GMA recognizes executives, companies who contributed to advancement of industry

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association on Saturday presented a number of industry awards during the association's GMA Chairman's Lecture.

Frederick Morganthall II, president and COO of Harris Teeter, was honored with the GMA 2013 Industry Collaboration Leadership Award; both Timothy Smucker, chairman of the J.M. Smucker Company, and Daniel Wegman, CEO of Wegman Food Markets, were honored with the GMA Hall of Achievement Awards; and  E. & J. Gallo Winery and the Campbell Soup Company were each honored with the 2013 CPG Awards for Innovation and Creativity.

The Industry Collaboration Leadership Award recognizes an industry leader who has demonstrated excellence in fostering collaboration among trading partners and programs throughout their career that better serve the consumer.

“Fred Morganthall’s leadership, passion and commitment have mobilized the retail and CPG industries to work together in new and innovative ways around the shared goals of serving the consumer and responsible growth,” stated Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of GMA. “At a time when our industry is facing many challenges, it is only fitting that we recognize the exemplary leadership that motivates and inspires us to strive for a higher level of trading partner collaboration.”

Morganthall started in the industry in 1973 at Procter & Gamble and went on to join the wholesale and retail side of the business at Spartan Stores from 1978 to 1986, when he joined the North Carolina-based Harris Teeter. In 1997, he was named president.

“Danny Wegman and Tim Smucker are more than pillars of industry; they are family men from two of the most admired family companies, who are as well known for their philanthropy as for their leadership,” Bailey said. “They are a credit to our industry, and it is a pleasure to honor their many contributions with these awards.”

A 48-year veteran of his family’s business, Wegman is widely recognized as an industry innovator. Under Wegman’s leadership, the nearly 100-year-old grocery banner has become a $6.2 billion franchise recognized by Fortune magazine as one of the top-ranking places to work. Wegman's service to the industry is marked by his success in building consensus on tough issues, Bailey noted. From his work on data synchronization, Efficient Consumer Response and the New Ways of Working Together program, to his tenures as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute, GS1 US, GS1 Global and the FMI Food Safety Task Force, Wegman has been a leader in bringing retailers and manufacturers together.

Smucker has served as the company’s chairman, president, COO, co-chief executive and a number of different roles over the years as the company has remained in the able hands of the Smucker family for four generations. As VP planning in the 1970s, he ushered in a more modern approach to strategic, tactical and operational planning. Smucker is well-known for advocating for business standards, supply chain innovations and advanced technologies.

Regarding the 2013 CPG Awards for Innovation and Creativity, Bailey said, "In today's competitive marketplace, the transformative innovation that enables growth comes from really listening and reacting to the consumer. …GMA is honored to recognize E. & J. Gallo Winery and the Campbell Soup Company as companies that have cultivated a culture of fresh and innovative thinking."

To connect with the millennial crowd without alienating their core consumer, E. & J. Gallo developed an innovative campaign to relate to millennials and speak their language — in-store, online and on their mobile device.

Campbell's received the honor for Just Peachy salsa, a unique program that brought together Campbell, the New Jersey agriculture community and the Food Bank of South Jersey. Campbell’s culinary and product development teams created the salsa recipe, which converted 850,000 lbs of blemished, but edible peaches into a shelf-stable product, saving farmers landfill discard costs and providing the food bank with a future model for sustainable revenue.