HIGHLAND, IN – Retailer Strack & Van Til has announced the grandson of its founder, Ernie Strack, as the incoming President and CEO of its company.
“I’m honored and humbled by the trust placed in me by the board,” Jack Strack, newly-named leader, said, according to the NWI Times. “Our company has a heritage going back seven decades and I intend to work with all of our dedicated associates to re-establish the values on which this company was founded.”
Strack will replace the chain’s current leader, Kenneth Diehl, who has lead for just over six months and is reportedly looking to return home to the West.
With 37 stores in Northwest Indiana and the greater Chicago area, and employing upwards of 6,000 workers, the company is one of the largest grocery chains in the region. And, according to Strack, more growth is intended in the chain’s immediate future.
“We are in a highly competitive, rapidly changing marketplace, but with our stores, associates, and management team, I feel that Strack & Van Til is uniquely positioned to succeed and flourish in the years ahead," Strack said, according to the report. "We intend to re-focus on the heritage and roots of our success immediately.”
Factors named by Strack in the company’s strategic growth are customer service, community involvement, and good treatment of its employees. To meet those customer needs, Strack stated that the retailer will continue to modernize, a multi-million dollar investment in expanded selections and renovations.
As it currently stands, Strack & Van Til has come a long way from the chain Strack’s grandfather founded 66 years ago. Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we follow this newest chapter in the retailer’s story and beyond.
