Hy-Vee CEO Edeker Stepping Down, Names Wiese as CEO
Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Randy Edeker has named Aaron Wiese as Hy-Vee’s next CEO, effective Oct. 1. Wiese is vice chairman of Hy-Vee, Inc. and president of the company’s supply chain and subsidiaries.
Jeremy Gosch will remain as president and chief operating officer of Hy-Vee, overseeing all of the retail operations for the business.
“Both Aaron and Jeremy have been trusted leaders of our executive team for many years, and I am thankful for the leadership they continue to provide our great company,” Edeker said. “With this announcement, I can continue to focus on Hy-Vee’s strategy and evolution in today’s changing environment while Jeremy can focus on overseeing our stores and Aaron can focus on the day-to-day operations of the overall company.”
Wiese and Gosch will continue to report to Edeker, who will continue to serve as Hy-Vee’s chairman of the board.
Wiese started his Hy-Vee career in 1993 while in college. After graduating, he served in various operations leadership roles. In 2012, Wiese joined Hy-Vee’s executive staff as director, real estate strategic planning, and in 2013 became director, health/wellness strategic planning.
In 2014, he was promoted to assistant vice president, specialty pharmacy, and then vice president, business development, at Amber Specialty Pharmacy. Over the next six years, Wiese was instrumental in leading multiple facets of Hy-Vee’s health and wellness division, as well as serving as president of Hy-Vee subsidiary Amber Specialty Pharmacy for several years.
He was promoted to the executive vice president level in December 2020, and became president of digital growth and co-chief operating officer in April 2021. He was promoted to his current position in December 2021.
Wiese received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Northern Iowa.
Gosch began his Hy-Vee career as a part-time clerk at the Lantern Park Plaza Hy-Vee in Coralville, Iowa, in 1995, and spent the next 12 years moving into retail operations management roles, including that of store director at multiple locations. In 2012, he joined Hy-Vee’s executive staff when he was promoted to assistant vice president, operations, northeast region.
Over the next six years, he held several executive leadership roles and in early 2018, he was promoted to executive vice president, co-chief operating officer, chief marketing officer, and later that year he transitioned into chief operating officer.
In April 2021, Gosch became president, retail operations and co-chief operating officer. He was promoted to his current position in December 2021.
Gosch earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Iowa. Gosch is only the fifth president in Hy-Vee’s 92-year history.
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Giant Food to Launch Loop Packaging in D.C.
Giant Food will bring Loop’s innovative packaging solution developed by TerraCycle to its customers. Beginning this fall, customers in the D.C.-metro area will be able to purchase the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers that can be found in Loop branded displays in participating Giant stores.
“Giant is committed to taking sustainable actions that reduce plastic waste from our landfills and improve our environment,” said Diane Couchman, vice president category management, non-perishables at Giant Food. “We are excited to partner with LOOP, a global leader in eliminating waste, to offer our customers a program that allows them to shop their favorite products and help our environment.”
Loop is the first platform to partner with brands and retailers to offer consumers a way to go from single use to reuse with their purchases. Through the platform, customers can purchase their Loop-ready products in refillable, reusable containers found in branded displays in participating Giant stores.
After consumers finish the products, they return the empty containers to a Loop Return Point at Giant. From there, the containers are sent to Loop to be sanitized, then returned to brands to be refilled and returned to the store for future purchase.
“Loop’s goal has always been to grow, scale and be accessible to consumers around the world,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop. “With world class retailers, like Giant, bringing Loop to their physical brick and mortar locations, we are giving consumers what they’ve been asking for since Loop was introduced in 2019 – the ability to purchase the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers, with the convenience of shopping at their local market.”
To ensure that all the reusable containers used in the Loop process maintain advanced cleaning and sanitization, Loop consults with Ecolab Inc., a global leader in cleaning and hygiene solutions and services, for on site design and equipment, as well as the chemistry of the cleaning processes.
Loop’s movement to an in-store retail model began in Paris with Carrefour in December 2020. In May 2021, Loop launched in-store at AEON in Japan and in-store at Tesco in September 2021.
Loop launched in-store at Kroger-owned Fred Meyer stores in the Portland metro area in February 2022. Loop launched a reusable packaging partnership with McDonald’s in the United Kingdom and with Burger King and Tim Hortons in select restaurants in the United States and Canada, respectively.
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Pederson’s Natural Farms, Bacon Club NFT to Issue Limited Edition Collectible Bacon
Pederson’s Natural Farms and Bacon Club NFT will produce and distribute limited edition collectible bacon to all Bacon Club NFT holders.
The partnership bridges the gap between the digital realm of NFTs (blockchain based digital collectibles) and real world bacon. The integration of blockchain based technology from Bacon Club NFT and the high quality of Pederson’s natural bacon brings a new class of club to bacon fans.
The collectible bacon partnership with Pederson’s also helps solidify Bacon Club’s marriage between physical products and digital NFTs, making for an exciting future. This also helps fulfill the first part of Bacon Club NFT’s roadmap and provides Pederson’s an entry into the world of Web 3.0.
“Pederson’s has always strived to keep ahead of the meat industry and we think joining up with an NFT project is the perfect definition of that,” said Neil Dudley, vice president of Pederson’s Natural Farms.
“In order for NFTs to become more mainstream, projects should consider a symbiose of physical and digital goods, which is exactly why our new strategic partnership with Pederson’s is so fundamental and delicious,” said Richie McCord, founder of Bacon Club NFT.
Headquartered in Hamilton, Texas, Pederson’s Natural Farms has been committed to ethically sourcing and producing the highest quality fresh and smoked natural meat products since 1992. Today, with products sold in stores globally, the company strives to continue to keep its finger on the pulse of the ever-changing trends in the industry.
Pederson’s Natural Farms is known for being one of the first to market with an entire line of no sugar added, Whole30 and Paleo approved pork products. Pederson’s Natural Farms produces bacon, sausage, ham and fresh pork. In 2020, the company produced 19.6 million pounds of pork protein distributed throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Bacon Club is the only NFT project for fans of crypto and bacon. The mission is to deliver a club where the membership is secured by holding a Bacon Club NFT. The benefits of membership include limited edition bacon drops, a chance to win a lifetime supply of bacon, access to Bacon Bash Texas, with additional perks to be revealed at a later date.
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