The Shelby Report Salutes Our West Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey, Bristol Farms Everybody Likes Pat Patrick “Pat” Posey, VP of non-perishable procurement and merchandising for Southern California-based retailer Bristol Farms, seems to be one of those guys everybody likes, as you’ll see from comments provided to us by his colleagues (friends). In addition to managing a successful career in the grocery business that started at Ralphs Grocery Co. in 1984 when Posey was 19, he has developed a reputation for being a guy who cares about a variety of causes and loves his family and friends deeply. But in true Pat Posey fashion, he is quick to give credit for his recognition as The Shelby Report’s West Retailer Executive of the Year to others. “It’s more about the people that I surround myself with and how they influence me,” he says. “I’m one of the luckiest guys that you have ever met. I really just try to do things the right way and always give my all. These are the things that the many mentors I’ve had in my life have taught me. “I’m really just doing what I think I’m supposed to do,” Posey adds. “Life is simple when you listen more than you speak, give more than you take, always try to help whenever you can and surround yourself with great people.” In an interview with Bob Reeves, VP-West for The Shelby Report, at Posey’s home, the grocery executive looked back over his 34-year career in the grocery business, which allowed him to meet his wife of 24 years, Tina (with whom he has a son and daughter, Trent and Paige, and who was with him during the interview) and introduced him to organizations like City of Hope, which would play an unexpected but welcome role in his family’s life later on. Following are excerpts from the interview. Reeves: Tell me how you ended up getting into the industry. Posey: It just kind of happened. I had never really had a real job other than a paper route, but I was going out with some buddies one night when I was about 19. A buddy of mine pulled up in front of my house in his ’67 VW Bug—Pete Anderson—and he said, “I just got a job at Ralphs; they’re looking for another guy, do you want to work?”
I was a freshman at Cal State Fullerton at the time, and I said, sure, why not? So I went down there, and a guy named John Sparkenbach gave me all the paperwork. I signed up that day and started two days later. John still works for Ralphs in the main office. He’s a great guy. I often think about that day that and what if Pete Anderson didn’t stop by, or I left my house 10 minutes earlier and missed him. Would all of this come together the way it did? Hard to say, but I’m sure glad Pete Anderson stopped by that day and I was home. You started off as a box boy? I started off as a box boy and am very proud of it. It was in Anaheim, at the old Sunkist and Lincoln (Ralphs) store. I worked there for three weeks, and then we closed that store and moved to the State College store at State College and Lincoln, about half a mile away. I was in college at the time, studying to be a mechanical engineer. I never really had any great ambitions of going to school until I was a senior in high school and my dad said, “You need to go to school.” I said, “I know what I want to do—I want to go hammer nails. I want to be a construction guy; I like working with my hands.” He said, “Well, why don’t you go become an engineer and be in charge of the guys hammering nails?” I thought, “OK, why not?” Did you finish college? I did finish college. So you have a mechanical engineering degree? No, I was in mechanical engineering for a year and a half, and that’s only because after my first semester it took me another year to get out. My grades weren’t so great. I had a 3.86 high school GPA. When I went to college, I almost failed out my first semester. Very similar to a lot of executives’ stories, you just sort of ended up getting promotions and
The Poseys hosted The Shelby Report’s Bob Reeves for the interview for this story.
going through the ranks of Ralphs? I worked at a great store, and it seems like it was a feeder store for a lot of great people that have gone up through the Ralphs (and parent company Kroger’s) divisions. Guys like Dan De La Rosa, who is president of a Kroger division in the Midwest, and Paul Gianetto, who is the SVP of merchandising for Raley’s in Northern California. I worked with some really great guys when I was a kid, and the store was so competitive. We all wanted to do better than the other guys so we all worked our butts off. We ran to get carts back then.
Ultimately, she met my father during the Korean War. They got married and came back here in about 1963 and started a family with my brother and me. My father is full-blooded Irish, from Baltimore. He was in the military, too, in the Marines. My stepfather passed away three years ago.
Was Dan De La Rosa one of your mentors? Yes, absolutely. What do you think he taught you? Dan taught me how to work hard and work fast and have fun at work. Dan was probably one of the most fun guys I’ve ever worked for in my life. The fun didn’t stop when we punched the clock, either, because after work we went and had a lot more fun. We were playing football, golf, tennis, doing all kinds of stuff after work with Dan. I was still 19 or 20, and Dan was in his early 20s. It was a good time. Where did you get your work ethic, do you think? I know I got my work ethic from my dad. My dad was a blue-collar hero. He was in the Marine Corps for 30 years—this is my stepfather, George Whitehurst—and after that he was an engineer at White Freightliner for 10 years, and then after that he ran a division of Southern California Edison Security for about 15 years before he retired. When he finally retired when he was 67 or so, he received three pensions. So George was kind of like a bluecollar hero. He always taught me how to work hard. “Work hard, always do your best and you’ll be fine” was what he told me. Tell me about your family. My mom (Hiroko Whitehurst) is full-blooded Japanese. She grew up just outside of Hiroshima (she was there when the atomic bomb went off but was far enough away that she survived). She was an orphan as a child, and she was adopted to watch a family while she would work. That ended up being her family, and she, during World War II, had to get the kids and take the kids down to bomb shelters and take them back and forth to safety. She was a kid herself at the time.
Pat with his mother and stepfather, Hiroko and George Whitehurst. What are your work habits? I think if I had to describe myself, I’m probably like a situational taskmaster. But I’m working very hard to be more strategic, and I’m working hard at being a better delegator—I think we all should. When you get to a certain level, you can’t do everything yourself, and you’ve got to surround yourself with great people that will work with you toward a common goal. And you’ve got to motivate them to do things with you so that you all have the same vision and all push the same direction toward the common goal. Did you meet Kevin (Davis, Bristol Farms chairman and co-CEO) at Ralphs? I met Kevin at one of my best friend’s, Dan Bergh’s, wedding. I had known Kevin and we had bumped into each other, but he didn’t know who I was. At the reception, Tina and I spent about a half-hour talking to Kevin. He was one of the young executives at Ralphs—they called him the “whiz kid.” Kevin was the future for Ralphs, the next generation of leaders, and a lot of us younger guys looked up to him. So how did you join Bristol Farms? While I was in the USC FMI Program I knew I wanted to advance in my career, and I had an appointment to meet with Kevin. When I got to work that day, all the scuttlebutt around the office was that Kevin had just quit. I thought, well, he can’t quit Please see page 26
There is no better candidate from the Southern California retail food industry to be recognized by The Shelby Report for Retailer Executive of the Year than Pat Posey. I have known Pat and worked closely with him since he started down his career path at Ralphs. He was determined to be successful in his life and work; he simply asked what it would take, and he did it. Whether it was at Ralphs, Food 4 Less or, more recently, in his over 20 years at Bristol Farms, Pat saw what made others successful and simply worked harder at the things that mattered than most anyone else. Pat knows more people who consider him a friend than anyone I know. They know they can trust him and rely on him, and he never lets them down. His contributions to the philanthropic side of industry are legendary, and there is nothing Kevin Davis he has not done, or would not do, if asked. I am especially proud of Pat for working hard at balancing his family life with Tina, Trent and Paige. His loyalty and dedication to his team and his company have made us all family. Congratulations for this recognition. Thanks for all you do, for me, for Bristol Farms and for all of the food industry! Pat with his beloved family: wife Tina and kids Paige and Trent.
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Sincerely, Kevin Davis, Chairman and Co-CEO, Bristol Farms
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2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey From page 25
because I have an appointment with him later today (laughing). That was the day that I got on the 110 freeway and drove to South Pasadena to see my first Bristol Farms store. I called Kevin three days later and asked him if I could still meet with him. We met, and he said he didn’t really have anything for me right now, but he probably would in six months or so when he was settled in and to call him back in six months. That’s exactly what I did. The day Kevin left Ralphs, our FIM leadership class was about mentoring. Dr. Jim Stevenson’s message to us that day was you can’t do it on your own; you have to find somebody that’s going to support you, you’ve got to have an executive champion. You can work as hard as you want, but if you don’t have people supporting you and pulling you up, you can’t move ahead. So I raised my hand during class that day and asked him, “What if your mentor quits?” Dr. Jim said what you have to do then is look for another mentor within the company and see if they can support you and help you move along because if you have talent they’ll recognize it and they’ll pull you along. He asked if he could talk to me after class. He said, “OK, who quit?” I told him Kevin. He said, “Is Kevin one of your mentors?” I said, “I was hoping he would be.” Dr. Jim said, “When a guy like Kevin quits, you grab hold of his ankles and you don’t let go and you hang on as long as you can. “If you have an opportunity to work for Kevin Davis, you do it.” I told Kevin that story years ago.
It was almost six months to the day that Kevin called me up and asked if I was still interested, and I said, “heck, yes.” By that time, I had been promoted to store director and my store was actually the No. 1 profitable store in the Food 4 Less chain and I was having a good time. I was getting ready to call Kevin, but he called me first and said let’s meet. Who were the officers at Bristol Farms back then? Lou Kwiker, formerly from Warehouse Records, was the CEO, and Kevin was his first lieutenant. I think they actually promoted Kevin to president before I started working at Bristol Farms. The people running the company when I arrived were Kevin Davis, Charlie Bergh, Roger Breshnahan, David Vered and Mary Keller. How many years have you been with Bristol? 22. You received a promotion recently? I’m in charge of non-perishable procurement and merchandising now. I was in charge of marketing and advertising for the past 15 years. I came into Bristol Farms as a store director. I ran the Westlake store; I opened the Mission Viejo store; I ran our Newport Beach store; I opened our Century City store; I ran our Westwood store before I came into the office. That’s one of the best ways to get experience. It’s one of the things I’ve found in our business— most of the great leaders in our industry started as box boys. Because they understand how important it
At the annual Friends of Bristol Farms golf tournament, from left: John Reaves, Milton’s; Paul Kamholz, Baswood; Dave Dimond, Milton’s; and Pat Posey. is to be a box boy and how important that job is to your company. When did you start getting involved with some of the philanthropic endeavors in the industry— City of Hope, Olive Crest, that kind of thing? I was in my marketing role at Bristol Farms, and Kevin came by my office one day and said we’re having a City of Hope meeting at the Newport Beach store today; you’re going to be there, right? I said, yes, I’ll be there. This was probably 15 years ago, and during that Kids 4 Hope meeting, Kevin said, “I’d like to introduce you guys to the new
chairman for the Kids 4 Hope program, Pat Posey.” He “voluntold” me at that point what I was there for. We took over that Kids 4 Hope program. It was me and Kevin and Carole Christianson (of WAFC) and Paul Christianson. At that time, we raised probably $25,000, $30,000 a year. Since then we’ve raised over $12 million for the Kids 4 Hope program at City of Hope (he remains chairman).
What else are you involved in? I’m an executive committee member for the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ). I’m an executive committee member for the California Hospital in downtown Los Angeles; I’m an executive board member I have known Pat since we both attended Katella High School in on the Orange County Boy Scouts now, Anaheim, California. I was a couple of years ahead of Pat but knew him which is something I am very proud of. I through my brothers as well as seeing him all over campus. We also went was never a Boy Scout myself, but I think to school with several other Knights that are in the grocery industry— what they do is so great. Trying to help Paul Gianetto from Raley’s, Al Aleman from Gallo, and Eric Winston boys become men and teach them the from Lazy Acres. right way to go about life I think is really Pat has always had his trademark smile as long as I’ve known him. awesome. It is a special friendship that has spanned well over 30 years and has I’m executive director for Olive Crest only gotten better as our friendship has grown. My wife Andrea and I in Southern California. I’m a past execuspend time with Pat and his beautiful wife Tina whenever we can. Pat is tive director for Muscular Dystrophy. immensely proud of his kids, Trent and Paige. Pat recently spent time I’m also an executive board member with Trent in Colorado at a lacrosse tournament that Trent participated for an organization called The Friends of in, and it sounded as though they had a great time together. Golf—an organization at Bel Air Country I am so proud that Pat has been recognized for career in the grocery Club. industry but more for the fact that he gives back to our industry and his Bel Air Country Club allows one golf The Poseys with close friends Dave and Andrea Dimond and Greg and Jamie McNiff. community and sets a very high standard for giving back. He is active tournament a year on its golf course. For with Olive Crest, City of Hope, Boy Scouts, is a WAFC board member chairing the education committee. He actively solicits help and support for every a lot of people, Bel Air Country Club is a cause he participates in. I can only imagine the amount of money that Pat would be personally responsible for raising by reaching out to those that bucket-list kind of place to play golf. I’m respect him. on this board with 20 guys, and they’re all I wish we had a few more Pat Poseys in the world. We’d be a lot better off! Congratulations, my friend, on such a well-deserved recognition. members of Bel Air except me. They’re —Dave Dimond, SVP-Sales, Milton’s Craft Bakers, Carlsbad, California great guys. They’re all well-off and they’re all big businessmen, and they believe that by helping inner-city kids learn how to play golf, they’re teaching them how to be better people and better members of society. They believe that golf is the key to life—that you can learn so much about a person by being on a golf course with them. They think that by reaching out and supporting inner-city kids and teaching them to play golf that they are touching those kids. And actually, they are. They’re doing a great job at helping many underprivileged children learn the game of golf and life.
Thank You Patrick Posey for your incredible support of the City of Hope. Your efforts on our behalf have saved countless lives.
There is nobody more deserving than you, to be honored as the 2018 Retailer Executive of the Year
Please see page 30
Tina Posey with The Shelby Report’s Bob Reeves at an industry event. The Poseys (and Reeves) are fixtures at such events. City of Hope_REOY_WE102018.indd 1 page_25–26-30-35-38-40-42.indd 26
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PATRICK POSEY
Retailer Executive of the Year, 2018
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OCTOBER 2018 • The Shelby Report of the West
2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey In my opinion, Pat Posey embodies the best qualities of a leader. Integrity, humility, enthusiasm, competence, creativity, commitment and so much more. He brings so much to his service on the WAFC board of directors and in his leadership as education chairman. He’s a joy to work with and a true gentleman in every respect. Paul and our family are grateful for the many years that Pat, Tina and their beautiful family have been part of our lives. We congratulate and celebrate his many accomplishments and wish him life’s best always! —Carole Christianson, COO, WAFC
Tina and Pat Posey with Carole and Paul Christianson at a WAFC convention.
Pat and Tina with the kids at a Los Angeles Angels game. (Pat also is a Raiders fan.) From page 26
The “Little Pro” at Bel Air, Eddie Merrins, who’s now in his mid-80s, is the kindest, gentlest person I’ve ever met in my life and so well respected in the world of golf. Guys like Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson have taken golf lessons from him. Working with these guys is something that I am really proud of, and I learn so much from them. And one of the things I’m most proud of is being a director on the board of the Western Association of Food Chains. When Kevin nominated me to the board five years ago, it was something that truly meant a lot to me because all of a sudden the guy who couldn’t get into the USC FIM Program was going to help select people to get into the USC FIM program (his grades kept him from being accepted for a time). I’ve been on the WAFC board for five years, and two years in, Carole Christianson asked me to be education chairman. To me, that was one of the biggest honors I’ve ever received in my life. Please see page 35
Pat Posey is currently the education director on the WAFC board and a remarkable supporter of the Food Industry Programs at USC. He often speaks to the executives who attend classes at USC in the Food Industry Management and Executive Programs. More importantly, Pat is a sponsor to so many in our industry. He is someone who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, someone who lifts others when they need a helping hand, someone whose kindness springs from his very soul and whose humility and compassion set the bar for others around him. His love for his wife and children shows in everything he does. There are only a few people in this world who care as much as Pat Posey—about everything! And I am honored to call him “friend.” Congratulations, Pat! You are a true servant leader and so deserving of this special award! Warmest wishes. —Cynthia McCloud, FIM Program Director, USC Marshall School of Business
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Elvis fa the fami
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The Shelby Report of the West • OCTOBER 2018
2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey From page 30
In terms of time management, how do you manage your time with all these boards you’re on? You just make time. You get up earlier and come home later. I’ve been so fortunate to work for Kevin Davis for the last 20 years and now Adam Caldecott for the past two. They both always afford me the time to be me. I have to get my job done, obviously, and a lot of what I do outside of work is done after hours. But they have both been great at supporting everything I’m involved in. Not only allowing me time but supporting me with the financial responsibility that goes along with being involved in these organizations. It’s interesting—that night when Kevin voluntold me that I was going to be the chairman of Kids 4 Hope, I thought what does that mean, what am I going to do with this, how are we going to raise money? I thought this is a cool thing; everybody knows somebody who’s had cancer. I thought this is kind of paying it forward; if I ever need it, I’ll have an in; if someone in my family or someone I know that’s close to me needs the support of City of Hope, it can happen. Lo and behold, two years later, Tina got sick. Tina, tell us about that. Tina Posey: I had just turned 40 the year that I was diagnosed. I was in the shower, and I had a sensation that reminded me that I needed to get a mammogram because I had turned 40 and you’re supposed to do that. I made an appointment, and I happened to mention that story to the doctor that was subbing for my doctor at the time. Because of that, she put me down to have an ultrasound with the mammogram, which is not typical, and they put me in the front of the line. It was around November, so I was waiting for my results when we went to the Harvest Ball. I listened to our friend talk about his son’s cancer scare and he rattled off statistics and I was sitting there kind of smugly thinking I just had my mammogram but I was going to be totally fine because there is no (family) history. Then the day before Thanksgiving that year, it was ’06, I got a call from the doctor and she told me the results were abnormal and she thought it was cancer. …We decorated our Christmas tree, went through all these motions—the whole time I’m thinking I’m not going to be here next year, I’m going to die, I’m not going to see my kids grow up…I was a mess. I met with the surgeon and he told me it was stage 1, that they would remove it, that I would be fine. But I did call for second opinions (I was with St. Jude at the time). Pat said, why don’t we call City of Hope? So I got an appointment, but then Pat actually ended up calling Cheryl (Kennick), and Cheryl got us in a little bit quicker, which was a blessing, and that was it. The rest was history. I did my treatment at City of Hope. Pat: Because of Cheryl, our appointment got moved up. The next week we were there with the head of the breast cancer clinic at City of Hope. It was great.
Tina: We were so blessed to go there. Tina, tell us about how you guys met. Tina: We met when I was a bookkeeper at Ralphs and Pat was there as a key person (person in charge). He would open the door for me when I Please see page 38
Tina and Pat with Former President George W. Bush.
I met Pat in 2004. I worked for Albertsons, and we had just purchased Bristol Farms. My role was to lead the integration of Bristol Farms. The direction, straight from our CEO, was “not to allow anyone from Albertsons to screw up what made Bristol so special.” Pat was the first member of the leadership team (besides Kevin Davis) to treat me well. Many thought I was there to spy on them and try to change everything they were doing. Pat saw it differently, and I owe him a great deal of gratitude. He made my role so much easier and, frankly, Pat and Tina Posey with good friends Greg and Jamie McNiff. more pleasant. So I have known Pat for 14 years and have always been so impressed with his kindness, his high energy, his selfless approach to everything. Pat is always the first to lend a helping hand, offer support or just cheer someone on. He is a first-class leader in the office, in stores and across any industry event he is helping to support. Pat has become the go-to guy for anyone and everyone in the industry that needs help with connecting, finding available funding and/or resources and always does it with a huge smile. Pat has a great passion for our industry as well as education. He takes time to help his team grow and consistently gives his time freely to Bristol store leaders as well. Pat is very deserving of the Retailer Executive of the Year. He leads with integrity, honesty and consistently brings a charismatic energy that is contagious. Pat is also a great father and husband. He and Tina just celebrated 24 years (God bless her!). —Greg McNiff, President, Portland Division, Albertsons Cos.
Congratulations to one “COOL KID”
Patrick Posey, 2018 Retailer Executive of the Year From your Friends at
CONGRATULATIONS PATRICK POSEY ON BEING NAMED 2018 RETAILER EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR. From your friends at
Elvis fan Posey having some Halloween fun with the family.
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OCTOBER 2018 • The Shelby Report of the West
2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey From page 35
would have to go into work before the store opened. There were a lot of young folks in the store, so as a group we would do a lot of stuff together. Maybe a year later we started to date…Pat would know all the details… Pat: Three months later. Tina: He’s the historian. So later we started dating. I turned 21 with Pat; we’re 10 months apart so he was already 21. But we celebrated my 21st birthday together.
Pat and son Trent on the court at an L.A. Clippers game.
Pat: Tina was transferred to another store and my girlfriend and I broke up and three months later I called Tina and asked her out. We dated for about two and a half months—I was 21 and she was 20— and then she turned 21, she had a big party at her house, and then we went to Las Vegas and spent a couple of days for her birthday. A couple of weeks later, she realized that I’m me—I do a lot of stuff, I don’t rest a lot, I keep moving—and she said, “you’re kind of crazy”…and she broke up with me after a three-month romance. A couple of years later I’m going up the ranks at Ralphs. I was an assistant manager, working at a Ralphs store in La Mirada with Tina’s brother, who’s
a couple of years younger than me. I was single and he was single, and we started hanging out and doing everything together. Tina: My brother and I both lived at home still. Pat: I was probably 25 or 26, and Dean, her brother, was 22. We started hanging out and going out. I was around Tina’s house quite a bit and she was there and she was engaged to some other guy. I guess that fell apart… Tina: Obviously… Pat: Tina’s brother Dean went to study abroad in Japan for a year. While Dean was gone I asked Tina out again and we started dating. Before Dean came back a year later, we were already engaged and we got married two weeks after he returned. Her brother Dean is one of my best friends; we still do a lot of stuff together. It’s actually really cool because when we go to family events, one of my best friends is there. (Notably, Pat’s mom is Japanese and Tina’s dad’s Japanese; both also are half-Irish.) The best thing that’s ever happened to me was meeting Tina and us getting together and us staying together. It’s a real blessing. I am the luckiest guy I know! We haven’t talked about Bristol Farms, but it’s a special, unique retailer. Do you see yourself doing anything else other than working for Bristol Farms forever? I hope not. I love Bristol Farms. How cool is it that you go out and you source the best-tasting, best-quality products in the world and charge for it? We say, does this taste the best, is it the freshest quality and how do we make it affordable? We don’t try to skimp or cut corners ever. It’s a quality emphasis that Kevin and Adam have inbred in all of us. Please see page 40
Gianetto and Posey at an industry event. I’ve known Patrick Posey for nearly 40 years and was fortunate to work alongside him in the early days of our retail careers starting at Ralphs Grocery Co. Pat has always been a great leader, with an extremely positive attitude and high level of confidence, able to rally the troops toward successfully completing any project at hand. He’s definitely a “can do” leader within our industry, one that individuals enjoy working with, as he fosters an aggressive level of collaboration to build rich partnerships yielding positive mutual results. He’s a highly energetic person, always with a smile on his face, ready to engage many throughout the day, creating a fun and inspiring experience. Pat is extremely dedicated to his company and career and even more devoted to his beautiful family. I’m very excited to see Patrick recognized with this honor and proud to be his good friend. —Paul Gianetto, SVP Sales & Merchandising, Raley’s Family of Fine Stores
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CONGRATULATIONS Patrick Posey 2018 Retailer Executive of the Year
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CONGRATULATIONS C&S Wholesale Grocers would like to congratulate Patrick Posey, as the West’s 2018 Retailer Executive of the Year! Patrick is being honored for his commitment and dedication to improving the lives of others as well as his extraordinary career with Bristol Farms.
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OCTOBER 2018 • The Shelby Report of the West
2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey We are very lucky to have Pat Posey in our industry. (During my career at Dreyer’s), he was one of the easiest people to work with, the most honest. He did everything fairly, not only for his company, but for the vendors. Pat is now on the board of the Boy Scouts (Orange County), and whether it’s CCEJ or City of Hope or whatever, he is one of the first ones to be there and pitch in. And there’s nobody that steps up more than Bristol Farms, and Pat is a big part of that. When I became very sick, Pat and Tina (his wife) sent me a card every day of the time that I was sick. One day I said, “Pat, I get all these cards and I open them up and there’s nothing in them—you know, there’s no money in them.” So from that day on Pat and Tina sent me a card every Jerry Whitmore with Pat & Tina Posey and Adam Caldecott day with a dollar in it.” of Bristol Farms. I just feel that the industry is very lucky to have a Pat Posey in it, and I mean that very sincerely. He and his wife both are very precious people, and Pat is one of not too many that goes out of his way to make the industry better. He goes the extra mile. If you were dying of thirst in the desert, you’d want someone to bring you water—he’d be the guy. —Jerry Whitmore, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (retired)
From page 38
When are we going to get a store out here? We have a store coming to Yorba Linda in March. Give me a list of your mentors, people who have really influenced your career. Far and away, my stepfather (he became Pat’s stepfather when Pat was 11). He taught me how to be a respectable human being and how to work hard and care about people and take care of everything that matters. He took care of everybody. He died when he was 83, and a majority of his friends had passed away before he did, and he was the guy that took care of everybody’s families. Then, obviously, Kevin. He is my business mentor by far. He taught me how to be an executive; he taught me how to take care of people; he taught me how to treat people right. He taught me how to be a businessman. There are a lot of great guys that have been taking care of me over the years. For some reason, I have latched on to a lot of great people, including everybody from the Western Association of Food Chains board. I have a great Bryan Kaltenbach story. When I was a brand new store director at Food 4 Less (which had merged with Ralphs), I was sent to the Baldwin Park store. At the time we had 75 stores, and it was number 74 in the company. Not a great store. That was my breakingin store, and my DM at the time, Wayne Buck, told me if you have any questions, you call Bryan Kaltenbach, who was running the Azusa store. So I called Bryan and asked him a few questions on the phone and he said, why don’t you just drive over here? So I drove over there one afternoon. I spent the whole afternoon with Bryan, and he walked me through stuff and showed me everything. It wasn’t the Ralphs way for me anymore; it was the Food 4 Less way. And he wanted to teach me all that. He spent the whole afternoon with me. I called him a few other times down the road, and he was so cordial and so nice and so mentoring. I reminded him of that story a couple of years back, and the coolest thing about it is he doesn’t remember it because I was just one of a bunch of guys that called him and asked for help and he helped me. Please see page 42
Tina and Pat at a USC football game. Pat has been our chair for our Kids 4 Hope program for many years. As our leader, he has raised millions of dollars in support of our kids and their families. Bristol Farms has been a champion of our Pediatric Picnic; every year, Pat and his family along with his team work the food booth they donate. Pat is a charity’s dream volunteer, he supports our mission on every level. His winning personality and smile warm our hearts. Congratulations, Pat, on this well-deserved honor. With love and thanks from your City of Hope family. —Cheryl Kennick, Senior Director of Development, City of Hope
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OCTOBER 2018 • The Shelby Report of the West
2018 Retailer Executive of the Year: Pat Posey
The Poseys with Adam and Janet Caldecott of Bristol Farms. Pat Posey is a central leader in our Bristol Farms culture. As many people in the industry know, he is a selfless individual who has generously given his time to charities and people in need for many years. He is a tireless leader that is always working to develop people around him. His belief in people development has kept him working hard to maintain education programs in our company and keep a light shining on the educational opportunities that people have to encourage their growth. —Adam Caldecott, President, Bristol Farms
Tina and Pat enjoy some time on the slopes. From page 40
Tell us about your family. Tina: We have Trent, who turns 18 on Aug. 22, a senior at Santiago High; Paige is 15, and she is going to be a sophomore at Santiago. Trent has been on the lacrosse team, and she is trying out to be on it as well. Something they have in common. Pat: Tina’s dad (Bill Harako) was a great mentor for me as well. He’s a grocery guy. He started in the produce department at Ralphs and moved up the ranks and was a grocery buyer at Ralphs with Al Marasca, Dave Kury and that whole bunch. Bill started in the Ralphs stores as a produce clerk and moved as high up as a grocery buyer at Ralphs. Bill’s talents were noticed by Maruchan Noodles, and Bill worked for and brokered for Maruchan for 22 years before he passed away in 2006 from a stroke. Bill was a great guy and an important mentor for me.
CONGRATULATIONS PAT POSEY From Your friends at
Tina: My family was a Ralphs family. My dad met my mom there. They split up; my dad met my stepmom there. My mom met my stepdad there; my brother worked there, I worked there, I met Pat there. It all stemmed from being at Ralphs. For me, the industry feels like home. One of my dad’s best friends was Jerry Whitmore. The day my dad died—he was in the hospital because he had suffered a stroke and he was in a coma—Jerry and Larry Mastro came to the hospital. Now he’s more like our friend. Pat: Jerry and I try to go to lunch once a quarter at least, and I learn so much from him every time I sit down with him—not just about business but about life. You want to be better person after you walk away from Jerry.
A caricature of Pat Posey at The Palm.
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