2020 Monica Garnes WEOY

MONICA GARNES 2020 West Woman Executive of the Year 60th Anniversary Special

Garnes Rises to the Challenge

In 2018, Monica Garnes took the reins as president of the 122-store chain Fry’s Food Stores in Arizona. Formerly a corporate VP at the division’s parent, The Kroger Co., Garnes rose to her position through hard work, natural leadership abilities, strategic planning and good decision-making.

Garnes—Kroger’s first African-American division president—attended the University of Rhode Island on a basketball scholarship and earned a degree in business administration.

“I’m from Columbus, Ohio. I went to Rhode Island during my college visits and loved it there,” she said. “I played basketball all four years. When I graduated, I moved back home to Columbus with Mom and Dad and started looking for a job. I didn’t have a job lined up from college and knew I wanted to be in the management field, leading people.”

As a recent college graduate, Garnes couldn’t have known how fateful her visit to the Kroger booth at a local job fair would be. A math test and three interviews later, Kroger hired her into the management training program in 1995.

In the 1990s, there weren’t many female role models in the industry’s leadership ranks. The company employed quite a few female assistant managers but not many store managers. When Garnes started out, the executive team was all male.

“As I came up through my career, there were numerous instances where I was the only female or only female of color,” she said. “We had a president who came to us in Columbus, (retired SVP) Marnette Perry, and it was like the gates opened. There was a buzz in the air about how exciting it was to have a female leading the division; she was a very dynamic woman.”

Changing culture

In 2003, David Dillon was named Kroger CEO; he was replaced by CEO Rodney McMullen in 2014, when Dillon retired.

“I think their vision was to see our workforce reflecting the communities we serve, including how many female shoppers we have and how many female associates we have working in our stores,” Garnes said.

“They had a great vision to find talented female leaders and give them the opportunity to rise throughout our company. It started at the top with a commitment to something they felt was important. I feel that Dave and Rodney were instrumental in changing the face of Kroger executives in our company.”

As the company has evolved over time, more female leaders have come on board and now Garnes herself has become an example of achievement. “My hope is that people who are coming up through the organization see the female presidents and vice presidents and that we can serve as mentors

and role models for them.”

As the first African-American female VP and first African-American division president for Kroger, Garnes is well aware that many more will follow in her footsteps.

“I look forward to the day when we don’t have those firsts,” she said.

Value of teamwork

Understanding the value of teamwork and personal development began early for Garnes. She was just a fourth-grader in Ohio when she started playing basketball.

“My sister was 18 months older, in the sixth grade, and I remember her coming home and telling Mom and Dad she wanted to play on the basketball team. Often we want to do what a big brother or sister are doing, so I said I wanted to play, too.”

Garnes continued playing throughout high school, starting on the varsity team in her freshman year and serving as captain of the team for two years. This initial experience in building leadership skills through sports was strengthened after she relocated to the University of Rhode Island (URI) on a four-year basketball scholarship. She was a four-year starter and two-year captain in college.

Even as a young person, Garnes was admired and noted for her tendency to stand up for those who couldn’t stand up for themselves. She learned the importance of rallying together with her team to accomplish a goal. She looks at her Fry’s team as she looked at her basketball team—as a close group and extension of her family.

“I can accredit my time playing basketball and the whole background and foundation I got from URI for where I am today as a leader,” she said.

“I recently got back from Rhode Island, and I was reconnecting with my teammates. It’s a sisterhood, and even if we haven’t seen each other for years, as soon as we see each other it’s like we never left college,” added Garnes.

Character-building

Athletics was character-building and reinforced Garnes’ traits of determination and maintaining a calm, level head when fighting through adversity. “In athletics, if you’re all over the place and not in control of your own emotions, that’s not a recipe for success on the court. That’s easily translatable for me into the business world.”

Her university background in sports and academia served as a strong foundation for Garnes’ business career. From time management to teamwork, her education provided the disciplined approach needed for future endeavors. “These things just naturally evolved for me, and there are things

Lucia helped guide Garnes early on

Bruce Lucia, former Atlanta division president, retired from Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. in September 2018 after 44 years with the company. Lucia earned a reputation as an outstanding leader, a unifier and mentor to many.

Lucia kicked off his long career as a clerk with Kroger Atlanta in 1974. After graduating from the University of Georgia, he served in various roles in the Atlanta division. From 1987-96, he assumed leadership positions in the Nashville, Central, Columbus and Michigan divisions and was named Michigan division president in 1996. The following year he was appointed president of the Columbus division before returning to Atlanta as president in 2000.

Lucia continues his traditional community volunteer work in Atlanta and has lived parttime in Florida since his recent retirement. He enjoys leisure activities with his wife and family and said he may consider consultant work in the future.

Lucia met Monica Garnes, now president of Arizona-based Fry’s Food Stores, when he was VP of operations and merchandising in Kroger’s Columbus, Ohio division. Garnes was co-manager of a nearby Kroger store in Gahanna, a suburb of Columbus, where Lucia lived at the time.

Mentor and friend

Lucia served as a mentor to Garnes, taking frequent walks with her through the store, providing insight, guidance and advice. They have had a very good, long-term business relationship, Lucia said. “She was always so willing to learn; she wanted to learn the business. She had a really positive attitude.”

Garnes’ leadership qualities were apparent early on. “She had a great aptitude for the business, and she was a quick, quick learner. From what I saw in her, she had really nice people skills; people enjoyed working around her. They didn’t feel like they were working for her—they felt like they were working together. To me that was a huge strength,” Lucia said.

After a year and a half as VP, Lucia was

Bruce Lucia

Garnes accepts a Most Influential Women in Arizona Business Award.

GARNES from page 15

I did in those four years that translate naturally into business.”

Garnes’ background was valuable, for instance, when she relocated in 2013 to Fry’s in Arizona for the first time, after 18 years of management in Columbus. A new market, different environment and new people reminded her of picking up at age 18 and leaving her familiar surroundings to move across the country and start out on her own. “I can look back on all those things now and say I’m so thankful for my time at Rhode Island.”

Lucia’s valuable support

As a young woman stepping into the Kroger organization, Garnes was well-equipped to negotiate her way through the system but at times needed guidance and support from advisors and mentors along the way.

“The first person that comes to mind to thank is Bruce Lucia. He is a retired Kroger president. Most recently he was the president in Atlanta (for about 18 years). He was in Columbus as a vice president and came back as the president in the Columbus division,” said Garnes.

Garnes served as a Kroger assistant manager at a store in Gahanna, Ohio, early in her career. Lucia lived in Gahanna, a suburb northeast of Columbus, where he worked. Garnes appreciates the opportunity she had to see the Kroger division president on a regular basis. “He coached me and really helped teach me the business along the way as an assistant manager.”

Back then, she continues, there weren’t any African-American female store managers in Columbus, although there had been some in the past. Garnes felt that taking on a manager role would give her an excellent foundation to step into other roles within the company, and Lucia was very supportive of her goals.

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Raymond recalls Garnes’ star quality

Gary Raymond, former VP of operations for The Kroger Co., retired in 2011 after a long and successful career in the grocery business. In 2001, he relocated from Ralphs Grocery Co. in California to The Kroger Co. in Michigan. Soon thereafter he assumed his position at a Kroger division of 130 retail stores in Ohio and West Virginia. Previously he had served more than 31 years with Ralphs, which became Kroger’s largest subsidiary.

“Around 2001, we merged with a number of companies under Ron Burkle, and then the entire group was acquired by Kroger. At that time, that brought the total to about 2,900 stores for Kroger,” Raymond noted.

After the merger, Raymond was based in Michigan for about a year. “We combined the Michigan and Ohio stores, and that’s when I ran into Monica Garnes. At the time she was doing public relations and was very good at her job; she knew everybody in town.”

Raymond had no previous experience with Kroger when he landed the corporate job. “I wasn’t even familiar with the layout of their stores until later, but I had shown the acquisition group around the L.A. and San Diego marketing areas. We struck up the conversation of making the change to join the Kroger side and that worked out pretty well for me,” he said.

Tough to get recognized

“It was a pretty easy transition when I came to Columbus. It’s a great town in spring, summer and fall, but you just don’t need to be there in the winter. The town is built around the college and is very interesting and scenic. The stores were great with great people, but I could tell right away that it was a Kroger organization. Everybody knew everybody, but they had at that time just over 300,000 people,” Raymond said.

“It was tough to get recognized as an upcoming management candidate outside your marketing area, unless you participated in events that were more chain-wide developmental programs. Monica had the experience as a store manager and was very good at a public relations job, but she wanted more. She approached me about her future, and we both agreed that she needed a higher-level job on the operations side and the perishable side. She was a very successful district manager for me.”

Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. and has been around since 1883. To make it there is an accomplishment. “I saw her as a talent,” Raymond said. “Kroger has a lot of ties to people that have been in the industry for a long time. To break out, you’ve got to do something special. They service so many areas and they’ve got almost 3,000 stores now.”

Gary Raymond

Garnes accepts the 2018 Business of the Year award from the Greater Phoenix Chamber on behalf of Fry’s Food Stores.

Change in trajectory

Garnes said, “I thought I may end up leaving Kroger and pursuing something else, and Bruce was instrumental in saying, ‘Monica, I’ve seen you grow throughout your career; I see your work ethic.’ He wanted me to stay at Kroger and said he saw bigger and better things for me. I went on to be promoted to store manager in Worthington, Ohio, and that changed the trajectory of my career.”

Even though Garnes would have chosen to become manager of the Gahanna store, the store she transferred to turned out to be just the right place for her to get her start in store management.

“I learned a lot. I was able to get some great results and really get my sea legs in terms of how I was going to show up as the store manager. Down the road, I ended up getting promoted to the store in Gahanna. It was a bigger-volume store, and I realized that had I gotten that store as my first assignment,

I may not have been as prepared to take on the complexities of that particular location,” she said.

“Sometimes you just have to trust the process and realize that the organization has a great plan and path for you and knows best in terms of preparing you to take on bigger challenges. It set the foundation to stop pushing, get in the role you’re doing, do the best job you can, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Taking it to the next level

Retired VP of operations, Gary Raymond, was an influential mentor for Garnes. “Gary Raymond had a long history in the Ralphs division. When Kroger acquired the Ralphs company, Gary came down as our VP of operations and really was a great help to me in terms of supporting me, teaching me the business at another level and giving me opportunities. He was the person that promoted me to district manager. I was in public relations, became a district manager and then went on to be produce

Garnes stood out and was promoted among the very diverse, capable team Raymond led at the time. “There was one other female district manager out of a total of seven. It was a good fit for her. The people liked her; they liked her as the store manager. She is high energy, very approachable and very coachable.”

Star on and off the court

Garnes was a basketball star at the University of Rhode Island. “She was a four-year starter for Rhode Island in Division I athletics, and a two-year captain. This is somebody that left her hometown at 18 or 19 years old for the first time. She did well outside the area, came back and wanted to be employed there because her parents were there. Her parents are great people,” Raymond said. The college sports and education experience served Garnes well later in life. “It showed in the business—in her methodology and how she approached issues. She was a problem-solver. When she didn’t have the experience, she had a basket full of questions.

She found the answers she needed to accomplish the task, and she was very successful in the job she had while I was there.”

“She’s just a remarkable young lady and she has accomplished a lot because of her inner drive. She knew where she wanted to go and had a game plan. She was local to Columbus and has a very supportive family. It was a great fit for her at the time because she knew the people; she knew all the celebrities in town. If we did a charity event, she knew them by first name. She was a person that people liked to be with,” Raymond recalled.

Constructive guidance

Garnes stands out in the industry as an African American, female division president. Kroger has been bringing women on board executive management positions for some time now. “They have presidents that were women. In the last 20 years, they’ve made inroads in recruiting and training,” Raymond said.

“I think that served them well. They’ve been recruiting and trying to develop people from the different marketing areas

because they go from West Coast to East Coast and they get a lot of talent. In the East, they recruited management straight out of college,” he added.

“These people coming in with college degrees were happy to go to work for Kroger in their towns. But to get to the big organization and rise in the senior structure of that company—that took some doing. I think she’s positioned herself well, and I think she’ll continue to do well. She’s got the drive.”

Raymond provided constructive guidance to Garnes as she moved through the corporate levels, and he knew she had what it takes to succeed. “She just needed to make sure she was getting the exposure she needed by going to the right jobs. There are certain jobs that earn someone a lot of credit, and she was willing to take the tougher jobs,” Raymond said.

“She’s a very approachable-type person. I can’t see anything that would bend her arc of success. She is headed up.”

McKinney applauds Garnes’ ‘trailblazer spirit’

Steve McKinney is SVP of The Kroger Co. and responsible for eight retail supermarket divisions: Dallas, Food 4 Less, Fry’s, Houston, King Soopers, Louisville, Mid-Atlantic and Ralphs. McKinney contributed the following responses about Monica Garnes.

When did you first work with Monica?

I first worked with Monica in 2013 when I returned to Fry’s as the president of the division. Monica was the VP of merchandising at that time.

What was your first impression of her?

My first impression of Monica was that she was a strong people person, smart, energetic and a good collaborator. I realized early on that Monica was a strong communicator, with a clear and direct style.

How did you interface with Monica and when did you see her leadership qualities?

Monica and I worked closely for a year and her leadership qualities were apparent immediately. She also possessed a strong sense of urgency and had the ability to collaborate with people to resolve issues and lift them up. She was able to

lead the team and bring them along the process, valuing their input and sharing the “why” of any situation.

What separated her from other employees?

Her attitude sets her apart from other employees. She has a “can do” winning attitude that is inspiring and motivating. Monica is someone that you know whatever she is working on, she is going to make it a success.

Monica is the first woman of color to rise to president of a Kroger division. How do you think this will impact the organization and what does Monica offer Kroger that can be mimicked in other divisions?

Monica has truly been an inspiration for many. She is a trailblazer and takes that responsibility very seriously. She mentors a lot of people within the organization, helping them understand how to achieve their full potential regardless of their gender or race. Monica has a strong sense of purpose and she brings others along on the journey.

Any final thoughts?

She is a genuine and strong leader that is going to continue to excel. She consistently inspires me and many others personally and professionally. Monica embodies the trailblazer sprit that has always been at Fry’s and she leads our associates as they honor the past and create the future.

Steve McKinney

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MONICA GARNES WOMAN EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

merchandiser. He was just a great man, a great personality,” Garnes said.

Another strong mentor for Garnes is current Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen. He was instrumental in identifying the need for Garnes to take the next step to the executive level. He saw that the time had come for Garnes to relocate to another market. The result was her position as president of Fry’s.

“In a perfect world, we might think we should stay in the division where we grew up through the ranks, but it really pushed me to learn a new market, a different shopper, and to meet new people. Fry’s goes to market much differently than we did in Columbus. Fry’s is such a great division; we get a lot of visitors. It really helped me, and along the way Rodney has shown the importance of open and honest feedback. I can talk to him about things that are happening in the business. He wants to hear what’s going on and he really listens. I think he’s a great leader and he has been a tremendous supporter of me throughout my career,” Garnes said.

Garnes named Kroger COO Mike Donnelly, who worked at Fry’s and Ralphs, as another important role model. She has learned so much from him, she said. He has made trips to Arizona, and she has observed firsthand “the amazing merchandising mind he has,” which has inspired her to emulate his success. “He promoted me to corporate VP of produce and floral and was instrumental in my promotion to president of Fry’s Food Stores. Having someone believe in you and your abilities is so important. Then I had the opportunity to come back to Fry’s and think about following in his footsteps, as he was the president in the Fry’s division for many years.”

Preparing for things to come

Garnes can now look back and recognize how the positions she has held prepared her for things to come. The work as assistant produce buyer and produce buyer were not easy jobs.

“I went on to be a produce merchandiser and later to run produce and floral for all of Kroger. Even though I didn’t like those two buying positions, without them I probably wouldn’t have had the other opportunities. I have a special place in my heart for produce and floral.”

Of course, at times Garnes has had the awareness of being a woman and a woman of color in her position.

“Many times, especially in our industry, people don’t see a lot of African Americans in my role. Sometimes people doubt my ability and doubt why I’m in a particular role, so I’ve always felt that I had to be my best every single day I came to work, making sure that people understand that I have the position because I was the best selection for that role, that I’m talented and that even if I didn’t have the

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Monica Garnes with Fry’s leaders and friends at the Most Influential Women in Arizona Business Award event.

GARNES from page 19

background in a particular field, I can pick up things, learn and deliver business results,” said Garnes.

“I’ve always felt that if I do my best, any question about why I’m in a role would be off the table, especially when I became president. I was overwhelmed, in a good way, by the response I received from people not only within The Kroger Family of Companies, but also throughout the retail industry. People were so excited to see the success of someone that looked like them. Even if it was a white female or male, they were celebrating the fact that being African American and president of a grocery division was possible.”

Unlike some leaders, Garnes often is recognized when doing her personal shopping or making a store visit. “I always think I can go in and be incognito, but not so much. It’s that responsibility of always knowing that associates are are looking at you as the leader. If I’m coming into a Fry’s store, the chances are that I’m going to be spotted relatively quickly, so I don’t have the luxury of necessarily having that anonymity that other leaders may have.”

Leadership style

When Garnes first started with the company, she didn’t have her eye set on being a president.

“There were times in my career when I thought that just to be a district manager would be incredible, let alone to think I could go on to be an executive for The Kroger Co., much less a president. The good thing about being in this role is that women and other minorities now see the possibilities they didn’t see when I started in 1995.”

Garnes’ leadership style started developing in college when she led the URI basketball team. She applied those skills and expanded her abilities after coming to Kroger, where she began acquiring more knowledge and networking with business leaders. She’s an inclusive leader who embraces who she is as a person.

“We’re exposed to so much at Kroger in terms of leadership training and books, but for me the best learning was practical, putting it into practice and seeing people. I think about how Bruce Lucia connected with people. He was just such an amazing leader that people wanted to do great things for him. I want to create an environment where people know their ideas and opinions count. I try to do more listening than talking,” Garnes said.

It’s important to Garnes that people see her living the company’s values of diversity, inclusion, respect, safety, integrity and honesty, which also are important to her personally. She knows the value of walking the walk and talking the talk and how it builds associates’ confidence in leadership. “They know that my decisions are coming from a value-based position that has the best interests of our associates and customers at heart.”

Time management

To maintain her hectic schedule, Garnes is well organized, with a calendar she prints out months in advance. She knows the importance of time management in scheduling daily appointments and duties as well as planning ahead and preparing for future events. “Typically, I close my day and then map out my strategy for the next day.”

She learned a long time ago how to prioritize and how to say no when necessary. She works closely with her assistant to ensure that she and her two VPs are all on the same page. “My leadership team and I work well together in executing on our long-term strategy, setting Fry’s up for continued future success.”

Giving back

The philanthropy of the company—which supports nonprofit organizations and participates in numerous charity events—is the right fit for Garnes. Fry’s donated 10 million meals to the community last year. “I love to work at a company that is so committed to giving back to the community. We talk about Zero Hunger | Zero Waste and the difference we can make to end hunger in the community and eliminate waste both through Kroger and Fry’s.”

Fry’s donates to local nonprofits and pours $4 million a year back into the community. Additionally, the company supports hunger initiatives with local food banks as well as in partnership with Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

“We just presented them with a check for $134,000 to help with their mission here in Phoenix,” noted Garnes.

Fry’s also helped pack 3 million meals in one day over the winter holidays.

“On multiple occasions we do a team-building project to support Zero Hunger | Zero Waste. Last year we were at St. Mary’s Food Bank and we packed produce boxes, because food pantries don’t always have access to produce. We partner all year long as a Fry’s family to help people that are less fortunate than we are.”

Garnes personally supports organizations such as St. Mary’s Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army. She has also established the Monica Garnes Endowment Scholarship for the College of Business at her alma mater, URI. She serves on the Phoenix Suns Charities Board, the URI College of Business Deans Advisory Board, the St. Mary’s Food Bank Advisory Council and the Rio Salado College President’s Advisory Council.

Avid sports fan

As an avid sports fan with a passion for basketball, Garnes spends much of her personal time courtside. “Basketball is my first love. I really enjoy watching the Phoenix Suns and the Phoenix Mercury, which is our women’s WNBA team. I’m biased, but I think we have some of the best players in the league right here in Phoenix. The (Arizona) Diamondbacks are right down the street, so I enjoy baseball games as well. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I’m a huge Ohio State Buckeye fan.”

Garnes also enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family.

“One of the great things about living in Arizona is that I’m never short on visitors. Even when it’s 100-plus degrees, I have friends and family that still love coming out. I just finished my fifth summer in Arizona, and I think my blood’s getting thinner because now I get cold when it’s not more than 100 degrees.”

Another fun leisure activity that most grocery retailers participate in, Garnes revealed, is taking a tour of grocery stores in other locales. “If I’m visiting my sister who lives in Long Island—where the retailers are different than those we have here—she’ll find a great grocery store to take me to. Even if I’m in the Caribbean, I’ll check out a new store. It’s just in our DNA, because we’re always looking for what a competitor is doing.”

Garnes and Fry’s associates pack backpacks for kids going back to school.

Cheers to Monica Garnes and Fry’s!

SGWS of AZ and Supplier Partners would like to congratulate Monica Garnes as The Shelby Report of the West 2020 Woman Executive of the Year and Fry’s Food Stores on celebrating 60 years.

Fry’s: 60 Years of Delivering Fresh to Arizona

• In 1960, Don and Chuck Fry opened the first Phoenix Fry’s store at 7th Street and Missouri Avenue. They previously operated stores in northern California beginning in 1957.

• In 1972, Fry’s Food Stores acquired by the Dillon Cos. There were 41 stores.

• In 1983, Dillon Cos. merged with The Kroger Co.

• In 1999, Kroger and Fred Meyer, parent company of Smith’s Food and Drug (Smith’s had acquired Smitty’s in 1996), merged. Fry’s converted the Smith’s stores in Arizona to Fry’s Food and Drug Stores (except for Kingman, Bullhead City and Lake Havasu City).

• In 2000, Fry’s converted the Fred Meyer/Smitty’s stores in Arizona to Fry’s Marketplace.

• In 2008, Fry’s operated 118 stores.

• In 2020, the company operates 122 stores.

Fry’s Co-Founder Chuck Fry Dies at 92

Charles Lindbergh “Chuck” Fry, 92, co-founder of Fry’s Food Stores, died Jan. 20, 2020, at the home he shared with his wife Alice in Paradise Valley, Arizona. They had been married for 68 years.

Mr. Fry was born on May 31, 1927, in Stigler, Oklahoma, to Leela Mae and Dalquist Dalquin Fry. He had four brothers and sisters—Yvonne, Don, Cotton and Laverne.

He and his family lived through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl and were “shaped by hardship and close kin,” according to Mr. Fry’s obituary from Messinger Mortuary.

Mr. Fry played basketball and, after graduating from Bartlesville High School in 1944, went on to play for Oklahoma State on a scholarship.

He graduated from East Texas Baptist College in 1949, where he earned all-state honors.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-45 on the Heavy Cruiser Chicago.

He and Alice married in 1951. They moved to Wichita, Kansas, where Alice worked for Cessna and Chuck worked for Boeing to save enough money to start a business of their own. They invested in Mr. Fry’s grocery store venture with his brother Don—Fry’s Food Stores—in 1955 in Richmond, California.

They coined the phrase “Your best buys are always at Fry’s.” The brothers grew their grocery store chain from one to many, “always striving for great quality at a good price,” the obituary said.

They eventually sold to Kroger, and Mrs. Fry continued to shop at Fry’s and “school willing managers on how to stay on brand to provide top-notch service and quality.” Mr. Fry enjoyed looking at his Kroger stock as it gained value over the years.

The Frys raised three boys—John, Randy and Dave—on their ranch in Martinez, California.

Interestingly, Mr. Fry was crowned World Domino Champion in San Francisco in 1970.

The Fry boys eventually pooled their resources and formed Fry’s Electronics in 1985, inspired by their dad’s grocery business and the burgeoning computer industry.

In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Fry is survived by 10 grandchildren—Natalie, Joshua, Lina, Amora, Erica, Will, Jake, David, Brad and Amy; and nine great-grandchildren—Nicole, Megan, Haley, Evan, Elise, Charlie, Kaylee, MacKenzie and Logan.

Mr. Fry’s memorial service was held Jan. 27 at Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette, California.

promoted to president in Kroger’s Michigan division. He spent about a year in Michigan and then returned to Columbus as division president for three and a half years before heading to Atlanta.

During Lucia’s time in Ohio, Garnes was not letting the grass grow under her feet.

“She was a store manager and I kept up with her when I got back. She had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with me and serve on different committees and so forth, and she was just a pleasure to work with,” he recalled.

Staying in touch

“I left the Columbus division to become president of the Atlanta division, where I spent 18 years. I kept in touch with her and she had a number of different assignments. When she was promoted to president, I was really proud of her,” Lucia said.

Lucia and Garnes continued to stay in touch. “From time to time she would call and ask me questions about how I saw things, but she didn’t need a lot of help. She was looking for counseling more than anything else and that’s what I tried to provide her,” Lucia said.

A good friend of Lucia’s who works on the warehousing side of the Fry’s organization told Lucia that Garnes has spoken very highly of him, giving him the lion’s share of credit for where she is today. His response is to give all the credit to her. “I think she’s where she is today because of all that she did.”

Opening pathways

One of Lucia’s priorities as a company leader was to give business associates a pathway “to help them grow and give them an avenue to receive feedback. That’s what I tried to do with her, and she did everything very well.”

Taking the time for the store walk-throughs with Garnes when he was a vice president and she was still a store co-manager was part of Lucia’s contribution to Garnes’ rise in the business. It was really a friendship, and “that’s how I wanted that relationship to be,” noted Lucia.

Lucia always wanted to see Garnes succeed and she has done so. As an executive leader, one of his most important roles was to choose the right people and help guide them to their fullest potential.

“I always tried to help develop people in my role as president,” he said.

Lucia looked for diversity in the leadership ranks and Garnes was one of those who stood out from the crowd.

“There were a lot of talented females there and she was just as talented. I wanted diversity but I wanted people that were very, very talented,” he said. “I wanted to open doors for those associates to really do well, and that’s what I tried to do. I have a lot of pride for Monica and what she’s accomplished.”

LUCIA from page 15

Newest Fry’s Ends Food Desert in Downtown Phoenix

Monica Garnes, president of Arizona-based Fry’s Food Stores, rolled out the red carpet for The Shelby Report, taking VP-West Bob Reeves on a walk through Fry’s newest store at 100 East Jefferson Street in Downtown Phoenix. The state-of-the-art store opened in October 2019.

The Fry’s store literally is the cornerstone of a renewal project in the heart of the city on East Jefferson. This block also will include apartments, retail spaces and offices. The innovative grocery store is 67,000 s.f. total, with about 40,000 s.f. of sales floor space. It features a three-level parking structure with an elevator.

“We’re really excited about this location. One of the great things about this location is that it alleviates a decades-long food desert that’s been in Downtown Phoenix. It is a celebration of ending the lack of easy access to nutritious food for people on a regular basis,”

Garnes said.

Garnes started her tour in the store’s foyer. “There’s a little bit of local history in the building,” she said, pointing to the wall. “This was the first fire station in Downtown Phoenix. These are bricks from that original firehouse that we wanted to incorporate into the building to celebrate what used to be here as part of the history of the Fry’s store.”

In the foyer is reference to Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste initiative, the company’s commitment to ending hunger in the communities it serves and eliminating waste across the company by 2025.

“That’s one of Fry’s core initiatives as a Kroger company,” Garnes said. “In 2018, Fry’s provided 10 million meals to people that were hungry in the state of Arizona. We’re on track to exceed that for 2019.”

Urban chic ambience

This store location targets residents who live, play and work downtown. It is an area rich in history and within walking distance of Arizona State University’s Downtown Phoenix campus.

“Right across the street we have the Phoenix Suns’ arena. We offer customers the opportunity to purchase Suns apparel, and (we) have a great partnership. As people come downtown for sporting events, concerts, etc., this is a great place to come and hang out prior to that event or even after work.”

The indoor ambience has an urban chic feel, with high ceilings, open beams, exposed piping and cement and brick walls. The outside of the building has a cool, modern look.

Fry’s also commissioned two local artists to create vibrant indoor murals for the store walls. One mural represents the area’s history, the downtown skyline and the old firehouse. “It’s really a celebration of Phoenix,” noted Garnes.

The artwork received a lot of press prior to the store opening. The second mural wraps around a wall that can be seen through the outside windows as customers walk down the sidewalk.

Groth leads Fry’s merchandising team

Christina Groth, VP of merchandising for Fry’s Food Stores, has spent her entire career with The Kroger Co. In the summer of 2019, Groth transferred to Arizona to work as part of the key leadership team of Fry’s president and The Shelby Report’s Woman Executive of the Year, Monica Garnes.

Groth was a university student when she began working as a general merchandise intern at Kroger’s Fred Meyer division in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from college, she was brought on board full-time in the category management offices for Fred Meyer, a chain of big-box superstores in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.

“I spent the first 11 years of my career in general merchandise that included home, apparel and home electronics. Our Fry’s Marketplace stores are a smaller version of those stores. I was in the buying offices of category management for the first 12 years of my career, and then I moved over to the food side; I was the deli-bakery merchandiser for Fred Meyer for two years,” Groth said.

In 2014 Groth became senior director of the general merchandise team for the Kroger corporation. The next year she relocated to Kroger’s Cincinnati headquarters, where she was named VP of health and beauty care. “I was there for about a year-and-a-half and then moved back to Portland, where I was the vice president of general merchandising for about three years. This was still for Kroger, but that team is based out of Portland instead of Cincinnati.”

Garnes’ wealth of experience

After her most recent experience at the corporate level, Groth was off to Arizona to join Fry’s. It is common for Kroger executives to alternate between division and corporate roles. “I’m having the opportunity now to get my division experience,” she said.

Working closely with the Fry’s president is a pleasure for Groth—they have a lot in common and are on the same page in many ways, having both been Kroger merchandising executives. “She’s a great mentor with a wealth of knowledge and experience in this division,” noted Groth.

Groth has spent less than six months as part of Garnes’ team, but she has worked with many other leaders and Garnes stands out as a unique individual. “The first word that comes to mind when I think about Monica is ‘genuine.’ It’s one of the things I enjoy most about working with her. Watching her interact with our associates—whether they are store associates, office associates, district associates, any associates—you can see she is truly a genuine person and it’s refreshing to work with someone like that. No matter who you are, she finds a way to connect with you. She’s incredibly passionate about our associates in this division.”

the store level, they’re more focused on executing the weekly plan. My team and I work both with Monica and our counterparts at the general office in Cincinnati on some things that are more long-range,” Groth continued.

The key leadership team focuses on communication with the associates to help ensure continuation of the Fry’s culture. “Fry’s historically has had a strong culture and our associates are really passionate about our company. They’re also passionate about our customers. An important part of our role is making sure we’re continuing to exhibit company values and to lead by example,” Groth said.

Fry’s competitive advantage

“It’s really important for us to make sure we’re continuing to create a culture where associates enjoy working. I think that’s one of the best things we do here at Fry’s, and we’re top-notch when you compare us to other Kroger divisions. We really have a culture of valuing our associates and making sure they understand their importance to the success of our business,” Groth said.

The open communication among all the teams and moving together toward a common vision is key to this success. “Something someone once said to me about their company really resonates with me, now that I’m here at Fry’s. Our associates and our culture are our competitive advantage at Fry’s. I really believe that,” Groth said.

Groth’s role in the company is to drive sales and ensure that the business plan executed in the stores is relevant to customers. But just as important to her is inspiring associates every day. Garnes sets the example for the whole company to achieve the ultimate goal—customer satisfaction.

Innovative downtown store

Fry’s newest store is an innovative, state-of-the art shopping experience in Downtown Phoenix. Groth was closely involved with Garnes and the Fry’s team on planning and opening the store in 2019.

Much creative planning and preparation went into the downtown store, and the Fry’s team is very proud of its accomplishment. “That’s a really unique store for us. It’s different from any of our other stores. It was really fun to work on it for her, because that is the store where she now shops, based on where she lives. As the president of our division, she is a customer of that store, giving our customers as well as our president a great shopping experience,” Groth said.

“Monica is really involved in our stores. She spends a lot of time in the stores engaging with the associates and providing feedback on how the stores look and what’s working—what looks good and what things we may need to work on. We’ve spent a lot of time in that (downtown) store with her, making sure we were all aligned in the direction we wanted to take the store, because it is so different from any of our other stores.”

Great experience for every customer

“Downtown and Roosevelt Road are known for a lot of galleries and art. It’s really popular. As you drive around Downtown Phoenix, you see a lot of public art. People enjoy looking at the murals, which represent our support for local artists,” she added.

Eye-catching floral

Garnes’ favorite departments are produce and floral, and Fry’s has outdone itself in those areas. It has established an eye-catching floral area with a wide selection of plants and flowers, which are displayed throughout the store.

Fry’s is now “a great florist in Downtown Phoenix,” she said. “If someone works in an

As a leader who encompasses many business skills and attributes, Garnes’ easy manner and approachability have opened the door to positive relationships with Fry’s associates. “She has built deep connections with the associates and I’m seeing how much they admire her and look up to her. She inspires them to do better. It’s been really cool for me to watch and I’ve worked with a lot of leaders. She just has such a unique way of connecting with people that warms people up from the moment they meet her,” Groth said.

Strategic plan coming to life

All three key leadership team members—including Groth, Garnes and VP of operations, Micheal Cristal—are fairly recent arrivals to the Fry’s division. “My goal and the goal of my team is twofold. One is certainly driving sales. My team owns the sales plan and we focus on bringing the plan from the general office to life in our stores. We partner with Monica on translating the plan into simple courses of action that help our store associates drive sales,” Groth said. “Monica inspires associates to bring the plan to life and to create great experiences in our stores for our customers.”

There are plans within plans; the high-level plan provides high-level goals and long-term direction, and within that plan are the efforts needed to address more immediate needs. “It is a combination of plans. We have a weekly plan that leads all the way into our longer-term strategic plan. At

With many successes under their belt, Fry’s associates know they can never rest on their laurels. “One of the things I’ve learned since I’ve been in this role is that Phoenix is a very competitive market and we cannot take our finger off the pulse for a moment,” Groth said.

“We owe it to our customers to deliver to them the freshest product available, the best customer service and the best prices in town. I think we’re really good at it, but it is a very competitive market,” she said. “Our focus is to give every customer that walks through our door a really great experience. I think that is both our biggest opportunity as well as one of our biggest successes.”

Garnes stands behind the entire Fry’s team and supports their efforts to achieve their goals.

“Monica has the knowledge of the industry as well as the experience within our organization at Fry’s, in other divisions and at our general office. Her understanding, intuition and natural knack for the business serves our company well. She is a really great merchant and we are partnering with her to help ensure that we’re executing her vision as well.”

Groth added that Garnes sets an example for the company by her involvement and dedication to the local community. “She’s incredibly passionate about the community and incredibly passionate about diversity in our company. She’s passionate about things that are also very important to me, which makes it really enjoyable to work with her.”

Christina Groth

office and it’s Administrative Professionals’ Day, for example, they can quickly come in, grab something and have arrangements made. As you can see, our floral shop is pretty spectacular.”

The effort to provide nutritious food to the community starts with produce, and Fry’s delivers a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. To furnish the department, the company has partnered with a Colorado wood supplier. “When you think about Zero Waste,” Garnes said, “the produce fixtures as well as our floral fixtures are actually from reclaimed beetle wood that had been repurposed to create the tables you see in the department today, which is pretty exciting.”

This unique store offers many standard Fry’s services as well as extras, including a full-service pharmacy, a busy Starbucks and Murray’s Cheese counter, with a selection of up to 150 cheeses from around the world. There are made-to-order meals and many deli and bakery selections. The store offers same-day pickup and delivery service for customers via Instacart for delivery; store associates shop inside the store for the Pickup orders.

Chompie’s bagels

The downtown store is Fry’s second location to house a Chompie’s bagel shop. Chompie’s serves

lunch and offers limited breakfast options for customers as well. “We’re happy Chompie’s has joined the Fry’s team. They are one of our valued third-party vendors,” Garnes said.

“In terms of this Fry’s store in general,” Garnes said, “we made deliberate decisions to have a lot of ‘grab and go’ options for customers. We have a salad bar, but we also have salads they can quickly come in and pick up. We have a great assortment of sandwiches and a sushi bar. If they want to come in and get fresh sushi, they can just grab it and go. The sushi has been very, very popular.”

So many special touches make Fry’s a great shopping experience, as well as a nice gathering spot for people in the community. This store has plenty of seating for in-store dining.

“We experience higher lunchtime traffic, so we wanted to offer seating options for customers as well,” Garnes said.

At the wine and beer bar, customers can experience local beers and wines. “If you want to come down and have happy hour here at Fry’s, you can do that,” she added.

Booming lunch business

Garnes noted that 65,000 people work in Downtown Phoenix.

“We have access to many, many customers that come through here. As we were building the store and coming down here on a regular basis, we were seeing the amount of people going out and about for lunch, so we felt we would have a pretty robust lunch business. However, it has far exceeded our expectations in terms of the lunch traffic we’re getting,” she said.

Handling all that lunch traffic has been an adjustment for the Fry’s team, but they really do put their customers’ needs first.

“We see a lot of construction workers in here and many of them work late through the night and into the morning. We have adjusted to make sure we can accommodate their work needs for lunch. We start at 9 in the morning vs. the typical business lunchtime falling at 11. I feel really good about being able to meet their needs and having hot chicken

Cristal plays key role on Garnes’ leadership team

Micheal Cristal, VP of operations for Fry’s Food Stores, arrived at the Arizona corporate headquarters in October 2017, after his promotion from VP of merchandising at a Seattle-based Kroger division. Cristal has been with Kroger for 34 years. He came to Fry’s about four months before Monica Garnes, The Shelby Report’s Woman Executive of the Year, was named president of the division.

“As VP of operations, I get to work with our district managers and store managers as we focus on delivering the best shopping experience for our customers. We want to do it in the most efficient manner that we possibly can,” Cristal said.

Cristal is part of Garnes’ key leadership team, which also consists of the VP of merchandising, the director of human resources and the chief financial officer. The team works closely together in defining business requirements and spreading the company vision throughout the culture, while keeping everyone on board and moving in the same direction. “I work very closely with Monica in understanding expectations, understanding the vision and delivering that level of expectation and vision,” he said.

Supportive leader

As a seasoned supermarket executive, Cristal has worked with

many professionals in the business. He has gained admiration for Gaines’ leadership qualities.

“Monica’s leadership style is one that creates an environment for her team to flourish. She creates expectations which are clearly defined, but not only that, she provides a level of support that creates the opportunity for those objectives to be achieved. What is very unique to Monica is that she does a great job of connecting with the leadership team, but she also does a great job of bringing that same level of energy, connection and engagement to our store teams as well.”

Garnes brings people together to support one shared vision for the company. “Because Fry’s is part of The Kroger Co., to a large degree we get some guidance in what that vision looks like, but Monica does a really good job of connecting the culture to that vision she’s defining. She’s not just connecting with her direct reports but cascading that throughout the organization. She has been very intentional on touching people through great engagement – not just at the administrative level but by spending a large amount of time connecting with the teams within our stores, so it’s more than just words. She takes the opportunity to solidify that vision within our store teams, and we all know that’s where everything happens,” said Cristal.

Regular store visits

Garnes is out in the field regularly visiting the Fry’s stores. “It is nothing for Monica to visit a store, spend an enormous amount of

time talking with a floral clerk about expectations for Valentine’s Day and so on. She is having good conversations around challenges the floral clerks or floral managers might be having regarding expectations around execution within Valentine’s,” he added.

Garnes knows the importance of making every employee feel part of the Fry’s team. She makes the effort to let them know where they’re headed and what is expected of them as they carry out their duties and serve as the face of Fry’s to customers.

“She is providing and receiving honest feedback to provide to our floral team here within our office. You can see examples of her doing that throughout the stores. It’s common to see Monica exiting a store, stopping by the frontend and literally speaking and engaging with each one of our cashiers as well as each one of our baggers … with the intent of giving good insight on the value (and) relevancy of their roles,” Cristal said.

Cutting the waste

The Fry’s team is working hard to implement Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social impact initiative, the company’s commitment to ending hunger and eliminating waste across the company by 2025. Cristal has worked with Garnes and the team to overcome challenges in this area. Fry’s provided 10 million meals to its local communities last year.

The Fry’s team is tackling product waste and achieved a high level of performance in 2019. “Last year, we were looking at some key objectives that we were having a little bit of challenge on. In

Micheal Cristal

FRY’S DOWNTOWN from page 27

Monica Garnes with company VPs and store manager at the Downtown Fry’s.

available at an earlier hour than we typically would in our stores,” said Garnes.

“One of the really neat things we do is custom party trays for office parties or people that live downtown. We will make anything the customer would like to have.”

Garnes also mentioned that Fry’s is now offering Wagyu Beef.

“We’re finding that the customers are really excited about having that additional selection of beef, as well as having a great selection of plant-based proteins.”

Source of pride

Fry’s is testing cutting-edge shelving strip system that uses digital displays instead of paper tags.

“You can see we’re testing a technology called Shelf Edge Strips. It’s digital signage that provides the customer with pricing and promotion information. This helps eliminate printed signs,” said Garnes.

Production for the fresh departments takes place in rooms in the basement, due to the need “to maximize every square inch of sales floor,” Garnes said.

“Lastly, we have our full-service pharmacy available. When you think about healthcare, customers have access to health screenings and vaccinations, as well free prescription delivery. We really feel good about having everything customers could need right in the downtown environment that we typically offer in our stores,” she said.

This well-planned, full-service store is a source of pride for the company.

“We’re incredibly proud of it as well as the amazing associates and leaders who work at this store and deliver a great shopping experience for customers,” Garnes said.

Fry’s has hit a home run with the attention to detail and the variety of features customers are discovering in this special store.

“We get great feedback from people that live and work downtown who (appreciate) having access to the selection of items we have here at this location.”

2018, we had an opportunity in that area. We were one of the last divisions to roll out some key initiatives that would support better performance around waste,” noted Cristal.

“One of the things I was appreciative of goes back to providing that support I talked about earlier. As we were getting on board with the waste integration initiative that we were about to roll out, I shared with Monica that, as we got that in place and we got good support from our district managers and store managers, I believed we would see the needle move for better results. We came out of quarter three and improved our performance about five basis points. We improved our performance by 10 basis points (for) the entire year of 2019, and we’ve delivered some of the best results in the enterprise.”

These results are measured through inventories taken every four weeks within the fresh departments of the stores. “We take in some stores once a year, some stores twice a year. In simplistic terms it consists of a lot of merchandise we’ve ordered and delivered within the stores compared to the merchandise we currently have within the stores and measuring the differential between the two.”

Success story

When considering Garnes’ success as Fry’s president, “It flows through everything we’re talking about,” Cristal said. “I think Monica does a phenomenal job of defining vision, creating an environment that enables the team to see and understand that

vision and staying consistent on the messaging around it. What I mean around messaging is that we’re not going constantly left, right, left, right. The message is focused on very consistent objectives, staying true to those, creating the environment for the team to flourish around them and giving them that shared support. I think that’s really been part of her secret sauce of success.”

Keeping up with customer trends and choices is a major focus. The demands of customers today are very high. “Customers are looking for opportunities, and you can see it through our Pickup service, as one example. Whether they’re shopping within the store, online or having it delivered—we’re responding to their needs,” said Cristal.

“When you think about the technology utilization and technology needs, Monica has been one of the first to challenge the organization to deliver that for us. This market is one of the most competitive markets, not just within the region but in the country. As we think about connecting with customers in a meaningful and different way, we’re really centered on three areas—anytime, anyplace, anywhere—for those customers. We’ve been pretty aggressive in delivering upon it.”

Competitively focused

The competitive nature of the business calls for a strong leader whose strategy is to stay a step ahead of the pack. The Fry’s team keeps track of competitors and never lets up in determining and delivering what customers are looking for. Garnes has created a

competitively-focused environment that constantly challenges the Fry’s teams—including the core leadership team, district managers, store managers and merchandising group.

Staying competitive means that all these teams maintain a constant flow of feedback among them. “As we talked about that floral clerk earlier and understanding the impact of being prepared for a Valentine’s selling, we’re looking to see how the competition is delivering upon that as well. We’re also encouraging that team to get out, see that impact and understand by example. We’re making sure we understand how customers are connecting on both sides,” Cristal said.

Garnes is good at handling the never-ending, day-to-day challenges of the job. She is intentionally organized, forward-thinking and personally responsible in collaborating with her team to achieve high levels of accountability, and that accountability starts with herself, Cristal said.

It takes a cool head to handle the daily pressures associated with leading a grocery chain.

“Obviously she has a very balanced approach. I think she would be OK if I say this—Monica is a very spiritual person. She certainly believes in her faith and I know that’s a critical part of her life. Between the balancing of good friends, good family and how she approaches the business, I think she is able to minimize that stress level to the degree that it’s possible,” Cristal said.