KANSAS CITY, KA - Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG), the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler, announced that Joe Kelley has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, effective May 4, 2026.

Kelley is a seasoned grocery industry executive whose career spans strategic leadership roles across retail operations, merchandising, and supply chain in independently owned, private equity – backed, and publicly traded companies. He began his career as a deli clerk in Boston and has since held senior leadership positions at several major U.S. grocery chains.

Most recently, Kelley served as Senior Vice President of Retail Divisions for Kroger, where he led 11 divisions across the central and western United States. His extensive leadership background also includes serving as President of King Soopers & City Market (Denver), President of Kroger Texas (Houston), President of Stop & Shop (an Ahold company), and CEO & President of Marsh Supermarkets. Kelley has also held senior leadership roles at Albertsons, Price Chopper Supermarkets (N.Y.), and Bozzuto’s.

As COO, Kelley will lead and align AWG’s merchandising, procurement, distribution, sales, marketing, and division support center operations. This strategic structure is designed to strengthen end to end performance and accelerate progress toward AWG’s North Star Strategic Plan priorities: Members, Growth, Productivity, and People.

“Joe brings a rare combination of deep operational expertise, strategic vision, and a true understanding of our members' needs now and in the future,” said Dan Funk, President and CEO of AWG, in the recent release. “His leadership experience with successful regional and national chains will be invaluable as we continue building momentum for our members and advancing our long-term strategic plan.”

Kelley will spend his first several months visiting AWG support centers, meeting with members, and engaging with teams across the cooperative to deepen his understanding of AWG’s operations and member needs.

“I’m honored to join AWG and support the independent grocers who serve as the backbone of communities across the country,” Kelley said. “I look forward to working with the AWG team and our members to build on the cooperative’s strong foundation and drive continued growth and success.”

SALINAS, CA - In a recent note from Founder & CEO Nikki Cossio, Measure to Improve provided an update on its sustainability-focused work across the produce supply chain. The communication outlines support for growers and companies managing new expectations around reporting, packaging regulations, and federal initiatives.

We’re introducing two new solutions this year designed to help the fresh produce industry respond to increasing reporting and regulatory expectations across the supply chain: the EPR Readiness Solution and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Solution.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) packaging laws have expanded to multiple states, and requests for greenhouse gas emissions data are becoming more common across the supply chain. In both cases, the biggest hurdle is often understanding what information is required, where that information exists within the organization, and how to organize it in a way that supports reporting year after year.

• The EPR Readiness Solution helps produce companies organize packaging information, understand reporting requirements, and prepare internal teams for upcoming deadlines.
• The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Solution helps companies build a credible, well-documented emissions inventory that supports buyer requests, sustainability reporting, and future disclosure requirements.

We’re seeing more companies start this work earlier, so reporting seasons are less disruptive and teams are not trying to assemble information under tight timelines.

Learn more about these new solutions and our other offerings on our website.

If you’re starting to think about EPR requirements, greenhouse gas reporting, or how to get more organized ahead of what’s coming, we’re happy to talk through what this could look like for your operation.

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Wonderful Company, a $6 billion agriculture, real estate, and consumer packaged goods company with a 10,000-person global workforce, has again been named one of Fortune magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For®, earning the No. 72 spot in 2026, up 13 spots from its No. 85 ranking last year. This is The Wonderful Company’s third year in a row making the list, and it remains the only agriculture enterprise among this year’s 100 honorees.

The prestigious recognition is the sole national workplace ranking based entirely on candid and anonymous employee feedback. It puts The Wonderful Company in an elite cohort with other household names like American Express, Delta Air Lines, Accenture, Cisco, and Marriott International.

“This recognition means more to us than almost any other – because it comes entirely from our own people,” said Lynda and Stewart Resnick, co-owners and vice chairman and chairman, respectively, of The Wonderful Company, in the recent release. “The culture we have built together proves, year after year, that a company can win in business and do right by its people and communities. We are deeply proud of this collective achievement, and eternally grateful to work alongside people who bring this much passion and purpose to everything they do.”

One of the nation’s largest privately held companies, Wonderful owns and produces iconic, healthy brands, including FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, Teleflora, and JUSTIN, Lewis Cellars, and Landmark wines. In recognizing the business, Fortune noted not just The Wonderful Company’s positive work environment, but its steadfast commitment to improving the communities where employees and their families live.

“They focus on the PERSON and then the job. I have not met anyone who isn’t willing to jump in and help when you need it, give you advice, or just chat about life,” said one Wonderful Company employee in an anonymous survey response.

To date, The Wonderful Company and the Resnicks, along with their foundations, have invested more than $2.5 billion in philanthropy and corporate social responsibility efforts across education, health and wellness, community infrastructure, and environmental sustainability in California’s Central Valley, Fiji, and Los Angeles, where the company is headquartered. For this work, the company also was recognized last year by PEOPLE magazine, topping its annual Companies that Care list.

Fortune magazine and Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture, selected this year’s list using rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback. For this year’s ranking, Great Place To Work gathered confidential survey responses from more than 640,000 employees at companies eligible for the list (with 1,000 or more U.S. staff) and ranked employers based on workers’ experiences.

“When leaders create that environment for every working person, resistance fades,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. “People believe AI will improve their work, their jobs, and their careers. Trust grows, and business performance follows.”

“Fortune is proud to collaborate with Great Place To Work for the 29th year to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Amid a fast-evolving workplace landscape, employees said these organizations continue to set the standard for cultures built on trust, innovation, and care for their people. Congratulations to all who earned a place on this year’s list,” says Alyson Shontell, Fortune editor-in-chief and chief content officer.

To qualify for the Fortune list, companies must have 1,000 or more employees in the U.S., be Great Place To Work Certified™ organizations, and have consistently high survey responses across the 60 statements that constitute the Trust Index™ survey.

LAKELAND, FL - Publix made Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list for the 29th year in a row, ranking No. 50. Publix is one of only four companies to be named on the list every year since its origin in 1998.

“Our associates are the key to perpetuating Publix’s culture and driving our success,” said Publix CEO Kevin Murphy in the recent release. “It takes all 260,000 of us to continue making Publix a great place to work, and I’m proud our associates continue to consider us an employer of choice year after year.”

Company ownership

Publix is the largest employee-owned company in the United States. The company’s founder, George Jenkins, believed that when you own something, you take better care of it. Publix continues to offer eligible associates the opportunity to become company owners through its employee stock ownership and employee stock purchase plans.

Promote-from-within philosophy

Since 1930, the company has been committed to helping all associates experience a sense of belonging, build meaningful careers, and reach their highest potential. Publix takes pride in offering a promote-from-within culture where associates receive the training and support they need to help them advance in their careers.

Respecting the dignity of the individual

From the company’s early beginnings, Jenkins created an open-door policy that allowed all associates to have a voice. Beyond daily conversations, the company encourages associates to formally share feedback through its annual Associate Voice Survey. There is also an online platform where associates can share, build on and like ideas to improve the company they own. And Publix encourages its associates to be involved in their communities, providing opportunities throughout the year to give back.

Methodology

Great Place To Work is an organization that aims to promote and enhance workplace culture. Every year, they survey employees working for companies that have a Great Place To Work Certification and at least 1,000 people working for them in the U.S. The survey gathers employee feedback on factors like trust, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie, providing a well-rounded view of a company’s culture. The rankings are based on this survey and essay submissions, and the organization partners with Fortune to share the list.