Food Thought for
Blocking and Tackling
Welcome back, B&R teammates, to our new newsletter! It’s often said that retail is detail, and with a typical B&R supermarket carrying 40,000 different SKUs, four fresh food departments, 100 associates, and 12,000 customers coming in weekly, there’s a lot of important details to track and maintain.
Let’s start with the SKUs. It’s critical to have the right products on the shelves that our customers want. While we can’t carry every item, we need to keep our finger on the pulse of customer requests, stay aware of what our competition carries, and pay attention to new trends. Shelf tag maintenance is key—often, a missing tag can result in a product not being ordered for weeks. Limiting out-of-stocks improves sales and customer satisfaction. So, if you see a tag on the floor, pick it up and return it to its proper place. If you notice an empty spot on the shelf, ask yourself: was this a mis-order? Is there a missing tag? Is more product in the back? Most importantly, help resolve the issue.
Our fresh food departments are like individual businesses. Running one business is hard enough, let alone several! Our customers want products that are as fresh as possible, and their budgets are tight. When it comes to fresh items, the old rule still applies: If you wouldn’t buy it for yourself, it probably shouldn’t be on the shelf.
Fresh products can give us an edge over Walmart, Aldi, Dollar General, and even Hy-Vee! I’m proud of our meat cutters, our fresh, never-frozen fried chicken, our fresh cuts in produce, beautifully decorated cakes, award-winning
smokehouse products, and the best authentic tortillas around. These fresh items are what make us stand out from the competition.
Without our B&R teammates, we wouldn’t be the company we are today. We’re fortunate to have such a strong team, and our focus should be on taking care of each other. Leaders need to teach and coach, and a great starting point is The One Minute Manager, which was our first group management read years ago and is still relevant today. Here are its three key principles:
• One-Minute Goals: Clearly communicate what the goals are.
• One-Minute Praising: Praise the behavior as soon as possible and be specific.
• One-Minute Re-Directs: If a goal isn’t met, re-clarify it and agree on a way forward.
To succeed, we need to grow our customer base and turn shoppers into loyal fans of our stores. The best way to do that is through excellent service. Treat customers the way you would like to be treated. Try to learn their names, engage with their kids, and make light conversation. If a customer is making a purchase directly from you, always thank them. Building positive impressions will lead to word-of-mouth recommendations, and customers will look forward to coming back. Even in Lincoln, our largest market, it’s a small town in many ways—you never know where you might run into a customer, and you just may need their help.
Retail can be a complicated and ever-changing business, but it’s also a fun one. No two days are the same. Success comes from consistently executing the basics—blocking and tackling every day—so that everyone wins.
Pat Raybould Chief Strategy Officer/Chairman of the Board
2 Celebrating the Far-Reaching Light of Zoey Roberts
Zoey was a radiant light for her family and friends, entertaining whoever she was around with her wit and sass. Her smile was infectious, and she went out of her way to make family and friends feel cared for. Zoey loved music and was a proud “Swiftie,” who would recommend Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” to get through tough times. Zoey was creative and enjoyed a variety of crafts. She could always be relied on to put together furniture, fix a doorknob or stage décor. She also found comfort in her canine companions, Kida Ford America, Dayzee Mae, Fiona (Fiferoni), and Bruno. Zoey loved road trips, especially if she could DJ and blast Taylor Swift. Zoey will be forever missed by the family and friends to whom she brought the most joy and light.
As is common with adolescents and young adults, Zoey shouldered anxiety, depression, and social phobia throughout middle and high school. Although her mental obstacles were at times physically debilitating, she continued to bring joy and laughter into her family’s lives. Zoey received support from her family and medical professionals, but ultimately succumbed to her doubts and fears. Zoey died by suicide on July 25, 2024, at the age of 15, and her far-reaching light is now felt in spirit by her family and friends.
Zoey’s family wants to share her story to spread awareness about Suicide Prevention and the commonality of mental health struggles faced by youth today. Jessi Wagner, Zoey’s mother, and the Roberts family hope Zoey’s story encourages parents and
Work Anniversaries
RICHARD A. FRANCIS JR., Store #7, 5 years
UTA M. LARSON, Store #9, 5 years
NEAL D. HARTMAN, Store #9, 5 years
JOSIAH D. BOSSARD, Store #17, 5 years
SCOTT S. TVRZ, Store #1, 10 years
ANTONIO J. WOOD, Store #12, 10 years
SHARLIE R. THORNTON, Store #19, 10 years
September
JARID J. YOST, Store #27, 10 years
JACQUELINE D. LEITSCHUCK, Store #28 10 years
JOSANNA LAGRANGE, Store #7, 20 years
CHRISTOPHER S. BEHRING, Store #28, 20 years
DEBRA J. JONES, Store #6, 25 years
BARBARA MUNDT, Store #17 25 years
ROBERT VOSS, Store #17, 45 years
kids alike to educate themselves about Suicide Prevention Awareness and the numerous mental health resources available.
“The best thing a parent can do is listen to their child and be aware of suicidal warning signs, which includes change in or new behaviors,” says Jessi. “I hope kids know that there are resources and people who care. It’s important to talk to friends, family or anyone you feel comfortable talking to if you are dealing with mental health issues or having suicidal thoughts. No one should struggle alone.”
B&R Stores is a proud supporter of Team Zoey and want to ensure our associates are aware that help is available. Dial or text 988 to speak with someone on the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Whether one is facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns or just needs someone to talk to, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has caring counselors available 24/7 365 days a year. Conversations are free, confidential and can be a great help to take care of a friend, loved one or oneself during difficult moments. Visit 988lifeline.org for American Sign Language assistance or to learn more about available help. B&R associates also have access to our EAP through Continuum with a variety of free services and resources at www.4continuum.com. Please know that you are not alone and there is hope.
October
MYNDI M. HARRIS, Store #1, 5 years
JACKIE L. KNOCKE, Store #9, 5 years
JOHN M. SPILKER, Store #14, 5 years
NICHOLAS R. LEE, Store #27, 5 years
KAREN Y. SCHOENING, Store #30, 5 years
SARAH J. MCBRIDE-THOMPSON, Store #7, 10 years
CARLA R. POTTER, Store #12,
SUSAN A. BOGUE, Store #17, 10 years
JUDITH L. SMITH, Store #17, 10 years
CORY JOHN, Store #6, 20 years
TERRY A. ZIMMERMAN, Store #11, 25 years
JACOB A. BOROVICH, Store #2, 5 years
JAYDN M. BURTON, Store #11, 5 years
JAVIER SALINAS, Store #16, 5 years
CLIFFORD W. YOHE, Store #17, 5 years
KENDRICK M.J. ROACH, Store #17, 5 years
STEPHANIE A. HAPP, Store #18, 5 years
GARY A. SPUIT, Store #18, 5 years
ANDREW L. HEMMINGSEN, Store #28, 5 years
JEFFREY S. LEMBKE, Store #30, 5 years
DONNI J. KATES, Store #30, 5 years
JOSEPH A. CRIM, Store #31, 5 years
November
CAITLIN G. MAIEFSKI, Store #2, 10 years
KIMBERLY A. GILLAM, Store #2, 10 years
KELLYE L. ANDERSON, Store #6, 10 years
JOHN E. HIXSON, Store #9, 10 years
CASSIDY C. WRIGHT, Store #18, 10 years
NICKOLAS L. DIETER, Store #11, 15 years
LISA G. ZINN, Store #12, 15 years
KENT W. MICEK, Store #12, 20 years
MARK VOGT, Store #11, 25 years
JOHN S. WESTERFIELD, Store #17, 35 years
New Russ’s Market Grocery Store Opens With Fanfare In Glenwood
October 2nd, 2024
After months of anticipation, Glenwood’s new Russ’s Market grocery store opened to some muchdeserved fanfare last week.
The store, located in the shopping plaza at 900 S. Locust St., officially opened Wednesday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by company officials and members of the Mills County Chamber Of Commerce.
“How about this store,” MCCC Executive Director Jennie Davis said. “This is the first new grocery store for Glenwood in 50 years.”
The new Russ’s Market store is more than double the size of the store it replaced and offers some new amenities, most notably a fresh bakery and deli.
“We went from 12,000 square feet to about 29,000 square feet, so quite a jump,” said Jordan Raybould, B&R Stores Asset Manager and grandson of the grocery chain’s founder Russ Raybould. “Glenwood’s been great. They’ve been supporting us in that smaller store next door and we hope they’ll support us over here.”
Lincoln, Neb.-based B&R Stores has owned and operated a grocery store in Glenwood since acquiring Newman’s Thriftway from Dan Newman in 2018. Raybould said the patronage and support the business has received since opening in Glenwood convinced company officials that a new, larger store was needed and deserved.
“We just saw our store over here was just standing and growing. We felt we had hit capacity and when we got the opportunity to purchase the shopping center, we jumped at it with the plan of moving over here as soon as we could,” he said. “We know who we are – we’ve been running grocery stores for a long time, I’m a third generation grocer. We’ve got a great team around us and we just follow what we’re known for and carried that on over into Glenwood.”
Speaking at the ribbon cutting ceremony, Chad Taylor, director of the Russ’s Market store in Glenwood, echoed the sentiment of Raybould.
“This isn’t possible without this community and the surrounding communities,” Taylor said. “You guys made this store happen. Without you, we don’t build this store, so thank you very much.”
Both Raybould and Taylor shared praise for Pinnacle Construction, the Glenwood-based general contractor and partner in the construction project. The new Russ’s Market was built in the space that for the past half-century has housed discount department stores - Place’s, Pamida and Shopko Hometown.
Prior to Wednesday’s opening of Russ’s Market, the last new grocery store to open in Glenwood was Demory’s Super Valu in the 1970s. The Demory’s Super Valu location in the Glenwood Shopping Plaza would later house Newman’s Thriftway and eventually Russ’s Market’s original Glenwood store. A member of the Demory family – Tom Demory – was in attendance and recognized at Wednesday’s ribbon cutting.
B&R Stores operates under several banners aside from Russ’s Market, including Super Saver, Grand Apple Market, Allen’s, C&R Market, Cash Saver, Mason’s Supermarket and Joe’s Fresh Marketplace.
Founded in 1964, the family-owned corporation operates stores in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, employing more than 2000 workers.
-by Joe Foreman, Editor
Team Celebration at Roca Berry Farms
Star Performers
Bootsie, Store #11
S 56th St.
Eddie, Store #17 Pine Lake Rd.
Payton, Store #27 Fallbrook Blvd.
Kris, Store #17 Pine Lake Rd.
Barb, Store #17 Pine Lake Rd.
New Meat Slicer Proves Time Effective and Advantageous to Associates
Super Saver, 27th & Cornhusker in Lincoln is enjoying the perks of its new Tribooma meat slicer. Following our implementation of our first Tribooma meat slicer at Super Saver, Columbus, this new piece of technology has helped increase our efficiency at Super Saver, 27th & Cornhusker, helping our meat department going on fourth months now.
The Tribooma slicer has cut the time it takes to butcher pork by more than half. Our new slicer expedites the process by producing clean, bone-in chops every time. Before, our meat department would have to clean each chop of its bone dust. Now, we have clean, uniform, bone-in chops at the touch of a little green button! How great is that?
Not only does our new slicer save us time and resources on the commercial scale, but its implementation also has benefits for our employees and loyal customers. Because of the slicer’s long, cylindrical body, our employees can do their jobs safer too. Likewise, the automated slicer saves our employees’ bodies from the wear and tear hours of butchering will cause. Our customers get the ultimate benefit. The Tribooma slicer is reliable and easily cleaned, producing clean, uniform cuts, at custom thicknesses, for them every time!
Since our Super Saver at 27th & Cornhusker added the Tribooma meat slicer to its arsenal, we never want to go back to the way it was before. From the customized thickness and precise control to the safety features and consistent and uniform cuts, the Tribooma meat slicer is sure to further make an impact on our company and loyal customers. We can’t wait to see how it helps accelerate next year’s Mega Meat Sale and look forward to being able to better serve the Lincoln community!
