Skogen Named Grocer of the Year
By George Anderson
Dave Skogen has been named the recipient of the Wisconsin Grocers Association Grocer of the Year.
Mr. Skogen is the president and chief executive of a business that operates eight Festival Foods stores and a Skogen’s Market in Wisconsin.
In a manner typical of the grocery industry veteran, Mr. Skogen told the Holmen Courier, “So many people deserve a part of this.”
As to the why behind his success as an independent in a world dominated by retail chains, Mr. Skogen said, “It’s about serving people, not about profits, money or ego.”
Mr. Skogen, who adheres to the “servant leadership” philosophy of management, has his entire organization focused on meeting the needs of customers.
Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association, called Mr. Skogen, “the epitome of the local grocer. He’s always got the customer, the community and his business on his mind and that is what this award is all about.”
Moderator’s Comment: Which people in the industry would you put on your list of grocers of the year?
We extend our congratulations to Dave Skogen on this honor.
We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Skogen a number of years ago while working on a soft drink category video for Supermarket Insights. We learned a lot
more that day than what it takes to sell pop. Mr. Skogen understands what it takes to be a leader of people. –
George Anderson – Moderator
Certainly Mr. Skogen would be at the top of my list. When I worked at Roundy’s, he was one of the few retailers that gave us fits. We just couldn’t seem to find a way to beat him. Every time I would go into one of his stores, his employees had good things to say about his company.
Phil Woodman – whose stores typically do well over $1 million per week and manage to stay under the radar screen.
Crest Foods in Oklahoma City – beats Wal-Mart at their own game.
Peter Zuppardo – Metairie, Louisiana – spend 10 minutes in the store and you will learn 10 years worth of retail experience.
Congratulations to Mr. Skogen…Whole Foods is another (although much larger) retailer that keeps bringing a great experience to their customers. At the end of the day we all have to eat, why not make the experience as great as the anticipated meal?
Congratulations to Dave and his team!
I had the pleasure of taking prospective and current Festival Foods retailers to spend time with Dave and his team during my days with Scrivner/Fleming. I was always amazed how open Dave was to share his ideas and success. I have worked with hundreds of retailers and he is at the top. Being a retailer now makes me appreciate even more what he has been able to achieve. He has set and raised the bar for many of us.
I have had the honor and pleasure to work with Dave Skogen and his team for 12+ years, crossing two industries. Dave Skogen is most deserving of this award.
If all independent operators teamed with their vendors, suppliers, customers and community like Dave Skogen, there would be many more independent operators around.
All you have to do is visit one of Skogen’s state of the art stores. Skogen’s is cutting edge!