Who’s Who in
CUSTOMER
TEAMS
at Kroger
As seen in
Five Tips for Working With Kroger
By Evan Anthony
1. Approaching (and collaborating with) Kroger
Develop a deep understanding of Kroger’s “customer first” strategy. Your idea must support and/
or help drive Kroger’s four keys: “The shopping experience makes me want to return;” “I get the
products I want, plus a little;” “prices are good;” and “people are great.” There needs to be a measureable customer and business benefit. Customize your approach/idea to Kroger; no generic
presentations. Be a collaborator on “where the customer is going.” Have passion for your idea.
2. Presenting brand-centric ideas/programs
Understand the brand personality of all the Kroger division banners. Meet with the “influencers” at Kroger. Spend time reading as much public and provided information as you can on
Kroger. How will Kroger benefit by helping you build your brand?
3. Supporting Kroger-led marketing programs
Get to know the owners; do your homework. Don’t wait; offer ideas in advance and be relentless. Learn from Kroger and decide where your product, idea and/or service provide incremental value. Look for ways to enhance the Kroger-led program.
4. Working within the Kroger loyalty program
Understand the rules of engagement and where you can add value while meeting your business objectives. Your goals must align with Kroger customer goals. Most CPGs have strong innovation and thought leadership, so leverage it. Look for underserved segments of the loyalty
program plus emerging trends with all customer segments.
5. What to avoid – the don’ts
Be careful when circumventing the protocols and politics of the company to expedite a project
or spur a decision. Don’t be self-serving; ideas need to be win-win. Be prepared, anticipate objections and get to your objective. Don’t underestimate your competition. Don’t fall into trying
to “buy” the business, focus on “earning” it!
Evan Anthony is the former vice
president-corporate marketing &
advertising at Kroger. A 2012 Path to
Purchase Institute/Shopper Marketing
Hall of Fame inductee, Anthony retired
in 2013. He now works as a consultant.
www.edaconsultingllc.com
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
Anheuser-Busch InBev
shopper marketing plans in coordination
with key consumer marketing initiatives to
lead and maximize category growth.
JOE SAMEL, Senior
Trade Marketing
Manager – National
Retail Sales
KIMBERLY HUMANN,
Shopper Marketing
Manager
Samel leads the planning
and customization of all
national programming for ABI in Kroger.
Whether partner programs, key initiatives or
theme events, he leads the marketing and
trade marketing efforts, driving retailer and
internal focus on execution and sales targets.
Humann develops shopper
programs based on insights
that align to both brand and
Kroger strategies. She is responsible for strategy, planning and execution. Her 14-year tenure
at Barilla has included various roles in consumer promotions, public relations, event marketing and channel marketing, with the past four
years dedicated to shopper marketing.
Bacardi USA
BRIAN SEDRA,
Director, National
Retail Sales
Beiersdorf
STEVE ECKES, Senior National
Account Manager – Kroger
Having spent time at General Mills, Coors Brewing Co.
and at Treasury Wine Estates, Sedra joined Bacardi in 2012 and now
leads the strategic direction of the Bacardi
business teams for Kroger and several other
customers with headquarters in the Eastern
U.S.
Brown-Forman
AMY ARMSTRONG
SMITH, National
Account Manager –
Kroger
Smith has more than 25
years of experience in
consumer product sales and has spent the
past 15 as a national account manager calling on Kroger. She joined Brown-Forman in
2007 and is responsible for the creation and
execution of the sales strategy for the company’s portfolio, aligning with Kroger’s goals
for growth.
Barilla America Inc.
DAVE GAJUS, National
Accounts Manager,
Kroger Team Leader
With a 17-year career at
Barilla, Gajus has spent the
past 10 years leading the
Kroger team, responsible for the development and execution of its strategic sales and
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
NICK MENDOZA,
Senior Manager,
Shopper Insights,
National Grocery
Bumble Bee Seafoods
TOM HALE, Regional
Sales Vice President –
National Accounts
Mendoza manages and directs primary and secondary
research projects to develop the company’s
shopper and category strategies within
Kroger as well as with other key national
retailer partners.
Hale is charged with strategically aligning the
company’s goals with the
Kroger “Customer First” strategy. The teams
work together to bring the best seafood in
the world to the tables of the Kroger shopper. Prior to joining Bumble Bee, he spent 18
years in strategic sales leadership positions
with Mars Chocolate and Mars Petcare.
Chobani
SEAN BLACKMORE,
Director of Sales,
Kroger Team
Bush Brothers
Prior to assuming this position last July, Blackmore
spent 12 years in customer
leadership and general management roles
with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. He now leads a
cross-functional team with the mission of
providing omnichannel solutions that align
with Chobani, Kroger and the category.
KATE HOWARD, National Sales
Manager – Team Lead Kroger
Campbell Soup Co.
CHRIS HURLEY, Sales
Team Leader – Kroger
Hurley is responsible for
developing and overseeing the implementation of
strategic plans for Kroger.
He heads up Campbell’s operational and strategic joint business plans. He worked at E&J
Gallo Winery and Dr Pepper Snapple Group
prior to joining Campbell Soup, where he has
served in various shopper insights/category
management and sales roles.
Clorox Co.
TIM MCCLINTON, National Account
Manager – Kroger Team
Coca-Cola Co.
MIKE CINQUE, President, Kroger
Team, Coca-Cola Refreshments
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
VAN TAYLOR,
Assistant Vice
President Shopper
Marketing
to both Kroger’s overall strategies and objectives as well as ConAgra’s annual operating plan. He has also worked at PepsiCo and
Hershey Foods in a variety of sales, shopper
marketing and category management roles.
Serving on the Kroger team
for the past seven years,
Taylor leads the group responsible for the
strategic development and execution of
shopper marketing plans and support of
new product launches across the company’s
portfolio of brands. His team’s activation
spans both national and locally relevant
events across the retailer and all divisions.
Crayola
CARMEN BARNES, Customer
Business Manager – Kroger
BOB FRIEND, Team Leader, Food &
Drug
Crown Imports
ConAgra Foods Inc.
TODD GELETKA, Director,
Team Lead – Kroger
LAURA CHIN, Vice
President of Sales,
Kroger Team
Diageo
Chin is responsible for
leading a cross-functional
team executing the joint
business plan and developing strategic marketing programs at Kroger. Prior to joining
ConAgra, she also held a variety of roles at
Monster Energy Drink, PepsiCo, Diageo and
Altria.
DAVID LUND,
Director of Sales
Lund, who has spent the
past 14 years at Diageo, is
accountable for all beer,
wine and spirits sales within Kroger stores.
His primary responsibility is to establish and
maintain collaborative business partnerships
between Diageo, Kroger and the company’s
wholesalers so that all three meet their
business objectives. Prior to joining Diageo,
he worked at General Mills for eight years.
Before that, Lund served as an armor officer
in the U.S. Army.
KEN GRONHOLM,
Senior Director,
Shopper Marketing,
Kroger Team
Gronholm drives the strategy and tactics to deliver on
“value beyond price” ideas that are aligned
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
Dole Food Co.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Co.
CHRIS DREIER,
Vice President of
Sales – Kroger Team
CHRIS ATKINS, Team
Leader – Grocery
Midwest
Dreier has served as the
Kroger team leader for the
past three years, responsible for leading a cross-functional team,
executing sales plans and implementing
shopper marketing programs for the retailer.
Atkins has spent seven
years with Ghirardelli, serving as Kroger and Meijer’s
team leader for the past two. He is responsible for leading and executing sales and
strategic marketing programs at both customers. Prior to joining Ghirardelli, he also
held sales roles at ConAgra Foods, Diageo
and Acosta.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
CAROLYNE KLUG, Shopper
Marketing Manager
Hallmark Cards
J. LYNN MARTINEZ,
Vice President & Team
Lead, Kroger
STACEY HOWE, National Account
Manager
Martinez leads the DPSG
business and people to
growth by partnering
with Kroger centrally and divisionally and
developing the team for both national and
regional coverage and execution. She is
responsible for building joint business plans
with Kroger and its banners to drive top line,
revenue and profit.
Heineken USA
DAVID EAHEART, National Account
Director
ANDREW FREEMAN,
Commercial Marketing
Manager
Freeman is charged with
developing strategic customer- and channel-centric
programs for the Heineken brands based on
shopper insights, category growth drivers
and path-to-purchase tactics. Prior to joining
Heineken, he worked in shopper marketing
at Coca-Cola NA.
Energizer Holdings
CHARLES “CJ” CRIDER,
Team Leader – Kroger
GERALD HULETT, Team Leader –
Kroger, Energizer Personal Care
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
Hershey Co.
shopper organization and partner to Kroger
by creating customer-first, Kroger-customized turnkey shopper marketing programs
that leverage shopper insights and Dunnhumby data to deliver on the Kellogg
brands’ key objectives across all categories
of business.
JAMIE ANDERSON, Director,
Category Strategy & Insights, Kroger
TAMAR LIVNEH, Shopper
Marketing Manager
BENJAMIN STOFFEL,
Team Leader, Kroger
KRISTIN ENGLER,
Shopper Marketing
Manager
Stoffel leads a cross-functional team of sales, marketing, insights, finance and
supply chain. Leveraging 21
years of multichannel experience, he strategically aligns his team to ensure strategies
and tactics are shopper-centric while driving
profitable growth for Kroger and Hershey.
Engler manages national
and customized accountspecific programs at Kroger,
including the development of insight-driven
plans, agency briefing and creative development, post-promotional analysis and management of the shopper marketing budget.
Hormel Foods
MIKE ROSS, Senior Director of
Sales – Morning Foods
MICHAEL WHITE, Kroger Team
Leader
Over the past seven years at Kellogg, Ross
has worked in multiple leadership positions
across diverse customers and geographies
in both a sales and category management
capacity. He currently leads the Morning
Foods sales team on Kroger.
Johnsonville Sausage
LAURA STAYER, Shopper
Marketing Manager
CHRISTIE WILMER,
Vice President of
Sales – Kroger
Kellogg Co.
JENNIFER CARTER,
Director, Shopper
Marketing, Kroger
Team
Wilmer leads the national
Kroger business for Kellogg.
Prior to joining the company in September 2013, she held various sales
positions at PepsiCo and Pepsi Beverages Co.
Carter is responsible for
leading the shopper marketing team to becoming a best-in-class
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
Ken’s Foods
Kraft Foods Group
DAN WALLS, Kroger Team Leader
STEPHANIE ADKINSON,
Customer Business Lead – Kroger
Keurig Green Mountain
REBECCAH RYBALSKY,
Director, Category
Leadership – Kroger
Team
SUZY DOLLAK, Sales Director –
Kroger Team
Rybalsky is responsible for
leading and evolving the
category leadership and shopper insights
on the Kroger team. In addition, she serves
as the strategic retailer engagement lead for
the company’s Kroger team.
Kimberly-Clark Corp.
JACK HARNEDY, Director –
Customer Development
JEFF KJOME, Director –
Shopper Marketing
ARIANA TURNER,
Shopper Marketing
Manager, Kroger
Mars Inc.
DREW DULMAGE, Vice President,
Sales, Mars Chocolate
Turner has been the shopper marketing manager
for Kroger working on the
company’s family care brands for the past
three years. She is responsible for working
cross-functionally with the customer, internal stakeholders and strategic partners to
develop strategies and activations that drive
K-C business at the retailer.
PATRICK GORMAN, National Team
Lead – Kroger, Mars Petcare
MELISSA LOZUKE, Shopper
Marketing Manager, Grocery,
Mars Chocolate
Mission Foods
LEAH WISE, Shopper
Marketing Manager,
Kroger
JAY BASTIAN, Kroger
Senior Team Leader
Bastian oversees the company’s branded and private-label business across
the total Kroger enterprise.
He is responsible for planning and implementing sales strategy to drive sales and
ultimately share.
Wise is charged with developing and executing
integrated and strategic
insight-driven shopper marketing plans to
drive sales and brand equity at Kroger.
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
S. SCOTT KING, Team Leader
Mondelez International
King is responsible for the direction of a sixperson sales team in achievement of sales
and share objectives at Kroger. He has also
held sales and account management positions at Quaker Oats and Ralston Purina.
JAMIE CAVALLO,
Customer Vice
President
Cavallo leads the Kroger
sales team, responsible for
all selling and retail marketing efforts to drive growth, share and profitability. Prior to his current role, he held sales
positions at Kraft Foods and Nabisco.
Nestle Waters
W. BRIAN BRELLENTHIN JR.,
Team Lead – Kroger
KARA HABEL
FARNHAM, Associate
Director of Shopper
Marketing
Ocean Spray Cranberries
JARED SCHINBECKLER,
Kroger Team Leader
Farnham works crossfunctionally to understand
brand and category insights to build programming aligned to Kroger’s objectives.
She began her career at Mondelez in 2013.
Previously she was shopper marketing manager at Dr Pepper Snapple Group on its
Kroger account team.
PepsiCo
RICH BLAZEVICH,
Senior Director of
Shopper Marketing
Blazevich is charged with
designing new marketing
capabilities for PepsiCo’s
portfolio of brands at Kroger. His emphasis is
on digital communications, social media and
e-commerce. Blazevich previously held positions in brand management, innovation and
portfolio marketing during his 12-year career
at Frito-Lay.
Nestle Purina PetCare
KEVIN HILL, Director, Shopper
Marketing
Hill’s career at Nestle Purina has spanned 15
years, with the last eight spent in shopper
marketing. He currently leads the grocery/
value shopper marketing team and is also
the shopper marketing lead for all Kroger
efforts at the company.
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
JOHN BOES, Vice
President & General
Manager, Kroger Team
team in delivering one of PepsiCo’s largest
customers globally. His team consistently
partners with Kroger in delivering joint business plans for accelerated growth supporting the retailer’s “Customer First” strategy.
Boes leads the company’s
$2.5 billion brand portfolio
at Kroger, overseeing all
sales, category management and shopper
marketing efforts. He began his career with
Quaker Oats and has held various sales, sales
planning, category management, training
and broker management positions before
joining PepsiCo’s Kroger team 11 years ago
as shopper marketing director. He also led
the Quaker and Frito-Lay Kroger teams before assuming his current role.
BRYAN JONES,
Senior Director of
Shopper Marketing
Jones has a broad background working across
large brands including
Pepsi, Tropicana and Gatorade, as well as in
multiple functions including shopper marketing, category management and consumer and shopper insights. He currently
leads the team responsible for leveraging
PepsiCo’s brands to grow its retailer’s brands
for the grocery channel.
NICOLE FLAVIN,
Senior Director,
Grocery Shopper
Marketing
Pernod Ricard
Flavin leads Frito-Lay’s
grocery channel marketing strategy, brand development and activation. She and her team collaborate with
Kroger to deliver programs that drive joint
marketing objectives and volume, profit and
share goals. Flavin has more than 15 years of
brand and shopper marketing experience
across PepsiCo beverages and, most recently, snacks divisions.
JEFF KIRKHOFF, Team Lead –
Kroger
Pinnacle Foods
TIM REITH, Vice President –
Kroger Team
Sargento Foods
JOHN R. FROST, Senior
Director/General
Manager, Frito-Lay &
PepsiCo, Kroger Team
DEXTER RUSSELL, Team Leader –
Kroger
Frost currently serves as
team lead of Frito-Lay’s
Kroger business, leading a cross-functional
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WHO’S WHO IN CUSTOMER TEAMS AT KROGER
S.C. Johnson & Son
trade budget and profit targets. He heads
up the business leadership and development of the Kroger sales organization for
laundry detergents and the laundry additives category. He also oversees management of trade promotion systems as well
as corporate strategic planning, Kroger
collaborative planning, development and
execution of sales strategy, and customer
execution plans and promotions, and logistical planning.
KATE HOFFMAN, Director,
Kroger Team Lead
BRIGITTE SHREINER, Senior
Shopper Marketing Manager
Schwan’s Consumer
Brands
ROB SCHULTZ, Senior Director,
Sales, Kroger Team Lead
Time Inc. Retail
Storck USA
DAVID WHITEHEAD, Director –
National Accounts
BRENDAN BURKE, Kroger Team
Lead
Tyson Foods
Sun Products Corp.
MARK PURVIS, Vice President,
Customer Development –
Kroger Team
STEVE LOGAN, Kroger
Team Leader, Customer
Development
Logan is responsible for
overseeing the attainment
of all Kroger sales, share,
Unilever
KEN SPROUSE, Customer Team
Lead, Foods – Kroger
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