The magnitude of a 40-year career resonates through us all, and the experience one accumulates is due to a lifetime dedication to one’s craft. Marty Gardner, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Distribution, Manufacturing, Food Safety, and Pharmacy, is one such individual who has made an impact on the retail industry, and it is with a bittersweet feeling that we report he is preparing to retire from Wegmans in May 2022.
Gardner first kick-started his illustrious career with the grocery chain as a Night Manager in 1982, climbing the ladder to successive positions in merchandising. He then became the Vice President of Meat and Seafood Merchandising in 1996. Seven years later, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Merchandising.Throughout the past 19 years, Gardner has worked with merchandising areas for fresh foods, center store, Wegmans Brand, and pharmacy.
Additionally, according to a press release, Gardner has worked in operations for distribution, manufacturing, food safety, and quality assurance.
During his tenure, Gardner’s teams have implemented many important initiatives, helping to redefine the responsibilities of a category merchant, so they could oversee one category across multiple departments.
“Marty has made a significant impact through his passion for excellence across every area of our company,” said Colleen Wegman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “He cares deeply about helping all of us be our best and inspires a strong sense of responsibility, ensuring we’ve thought everything through and are doing the right thing. Marty will be greatly missed, and his legacy of high standards and caring will be a part of us forever. On behalf of all of us, we wish Marty the very best in his retirement.”
During his time as Wegmans Brand Manager, Gardner’s team established a process for creating products that were unique and providing customers with the opportunity to give feedback on new Wegmans products before they hit store shelves.
“When Marty was rolling out our Customer Focused Development process, he met with every merchant to deep root the principles, until it became second nature for all of us,” said Nicole Wegman, President of Wegmans Brand. “Now, the Customer Focused Development process is instrumental in ensuring we launch the very best Wegmans Brand items for our customers. I’m grateful for Marty’s commitment to helping us all be our best.”
To learn more about Gardner’s impressive career with Wegmans, click here.
We here at Deli Market News congratulate Marty Gardner on a lifetime dedication to the retail industry and wish him all the best as he starts his next chapter.
