2021 Rouse Royster WEOY

The Shelby Report of the Southeast 2021 Woman Executive of the Year

Ali Rouse

Royster

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

Top exec balances family business, motherhood

Third-generation owner relishes her role as a ‘Jill-of-all-trades’

Allison “Ali” Rouse Royster, a third-generation owner of Rouses Markets, is The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s Woman Executive of the Year for 2021. Editor Kevin Atwill recently visited the company’s corporate office in Thibodaux, Louisiana, to present her with the honor and learn more about her personal and professional journey. The pages that follow include reflections from colleagues, family members and others who find her career as inspiring as we do. We hope you will, too.

By Kevin Atwill / editor

As the clock inched toward 11:45 a.m. on a recent Thursday, Ali Rouse Royster checked her watch. For much of the morning, she had been patiently fielding questions from a visitor while handling e-mails and the occasional query from staff.

“You going?” she asked her husband, Billy, as he peeked into her office at the corporate headquarters of Rouses Markets in Thibodaux, Louisiana. “Yep, it’s time to go get him.”

And with that, the couple was off to pick up their youngest child, 3-year-old Johnny, from a cross-town preschool. It’s part of a weekday routine that is followed by lunch at their nearby home before returning to work for the afternoon.

Ali is a third-generation owner of Rouses, the daughter of former CFO Tommy Rouse, niece of former Chairman Don Rouse and granddaughter of late founder Anthony Rouse.

She is one of his 17 grandchildren and the only granddaughter among the five who are active in the company. Her husband works in the accounting department.

While Ali may have been born into the family business, she also deals with many of the same challenges facing female executives in what is still a very much male-dominated grocery industry. Add in the responsibilities of her other full-time job –mom to Johnny and his older siblings, George, 6, and Audrey, 5 – and she probably deserves several awards. But for this month, at least, that honor is The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s Woman Executive of the Year for 2021.

Like her life outside the office, Ali is quick to note that her role with the company is fluid.

“It’s a little bit of everything,” she said. “We have gotten a lot more structured in the last few years, title-wise and with hierarchies, but I like my kind of Jill-of-all-trades position. I enjoy it. It keeps my life interesting. I’ve been a little reluctant to change a title or anything like that.”

From office helper to owner

Ali’s rise to ownership began as a child – helping around her father’s office and assisting Celeste Hidalgo in the accounting department. That grew to a store cashier role during high school. After graduating from LSU in 2004, Ali returned to Thibodaux and began working at the corporate office while pursuing her MBA at hometown Nicholls State University. Her father assigned her to document processes in various operational areas and implement new systems

“It was good practice, too, because then we had kind of a user manual,” Ali explained. “If you want to train somebody

new, at least here’s a starting point, here’s [my] notes on that. So I went through all the departments doing that and would take on special projects for him or my grandpa, who would always have something new.”

Among other tasks, she helped set up a new back-door receiving program, which required waking in the wee hours for months.

That was followed by installing a new office balance system, which shifted her schedule to late-night work.

Her experience with systems and processes proved crucial in the late 2000s when Rouses began expanding through acquisitions and new store construction. Over the years, Ali also began what has since evolved into a robust social media presence (now under the advertising and marketing department) and manned the customer e-mail inbox.

“Customer service is always kind of my top of mind,” she said. “How do our customers see us? If I’m walking through the store, what does that look like to me? I still like to see [the e-mails] because I feel like that’s a good pulse.”

Her educational background may lie in finance and

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2021 Woman Executive of the Year

From page 38

accounting, but Ali also has worked closely with the company’s legal team on property acquisitions and contracts. “I like to read…and I have an eye for it a little bit...for years, I was kind of the first eyes outside of legal counsel to look through something and nitpick it,” she said.

In addition, there are standing weekly meetings with the asset and profit protection team – to go over claims, insurance issues and risk compensation – and also the IT director.

Work-life balance, ‘everything’s here’

What does a typical day look like for Ali?

“Well, that depends on the day of the week,” she said with a chuckle. “Lately, I’ve been waking up early to go work out,

which is a pain – I’m not a morning person – but that’s the only time to do it.

“So 5 a.m., go do that, get home and help the kids get ready for school. My husband brings the bigger ones to big school –elementary school – and then the babysitter gets there to help with drop-off for preschool because it doesn’t open until 9 a.m.

“We’re so lucky to be in this one little area [of Thibodaux]. I can get almost anywhere in 15 minutes, so it’s not a big deal.”

Arriving at the office, Ali usually begins by running a couple of reports.

“I look at the sales reports emailed to us every morning, kind of minuscule data about how this store did yesterday. What does it look like against last year? What does that week look like? Trends?”

There often are items that require her approval, and she also checks in with CFO Wayne Peterson and the accounting office. And then there are those e-mails.

“E-mails usually take me somewhere, right, lead me down a path? And then usually somebody will stop in just to have me sign some papers,” she said.

As the clock nears 11:45 a.m., she and her husband will depart to pick up Johnny.

“We don’t see each other a lot at work,” she said of Billy, who also grew up in Thibodaux. “He does his stuff…and I’m here with other things. We actually intersect very little, even though we’re in the same office.

“But we do preschool pickup. We’ve always done that. It’s not far from here at all. It’s so fun to see [Johnny] getting in the

car and we bring him home and we eat at home. It used to be a lot of kids at home at the same time. Now, it’s just the one and our babysitter is there by then. She’ll help once we’re ready to go.”

Ali is quick to compliment the sitter, Jenny, who has been with the family for years, and picks up the older children from school later in the afternoon. “They love Miss J. She’s been with us since they were little bitty. That’s been a blessing.”

Afternoons at the office mean coffee and perhaps visits to the other side of the headquarters building, which houses the buying group, marketing office and operations, among other departments.

The end of the workday often brings after-school activities for Ali’s older children. Lately, that has included some combination of practice for a play (leading up to their stage debut), ballet, piano lessons and T-ball.

“Again, everything’s here,” she said. “I’m super fortunate to be able to do that. I like doing it. I complain about it sometimes, but I like doing it. You know, they’re only going to be little for a while.”

Early proponent of grocery pickup option

Rouses had embraced e-commerce years earlier and offered grocery pickup at about half of its stores when COVID-19 struck in March 2020. The company accelerated rollout to the rest and no longer uses a third party for its pickup service.

As a busy mom of three, Ali was a proponent of the increasingly popular pickup option long before the global pandemic. It’s a convenience that likely resonates with many working mothers.

“I had been doing it as a test for here, but also my kids were younger then, pre-pandemic,” she explained. “It was a lifesaver Please see page 56

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

“Ali and I grew up in the business together. We learned so much working with our parents and our grandfather, who founded the company. The passion for this business is in her blood.”

– Donny Rouse, CEO

Donny Rouse and Ali Rouse Royster in high school with their grandmother, Joyce Rouse.

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

“Ali brings a level of insight and knowledge that can only be learned from a very early age. I’ve heard stories of how she was at the side of the desk of some of our support office team as a young girl, learning all she could about how the business operated. We consider ourselves lucky to have her influence today as we continue to grow.”

– Steve Black, president and COO

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

‘Proud of who she is…how she handles everything’

During her 35 years with Rouses, Celeste Hidalgo has had a front row seat for the evolution of Ali Rouse Royster.

“I first worked for Allison’s dad, Tommy, and I watched her grow up,” said Hidalgo, the company’s accounting manager. “Allison

started in the office when she was in high school. She would come and was kind of my helper at the time. I would just give her things to help me get caught up, maybe filing or reconciling the bank statement, kind of showing her a little more than I would a normal helper.”

And while her young helper may have been born into the business, she also showed an eagerness to learn.

As Hidalgo recalled, “Mr. Anthony Rouse came in a couple of months after she had been working and he asks me how she was doing. I said, ‘She’s very smart, she catches on really easy and has a good understanding.’ And he says, ‘Well, I know that. I just want to make sure you’re teaching her everything you know.’

“Her grandfather and her dad, both, instilled that in her early on. She worked with me. They had her

in the store working. They wanted her to know every aspect of it, and I think that’s been a good asset for her to be able to make the calls that she’s making today.

“She’s extremely smart as far as businesswise, and that’s her growing up in it and everything. Her problem solving, her ability to assess – her strength is her understanding of a lot of things.”

That strength carries over into her other full-time job, according to Hidalgo.

“She has three small kids…I don’t understand how she does it with three, especially them being that close in age. She seems to do it so easily and has them involved in things… I do see personalities in all three of her kids that I remember in Allison as a young girl, too.”

To that end, Hidalgo won’t be surprised if the fourth generation follows in their mother’s footsteps.

“I’ve seen Allison evolve. I’m proud of who she is and how she handles everything.”

–Celeste Hidalgo, accounting manager

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

“I started in the stores, and saw Ali when she visited the stores and, of course, at openings. As I’ve moved up, I’ve gotten to work more closely with her and seen how much heart she brings to this job every day. She inspires me to push myself to be a strong yet conscientious leader.”

– McNally Sislo, creative manager

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

it’s unusual for people to have a business and a creative side. And she really does both.”

Nathan added that the two are always laughing together.

Marcy Nathan, creative director, has worked with Rouses for 18 years. Among her responsibilities is the company magazine, for which Ali Rouse Royster pens a column that is a favorite with readers.

“She always tells a story that is uniquely Ali in terms of relating something about growing up in the business or being a mom or being a businesswoman,” Nathan said. “It all tends to fall together and she has a great sense of humor. We work together on social media, too. Ali plays a lot of different roles at Rouses, and

“Ali and I are very good friends as well, so I’ve been fortunate to form a great, strong friendship with her independent of the company. And I know she’s going to respond funny to whatever. She’s great to bounce ideas off of, too. A lot of times when it’s things she’s not a part of – may not know about – I’ll send it to her and say what do you think? She’s great at pitching ideas to us.”

Nathan pointed out that there are not a lot of women in the higher levels of the grocery business.

“Yeah, Ali’s an owner, but she’s also a business person. It’s really inspiring to have her be in that position. And I think it gives everybody the comfort level that she is also working to make sure there are more seats at the table for women.

“It lets people know who work in the

store and work here that there are opportunities – not just within Rouses, certainly there are – that you can do both. With our Women in Grocery group that we just started, we talk a lot about the different responsibilities that women have as family caretakers, in charge of health care, particularly during COVID.

“I always say Ali is very relatable. She’s really friendly and she’s approachable. You don’t always find that in any business. The fact is that she remains grounded no matter how big we get.”

‘‘It’s really inspiring to have her be in that position’

––Marcy Nathan, creative director for Rouses

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

“Ali and Donny represent a unique third-generation ownership team in that they are dedicated to growing a successful business through a hands-on approach, while honoring the achievements of their grandfather and fathers.”

– Wayne Peterson, CFO

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

It’s got to be in your blood…have the passion for it’

Tim Acosta serves as marketing and advertising director for Rouses. He’s spent the past 39 years working with the family-owned business, which he married into.

“Ali’s my niece,” he explained. “My wife, Cindy, and Ali’s dad, Tommy, are brother and sister…I remember Ali started coming into the office with her dad when she was young.

“It was probably fun to do, but she definitely had an interest in it. At the time, her grandfather, Mr. Anthony Rouse, was always around, always in the office or in the stores. He did that with all the grandkids, he was always talking to them and seeing what they were doing, providing guidance.”

Acosta added that his father-in-law was pleased to see Ali take an interest in the family business at a young age.

“She’s very smart, has a very outgoing personality, loves people, loves to help people…just being around family, being involved in the

community…that definitely helped her get to where she is today. It’s got to be in your blood, you’ve got to have the passion for it.”

In addition to work experience, Acosta cited his niece’s education – an undergraduate degree from LSU and an MBA from Nicholls State – and her strong work ethic.

“I remember her doing office audits in the evenings when the stores were changing and enhancing procedures,” he said. “When we did the expansion into the New Orleans area, we acquired Sav-ACenter, that was a lot of time, lot of late nights and long days driving from Thibodaux into New Orleans or Slidell, just working with the store teams and training them.”

Looking to the future, Acosta said he would encourage Ali and the other members of the family’s third generation – including two of his sons – who are involved in the business to stay the course.

“For all of them – you just got to take care of the customer, do the service, do the right thing for your team members and for the community. You get what you give. That’s what it comes down to.

“Support the communities, support your team members, support youth. And the communities will support you. That’s what we do. We enjoy taking care of the communities that we serve…Rouses is at the center of them.”

––Tim Acosta, marketing and advertising director

“Ali is down to earth and easy to talk to. She’s got a smile no matter the situation. She’s strong and makes sound decisions based on what’s best for our company. She is a very confident woman. She is a mother, businesswoman and wife — successful at all of it. She is one of my favorite people in the business.”

– Michelle Knight, bakery director

Cousins, from left, Nick Acosta, Ali Rouse Royster, Blake Richard and Chris Acosta are part of the third generation of their family to work at Rouses.

2021 Woman Executive of the Year

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for me, all this online ordering of diapers and things like that. It was amazing. Oh, you mean I can just drive up and you’ll put it in my car and my kids are in here? This is great!

“That was one of the early adopters of online shopping, I think, was the mom of young children who doesn’t want to bring them in the store. I totally get that. I am uniquely positioned to understand that plight. I can’t take three children into the grocery store.”

Of course, the pandemic meant many more people weren’t visiting grocery stores.

“So I think a lot of those people are here to stay with online shopping,” Ali said. “I think there are a lot of improvements that can be made to how we online shop, and we’re working on some fun things with that right now to make it more like a personal shopping experience.”

The grocery industry’s response to the COVID19 pandemic could – and someday likely will – fill volumes. Rouses experienced the same challenges as so many other grocers, despite the fact hurricane-weary Louisiana is used to emergencies.

“We have learned so much,” Ali said. “Supply chain… how to keep our team safe. I don’t see how we don’t just grow in our knowledge of this.”

Communication key for cousins, customers

Most of Ali’s cousins on her father’s side of the family still live in Thibodaux. Many of their children are close in age to her own.

But certainly the cousin with whom Ali works the closest is Donny Rouse, the company’s CEO. The two are the same age and even graduated high school together, though they may not have known at the time that they would foster such a close working relationship.

“We’ve always gotten along,” Ali said. “We don’t see eye to eye on every single thing – who does? But we’re both

pretty mellow, which is good. And we’re not shy about talking about why we think our opinions are the better one. But we were always taught to talk to people with respect, even in the family. It’s not OK to treat people badly; consider other people’s opinions, because they might have a good idea.

“I feel like Donny is the same way. He’s a big listener. I try to be as well, but I’m probably not as good as he is about keeping my mouth shut. But we were both big listeners, and then taking things in…that’s crucial for being able to be a third-generation, family-run business.”

That approach extends beyond kin.

“In the broader sense, the stores and the team are like a family,” Ali said. “We have a lot of people who have been with us for a long time, very long-tenured employees that have been with us longer than I’ve been alive.

“I think that’s a big part of it, that you treat people like family but in a good way because there are some dysfunctional families, too. We want to be a functional family where we treat everybody with respect and are open to new ideas.”

Being open to ideas requires keen listening skills, according to Ali.

“That’s why we try real hard to listen to our team members at the stores, in the office, in the field and see what they’re seeing, see what they’re doing, what they’re feeling, what’s working, what’s not working. How can we be better? That’s always the thing. How can we be better? How can we change and evolve?

“My grandfather was real big on that. If we’re not changing, if we’re not evolving, then we’re failing. That’s what he always told me.”

Inspiration abounds all around

When it comes to role models or inspiration, Ali didn’t need to look far.

“I was very close to both of my grandmothers growing up. They were big sources of strength in different ways,” she said.

Another source of strength was her mother, Karen, whom she described as “amazing.” Karen Rouse raised four children and still cares for Ali’s youngest brother, who has profound physical and mental disabilities.

“Like almost every special needs parent, she has been his champion, his cheerleader, his doctor and nurse, his caretaker, his best friend,” Ali said. “And she also took care of all of us at the same time, so she juggled everything.”

Ali also has drawn strength from an older cousin, Kristine Russell. “She’s the first female district attorney of Lafourche Parish, and she’s never let being a woman stop her…she’s got a family, she’s got kids, she’s awesome. She’s active in charity work. She’s all over the place. But she’s been a very big role model for me, being a female executive in a male-dominated industry.”

Perhaps Ali’s greatest source of inspiration is her late grandfather, who she noted “always made sure that I knew whatever I wanted to do at Rouses, I could do. And he didn’t want me to get stuck in smaller roles.”

She recalled a time when he quizzed her about why, as an office helper in high school, she had agreed to make copies for a Rouses employee without asking why.

As she recalled, “He said, ‘You always need to ask the question, because you need to learn this. You need to know everything inside and out. You need to figure out what you want to do here. Because you can do it.’”

That approach extended to all of the third generation.

“He always empowered us to do whatever,” Ali said. “But he saw that some of us [grandchildren] were more inclined to do [grocery], so he encouraged that. And he saw that some of my other cousins were inclined to do other things, and he encouraged that as well. It was not a, ‘You need to work at Rouses or go fly a kite kind of thing.’ It was more, ‘Hey, if you’re interested, let’s do this.’”

Ali was quick to add that her family did not place any limitations on working in the business and having a family.

“My dad, my uncle Don [former company chairman], nobody treats me any different than anybody else. We’re all a team. And that’s great. It’s just it’s a good environment,” she said. “We have some great women who are coming up through the industry.