Kroger elevates two to division president roles

CINCINNATI, Ohio — The retirement of Kroger’s Nashville division President Rick Going and the earlier appointment of a new Fred Meyer president gave the supermarket company the opportunity to elevate two other executives.

After a 35 year career, Kroger said Nashville division President Rick Going was retiring and Zane Day, VP operations for the retailer’s Smith’s division, was named to succeed him. In another key move, Kroger’s Central division VP merchandising, Katie Wolfram was named president of the retailer’s Central division. She fills a position previously occupied by Jeff Burt who was named president of the Fred Meyer division.

Both Day and Wolfram are Kroger veterans who joined the company in the 1970s.

Day began his career with Smith's on the night crew in Ogden, Utah, in 1974. He went on to serve in various leadership roles, including store manager and director of merchandising. In 1998, Day was named director of procurement at Fred Meyer's Tolleson Distribution Center. In 2000, he was named director of deli for the Fry's division, before moving to a similar role in the Smith's division in 2003. At Smith's, Day was promoted to district manager and VP merchandising before being named to his current role, VP operations, in 2015.

Compared to Day, Wolfram is a relative newcomer at Kroger, joining the company in 1979 as an assistant store manager in the Cincinnati/Dayton division. She later served as manager of merchandising systems development and manager of consumer research at Kroger's general office. Wolfram also served in several leadership positions in Kroger Manufacturing, including senior marketing manager and director of sales and marketing. In 2003, she was promoted to VP sales and operations for Kroger Manufacturing. In 2005, joined the King Soopers division as VP merchandising. She was named to her current role,VP merchandising in the Central division, in 2014.

Regarding the retirement of Nashville Division President Going, Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said, "Throughout his notable career, Rick led by empowering his team while always expecting excellence. Rick's leadership in starting two new store operating divisions has built the model for our company.”

Going joined Kroger in 1981 as a management trainee in the Cincinnati/Dayton Division. He advanced to serve in many leadership roles in stores, districts, operations and merchandising teams. He was promoted to VP operations for the Cincinnati/Dayton division in 1999, and then VP merchandising in the same division in 2002. In 2007, Going was promoted to president of the new Michigan division, which was created when the former Great Lakes division split into what are now the Columbus and Michigan divisions. He was named to his current role in Nashville in 2013, when the former Mid-South Division split to form the Nashville and Louisville divisions.