Bob Miller

and this kid was running around the store every minute. I said, “This is a guy I have got to watch and help.” So I helped him move along in his career and he was always successful. He helped me in Florida, and then when I was in Boise, I promoted him to run the Arizona division—we called them vice presidents then. Jim and I go back a long way.

He asked me to be on the board of Pathmark when he was chairman and CEO there, and I got him on the Rite Aid board about the time I was leaving that board. I’ve known Jim and Laura for 30-plus years. I talk to him all the time. He’s a quality guy, a good friend. And about eight months ago I asked him if he was bored because he hadn’t been working for a while. He said, “No, I’m having fun.” I said, “Well, that’s too bad, you’re coming back to work.”

And I’m tickled that he’s here and he’s willing to take the CEO job and take it to the next level because we are ready to do that with all the things we’ve gotten done the last three and a half years.

Not only are we proud of where we are, we’re proud of our banners. Today, we have seven banners that are over 100 years old. Our oldest banner, Shaw’s, goes back to the Civil War, and that’s important because we think they are great brands, but also when I go into stores—and I go into a lot of stores—I speak to customers and they say, “Yeah, my mom and my grandmother shopped here.” So, we have generations that have shopped with these brands, and we want to continue to try to invest in them, make them better and take care of customers and we have the opportunity to do that. Plus, when you think about the history of those brands, we have locations today we couldn’t even think about. They are one of a kind—first in Maine, no new competitors coming—we have to take care of those companies and those locations and customers. I’m excited about the opportunities we have.

SHANE DORCHEUS EVP Operations, Southern California and Southwest Divisions President Bob’s is a simple formula and he

I remember being at a golf event when a well-known vendor walked up to me and told me he heard Bob Miller was going to be there. I confirmed that was the case. He then asked me if he could meet him. I said no problem and introduced Bob to him, as Bob was standing right next to me. As the introduction took place, the vendor expressed he felt like he was meeting a legend. Bob concluded the greeting with, “I am a can stacker.” It was both cool and funny!