Greetings all and I hope you have been enjoying the blistering heat filled days of summer we have been enjoying. Let’s get right to it.
The Bozzuto’s Big B Expo and vendor golf outing was held at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT at the beginning of August. The three-day extravaganza kicked off with the vendor golf outing at the Lake of the Isles courses in nearby Ledyard. Once again, Chris Griffin and Pam Carstens put together a stellar outing that was top notch and left the many participants smiling. Perfect weather conditions greeted nearly 300 golfers on the two premier courses and the day was capped off by another record setting performance by town crier and fast talker exceptional, Steve Heggelke. More than 1,200 raffle prizes were given away to those whose support the Bozzuto’s Hometown Foundation with a donation to the non-profit charitable organization. Steve has called out and distributed the staggering number of prizes (with coordinated efforts from the many Bozzuto’s associates) in previous years in under 10 minutes.
This year he shattered that time by going through the allotment of gifts in six minutes that even John “Motormouth” Moschitta would have been proud of. You genuinely have to experience it to believe it. During the post-golf festivities, Steve also touched on the tragic passing of Jeff King, Bozzuto’s VP-center store. Jeff’s family was in attendance for the outing and as Steve spoke there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Jeff’s sudden passing had a profound impact on everyone who had the honor of knowing him and Steve mentioned that some friends and colleagues of Jeff’s had started a Go Fund Me page to help fulfill Jeff’s wish to support his children and grandchildren. Steve told the audience, that throughout his life, Jeff’s greatest priority was his family. He worked tirelessly not just for today, but for their future. One of Jeff’s personal dreams was to help his children so they would not be burdened by student loan debt, and to help put his grandchildren through college. Therefore, the campaign was created by those who loved and worked alongside Jeff to honor that dream. Any donation will be used to help pay off student loans for Jeff’s children as well as build a college savings fund for his grandchildren.
Donations are personal gifts given out of kindness and 100 percent of the funds will go directly to Jeff’s family to fulfill his educational legacy. As someone mentioned to me as we were leaving, he was going to donate to help carry forward the love, dedication, and values that defined Jeff’s life.
Well stated, and great use of a Go Fund Me.
Nice to hear that a winning $1 million Powerball ticket sold in at a Hannaford Supermarket in Rochester, NH has inspired the ADUSA grocer to give back to its community. Hannaford will donate its $10,000 commission from selling the winning ticket to three local nonprofit organizations that are focused on increasing access to critical resources for individuals and families in the community.
“It’s always exciting to see one of our customers experience such good fortune, and there’s no better way to celebrate than by paying it forward to our community,” said Jean-Marie Beauchemin, director of operations for Hannaford Supermarkets. “We hope this donation will further the efforts of these critical community organizations to increase access to critical resources for our neighbors.”
Hannaford and the New Hampshire Lottery recently welcomed the three community organizations to the Rochester store for a celebratory check presentation. The local nonprofits receiving donations were: the Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, which reduces barriers to help improve the economic stability and well-being of the community through education, advocacy and partnerships; the SHARE Fund, which increases access to critical resources such as housing, food, clothing, diapers, and emergency financial support for neighbors in need; and the SOS Recovery Community Organization, which supports individuals affected by substance use with peer-based solutions and advocacy. It wasn’t the first time a Hannaford store has hit it big in the lottery. A St. Albans, VT store hit a winner back in September 2024 and similarly donated the $50,000 commission to local nonprofits in its local community. Great idea and great job Hannaford!!
Wayne Pesce, Connecticut Food Association (CFA) president tells us that all the nominees are set for the 2025 Food Industry Champions Celebration to be held on October 30 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT. The big gala will fete Amanda Cunningham of Price Chopper/Market 32, Christian D’Amour of Big Y World Class Market, Doreen Spencer of Adams Hometown Markets, Michael Trocchio of Stop & Shop, and Frank Amici of Garafalo Markets. This event is always a sellout as it is the CFA’s main soiree of the year. Discounted hotel room rates are available on a first come, first serve basis. For more information call the CFA 860.216.4055 or email them at [email protected].
And while we are addressing the state associations, The Food Industry Alliance (FIA) will hold its 28th annual gala at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, NY. FIA president a CEO Mike Durant tells us that the event will once again bring together industry leaders representing the full spectrum of the New York food industry, from retail, chains, and wholesalers to brokers, suppliers, and manufacturers. A keynote speech, industry panel discussions, the FIA Annual Awards presentations, and an extended lavish cocktail hour always seem to add up to a stellar evening. I know I’m starting to show a little gray in my temples when I admit that I was at the inaugural “Red Carpet Gala” at the Rye Town Hilton in Rye Brook, NY.
Former association president (which was formerly known as the New York State Food Merchants Association) Jim Rogers started up the gala and boy was it THE event to be at for a good several years run. There are always some ebbs and flows to all events over the course of time, but Mike Durant and his team of Laura Mastrianni and Maura Callahan, along with the current board members, have ensured that the FIA Gala in its current format is still very much a viable and desired industry event. If you are interested in attending or want more information or ticket pricing, contact the Food Industry Alliance of New York State, Inc. at 518.434.1900 or email Laura Mastrianni at [email protected].
Well, as you saw on the front page of this edition of Food Trade News, our longtime P\publisher and leader Jeff Metzger has sold Best-Met Publishing Company to Alex Wissel. We are just a couple of weeks into the transition and all has been going very smoothly. You won’t really see a major change in the coverage that we give you, especially since Jeff will be sticking around for some time and will still be involved in the business. So, instead of any big goodbyes right now, I’ll hold off and get back to you around the holidays and give you an update. But a big congratulations to both Jeff and Alex!
I hope you all enjoy these last few weeks of the summer and as always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].
