HAMMOND, IN - Wade Pruter is back on the buyside. Strack & Van Til is welcoming this industry veteran as the company’s new Director of Produce Operations. Wade brings 26 years of retail experience to his role, working his way from grocery bagger to his current position with the mid-west retailer. Wade has a strong background in merchandising, marketing, and building strong relationships, while also bringing a passion for organic produce to each of his roles.
“Strack & Van Til offers an authentic and unique shopping experience. I hope that in joining the company, I can help the team take organics to the next level while contributing my own spin and personal touch to procurement and merchandising,” Wade tells AndNowUKnow.
Wade comes to Strack & Van Til from Albert's Organics where he was the Business Manager for nearly 3 years in the greater Denver, Colorado area. Wade’s previous endeavors include Produce Director of Earth Fare, Produce Merchandiser and Category Manager for The Fresh Market. His wealth of experience is backed by a number of years spent at store level in the trenches learning the business.
“I have always felt at home in retail. With the great opportunities I’ve had so far in my career, I can now bring the perspectives and insight from both the supplyside and the buyside of the industry to my new role,” Wade notes.
Currently, Strack & Van Til has 38 stores in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area. The company has three banners, Strack & Van Til Food Markets, Ultra Foods, and Town & Country Markets. All three banners are distinctly different but all bring a great shopping experience with the finest quality fresh departments and a vast variety in center store. The associates still wear ties and the Strack & Van Til stores have utility clerks that carry out your groceries, elements that speak to the neighborhood grocer atmosphere you feel when you shop in the stores. The company also prides itself on community involvement, where every member of the Executive team is involved in community outreach. Keep an eye out for one of the Midwest’s best kept secrets.
Please join me in congratulating Wade Pruter and the Strack & Van Til team!
