The Shelby Report

of the Midwest 2021 Retailer of the Year

His sons, Chester C. and Duke, became involved at a young age and took over the business in their 20s when their father died in February 1929. Chester C., known as Chet, was 26 at the time and Duke was 25.

In 1959, Duke’s four sons – Bob, Dan, Bill and Ron –assumed control after their father’s death.

Dan Coborn, former chairman, president and CEO of Coborn’s Inc., passed away in March 2017. He is recalled as a beloved monumental figure in the company timeline. He led the chain for a greater part of the 20th century, serving as its chief executive from the late 1950s until 1999.

Per the history book, “The Coborn brothers began to develop a philosophy of being fast-thinking and making light-footed decisions. It would later allow them to thrive and become one of the most progressive independent grocery chains in the nation.”

The book continues, “In the early years, the Coborn’s culture naturally developed through the example set by Dan and his brothers. But as the workforce grew, the company made it its mission to not only be the best place to shop, but also the best place to work – in every market it serves.”

However, in the 1970s, that meant taking on varying tasks and making decisions before they had all the answers or knew where the path would lead. The company was becoming a leader in the industry, testing markets and taking chances that were rare for independent grocers.

“Each brother had an area of responsibility and they voted on every decision – and had an understanding that any major decision for the company required a unanimous vote,” the book explained.

Dan’s leadership in the grocery business and commitment to both his customers and community made him among the first to be recognized as Grocer of the Year by the Minnesota Grocers Association in 1987.

“Dan Coborn had made good on the debt he incurred to fund the company’s aggressive growth – all the while grooming the next generation of family leadership in his son, Chris Coborn, who would eventually lead the company through its most aggressive growth,” according to the history book.

Along with being a dynamic leader, Dan proved to be personable with employees of all levels at the company.

“Employees knew they could go to Danny with anything,” said his widow, Mabel. “He would keep it private and he would do whatever he could to help them out. They knew they could count on us and we knew we could count on them.”

Dennis Host, VP of marketing of during the latter part of Dan’s tenure, shared how management would gather for weekly meetings.

“When we were still in our old office, we’d have Friday morning huddle meetings that included a large group of company management to keep everyone informed of the

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