth and customer satisfaction in their stores during the past year. The finalists are recognized for:

 
• Leading, mentoring and motivating associates;
• Demonstrating a balance between people skills and operational skills;
• Communicating company goals and store milestones to associates;
• Executing innovative in-store programs and/or special events that improve overall customer service and community; and
• Improving the financial performance of the store.

One grand prize winner will be chosen from each of the four categories:

Category A (1-49 stores)

  • Kaitlyn Lester, general manager at Lunds in Bloomington, MN
  • Maggie McLaughlin, store manager at Roche Bros. in Wellesley, MA
  • Mondella Stacey, store manager at Colemans Food Centre in Stephenville, NL, Canada

    • Category B (50-199 stores)

  • Joey Aiken, store director at Brookshire Grocery Company in Greenville, TX
  • Fernando Noriega, general manager at United Supermarkets LLC, in Amarillo, TX
  • Arlie Watson, Jr., store manager at Food City in Gatlinburg, TN

    • Category C (200 or more stores)

  • Greg Giles, store manager at BI-LO, in Simpsonville, SC
  • Kevin Sherlock, store director at Iowa City Hy-Vee Inc., in Iowa City, IA
  • Lucy Wienshienk, store manager at Fry’s Food Stores, a division of the Kroger Co., in Phoenix, AZ

    • Category D (International retailers — companies operating outside North America)

    • Jun Oshima, store manager of Yaoko Co, Ltd., in Saitama, Japan