NEXT GENERATION

many months of development, it’s always a proud moment seeing a product come to life at retail.”

— Anthony Cera III, SpartanNash products is a fun exercise in creativity and connection with consumers. “After many months of development, it’s always a proud moment seeing a product come to life at retail,” he said. “I had the opportunity a few years ago to launch a limited edition line of premium ice cream. Ice cream is one of those categories that you can be highly innovative, have fun with, and can easily get people excited about. The product that I was most proud of was a cherry coffee SKU. We were able to partner with our supplier to create an exclusive recipe and incorporate our highest volume private label flavored bagged coffee SKU as an ingredient in the ice cream.”

Anthony Cera Iii

Own Brands Manager, Perishables

SpartanNash

Anthony Cera III has been with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based food solutions company SpartanNash for 13 years, but in the past two years, he has played a major role in the company’s own brands strategy, earning him praise from his SpartanNash team as an upand-coming star in private label.

In 2021, Anthony was promoted to lead SpartanNash’s Own Brands, Perishables team based on his exemplary leadership skills and proven track record of success. In this role, he oversees a team of brand managers and ensures they have the resources and support they need.

In 2022, Cera put an innovative spin on the Our Family private brand, leading the launch of SpartanNash’s new fresh brand, Fresh & Finest by Our Family. This brand delivers a more elevated flavor experience with unique tastes and high-quality ingredients, expanding options to SpartanNash banner store shoppers who are looking for an indulgent experience.

With Cera’s guidance, Fresh & Finest by Our Family launched or converted 415 items, including both staples such as cantaloupe chunks and trendy offerings like zucchini noodles. Private label take-and-bake breads and dips were cited as customer favorites, as Cera helped grow sales and profit by more than 20% year-over-year in his Perishables department.

Cera said that developing these private label

As private label continues to grow within SpartanNash’s portfolio and for grocery chains around the country, Cera looks to continue growing at the company and developing new and innovative products with his team in the leadership position.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to practice and improve on being a better people leader,” said Cera. “I enjoy sharing my experiences and serving the needs of our associates, so I feel it’s important more now than ever to stay focused on that goal. Taking charge of my own learning and getting outside of my comfort zone is something that I feel is vital to growth both professionally and personally.”

KRISTIN PROVOST Senior Manager, Category Insights Topco Associates

In her role with Topco Associates,

Kristin Provost oversees Category Insights of the private label provider, working directly with category managers to help grow and innovate the company’s various private brands. But that alone doesn’t encapsulate the scope of her work. She seeks ways to improve the selection and quality of the company’s private brand products and is integral in developing partnerships with local suppliers and vendors.

In 2022, Provost worked to improve Topco’s Category Business Plan (CBP) process by helping category managers focus more on strategies and improving storytelling abilities. After years of developing CBPs, Topco leaders say it now has a stronger and more powerful process than ever before, and it is growing sales, thanks to Provost’s leadership.

“I found the key to being a successful category manager was taking the time to talk with the members to understand everything from their unique markets and particular challenges to how different competition can look from region-to-region,” said Provost. “I then took their goals, challenges, and needs into consideration to craft the most meaningful and strategic recommendations I could around how to maximize their private label and overall category performance.” constantly changing needs of consumers. I would like to continue to work strategically within the membership to better anticipate what’s next and how to prepare for it.”

Provost has also helped build a strong, seamless, omnichannel shopping experience at Topco member stores by leveraging technology to enhance the shopper experience and ensure that shoppers have access to the same quality across all channels. By doing so, she has also allowed more customers to find value in private label products by making them easier to access, which in turn helps drive loyalty among shoppers.

A large part of what has led Provost to have such a strong passion for her work at Topco is her connection to the company. Her parents met working at Topco, as her father had a nearly 40-year career with the company.

ANGELA LEPORE Senior Manager, Private Brands Product Development Simmons Pet Food

As pet ownership grows in the United States, retailers continue to roll out private label pet food offerings with the goal of setting themselves apart from the competition. Angela LePore, who leads private label product development at Simmons Pet Food, is tasked with coming up with cost-effective, innovative and nutritious pet food products for retailers, and has earned praise from her colleagues in the process.

One of LePore’s more recent accomplishments was the launch of a new packaging format that targeted a national brand, a first for Simmons Pet Food. LePore was completely immersed into the design of this brand, invested in best understanding design philosophy and key attributes, and conducted multiple product cuttings and nutritional analyses in order to create a line that best represents the brand.

“I had done ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ as a young kid and thought the Quality Assurance (QA) lab was the best place to be,” said Provost. “My 7-year-old impression was that they just ate all day, so naturally my first job at Topco was in the QA lab.”

Looking ahead, Provost said her goal is to continue working with member stores to innovate and stay ahead of the grocery curve.

“The last 14 years have been a collection of special moments that just continue to build upon each other,” she said. “While it’s really hard for me to pick just one, I think the success has been in working as a team crossfunctionally at Topco and with our members and suppliers to ensure we are meeting the

The finished private brand product checked all the boxes for the manufacturer, with exceptional palatability and digestibility. The innovative new product resulted in multiple private brand launches.

LePore spends time to understand the everchanging pet food market and what each brand represents, so that she can effectively provide a private label program that best delivers to what pet parents are looking for.

Outside of this launch, LePore has garnered praise for the way she networks with coworkers and colleagues on LinkedIn, Instagram, mentor circles and business organizations, helping elevate morale, confidence and knowledge within the pet food industry. LePore’s versatility and commitment to customer satisfaction are what give her a bright future in the private label industry, earning her an induction into the Private Label Hall of Fame.