We’ve always said that Food City is a great place to work for women, and recently the Progressive Grocer agreed, selecting three from Food City as top winners in a promotion to recognize the contributions of women to the food and grocery industry.
Progressive Grocer received over 800 nominations from women in all sectors of the industry across the nation. This year’s winners were showcased in the magazine’s June issue and will also be recognized in November at its annual awards gala in Orlando, Florida. Meet our winners:
Melissa McCall supervises pharmacy operations for 43 stores in Food City’s Tri-City operating division. Her team collaborated with local health districts to offer Covid-19 testing at a number of rural locations throughout their market area. She was instrumental in obtaining approval for all of her pharmacy locations to participate in the covid vaccine allocation to the general public. McCall holds a doctor of pharmacy degree from the Gatton College of Pharmacy and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Milligan College. She is licensed by the Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia Boards of Pharmacy.
Malinda Sallee manages Food City’s store in Weber City, Virginia. She is a front runner for the company in terms of sale increases, income, shrink performance, customer service and associate retention. She emerged as a pioneer early in the pandemic, implementing a number of innovative safety measures that would later be adopted by state officials and national health organizations. Her proactive approach proved invaluable in helping to maintain safe working and shopping conditions.
Barbara Thomas heads up the front-end operations, training and food safety departments for the chain’s 137 retail supermarkets. She also supervises the company’s retail and corporate internship programs and served as a vital member of its Covid-19 task force. Throughout the pandemic, Thomas was largely responsible for implementing Covid policies and procedures. She assisted with the hiring/training of nearly 2,500 new associates, worked closely with state agencies and industry associations, and collaborated with distribution center leadership to create a special retail reserve team to maintain product distribution during the height of the pandemic.
And, speaking of Food City being a good place to work, it’s not too late to apply online to work here. The company held an all-day hiring event at all stores this Wednesday, July 14, but applications are still available online here. With several new stores and expansions at other locations, Food City was set to hire 1,200 full- and part-time associates companywide. New jobs are also available in the fast-growing GoCart curbside pick-up program and the in-store food service options, such as to-go meals.
Don’t forget to kick in $1, $3 or $5 at the Food City checkout to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the nation’s only nonprofit organization dedicated solely to supporting veterans with spinal cord injuries, disorders and diseases. The campaign runs through July 27.
Unique ad this week with four types of Pick Five items – meat, produce, frozen food and grocery. Prices are good today and Saturday (July 16-17) Food City_7.16 Knox ROP
Betsi James is special events manager for Food City’s Knoxville and Chattanooga divisions.