The Council for Exceptional Children Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) presented Food City with their Employer of the Year award during a virtual awards ceremony on Oct. 23.
“I’m humbled and honored to accept this distinguished award on behalf of our entire Food City team – particularly our store managers and human resource coordinators, who work diligently to ensure we provide every opportunity possible to enable our associates with disabilities to become an integral part of our team. They do such a great job and mean so much to our company and our customers,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.
Steven C. Smith
Food City was nominated for the award by a local team, including ETSU’s Dr. Dawn Rowe, a member of the organization; Teresa Smith, of the UT Center for Literacy, Education and Employment; Susan Arwood, of CORE services; and Lottie Ryans, FTDD. When considering a worthy employer from the region, the committee said Food City topped the list for everyone.
The Employer of the Year award has been given since 1989 and is presented to an employer or business that has shown remarkable commitment to promoting or providing employment opportunities to students with disabilities.
Previous honorees include St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee, JC Penney Distribution Center in Kansas, Bank of America-Delaware, Fifth Third Bank, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and Delaware Department of Transportation.
Sign up for School Bucks Challenge
Food City has pledged $700,000 in contributions for this school year. For every $1 you spend, using your Food City ValuCard, you’ll receive 1 point for your designated school.
This money will be donated – whether your school gets a fair share is up to you. Sign up online now and link your Food City ValuCard to your preferred school. Questions? Contact the Food City School Bucks coordinator, Lisa Johnson, at 1-800-232-0174.
Food City ad effective Nov. 4-10 with a couple of pages good only Nov. 6-7. Be alert! Ad is here: 11.4 Food City Ad – Knoxville
Betsi James is special events manager for Food City’s Knoxville and Chattanooga divisions. Tammy Baumgardner, senior manager of public relations for K-VA-T Inc., provided information for this report.