Photo: Jeff Pedersen (left) and Dan Funk have been promoted by AWG.
Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers is bringing together its division operations, merchandising, and distribution and logistics functions in one cohesive supply chain unit for 2019, one of several changes the company expects to deliver more value to its customers in the new year.
“As our business and the challenges facing our members are ever-changing, we must constantly evaluate our performance against our mission objective,” AWG president and CEO David Smith said in a news release. “As we measure that performance, from time to time, it becomes necessary for us to realign and adjust our resources with current and emerging member needs and priorities.”
Dan Funk, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing, has been promoted to chief supply chain and merchandising officer and will lead the supply chain unit.
He has been with the company since 2012, originally coming on board to lead the Valu Merchandisers subsidiary as president. Funk previously spent more than 15 years with Supervalu.
Jeff Pedersen, the executive vice president of division operations, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief sales and support officer, a role in which he will lead sales, services, support and solutions for AWG.
Pedersen has been with AWG for more than two decades. Previously, he spent more than 10 years in management at Hy-Vee.
The sales team will be the main point of contact for AWG members, according to the release. The services group includes store engineering, store design, store decor, decor manufacturing, and lighting and design, among other offerings. The support team handles collaboration on advertising, digital and in-store marketing, customer loyalty programs, shelf-space optimization, plan-o-gram support and more.
A new area for AWG is the solutions team, which encompasses retail technology, business solutions and retail pricing. AWG also plans to expand that offering in the future.
“The supermarket industry is both challenging and rewarding,” AWG board chairman Barry Queen said in the release. “AWG continues to stay positioned and focused to be the best wholesale partner a retailer needs to meet the challenges of today and the future.”