Fortune Names Publix Among Best Workplaces for Women
Publix has been named on the 2024 Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women list.
“Publix is dedicated to creating an inclusive work culture where all associates feel valued,” said Publix Vice President of Associate Experience Marcy Benton. “When we embrace diversity, we help empower our associates to reach their full potential.”
In a survey conducted by Great Place to Work, women were asked about experiences in their workplace, including how their gender shapes those experiences. Great Place to Work then analyzed trends based on organizations’ size, industry and region.
To read more about Publix’s ranking and see Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Women list, visit greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/women/2024.
Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S. with more than 255,000 associates, currently operates 1,382 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. For 27 consecutive years, the company has been recognized by Fortune as a great place to work.
In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized among the top in the grocery business. For more information, visit the company’s newsroom at corporate.publix.com/newsroom.
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Amazon’s Hoggett Announces Departure From Company
Tony Hoggett, Amazon’s senior vice president of Worldwide Grocery Stores, announced on his LinkedIn account Friday, Oct. 25, that he was leaving the company.
“After nearly three years at Amazon, it’s time for the next step in my career,” he wrote. “My time at Amazon has been incredible, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support, guidance and friendship. I’m optimistic about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers, and have no doubt the teams will keep the momentum going in my absence. I’ll be cheering you all on.”
Many of the comments left on his post asked why he was leaving and where he was going, but Hoggett didn’t respond to them.
Three days before his post, Hoggett announced a pilot program for fresh grocery deliveries.
“We recently announced the launch of a new pilot in Phoenix where customers can shop fresh groceries alongside millions of general merchandise products, all delivered together in just hours,” he wrote. “Get organic ingredients from Whole Foods Market 🍎, affordable snacks from Amazon Fresh 🍪, and even socks from Amazon.com 🧦 —all in one order.”
The week before, he congratulated his team for the opening of a small-format store with Whole Foods Market.
“Exciting news in Chicago as we test a small-format store from Amazon under the same roof as Whole Foods Market in the One Chicago building!” he wrote. “Customers can now shop their favorite natural and organic brands while also quickly topping up their groceries with a larger assortment of favorite national brands, grab-and-go meals, and household essentials—all in one trip. Congratulations to the entire team on this opening!”
Hoggett joined Amazon two years and 10 months ago, according to his profile, after 31 years at British supermarket chain Tesco as group chief strategy and innovation officer and as group chief operating officer.
“Hoggett started his career at Tesco as a 16-year-old trolley bo,” an article from Reuters said at the time. “Over three decades he rose to become CEO Asia and then group chief operating officer.”
The Reuters article quoted Hoggett as saying:
“It was a big decision to move on from Tesco but after meeting members of the Amazon leadership team and hearing the ambitions for the business and physical stores, I know it’s a journey and an opportunity that I want to be part of.”
“After nearly three years of leading our grocery business, helping guide the organization to new levels of impact, and building a strong team that will continue to make grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable, Tony Hoggett has decided to leave Amazon,” according to a company statement. “We thank Tony for his many accomplishments at Amazon and especially for what he’s delivered for customers.”
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Hy-Vee President Tweeten Announces Retirement
Longtime retail leader and nationally recognized marketing icon Donna Tweeten has announced her retirement from Hy-Vee, Inc., effective Jan. 24.
In 2022, Tweeten became the first woman in Hy-Vee history to serve as the company’s president.
Tweeten has guided Hy-Vee’s brand and image strategy and helped double the size of the Iowa-based grocery chain during her tenure. Under her leadership, Hy-Vee also became the first retailer to engage in a name, image, likeness contract with basketball star Caitlin Clark, as well as sign partnerships with Kansas City Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and U.S Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East.
“No one has shaped the Hy-Vee brand with such skill, precision and creativity more than Donna Tweeten,” said Jeremy Gosch, Hy-Vee’s chairman and CEO. “Throughout her career, Donna has served as an innovator, trailblazer and creative thinker in nearly every aspect of Hy-Vee’s operations. There’s no doubt that her influence will be felt across Hy-Vee for decades to come.”
Tweeten came to Hy-Vee with an extensive background in advertising, working for such firms as Davis Harrison Dion–Chicago, Anderson Communications and serving as the president and chief creative officer of The Meyocks Group, Hy-Vee’s agency of record.
Tweeten joined Hy-Vee in 2006 as assistant vice president, communications and was promoted to assistant vice president, marketing in 2009. In 2011, she was selected as vice president, brand image. Tweeten was promoted to vice president, marketing/communications in 2013, and in 2014, she was named senior vice president, chief marketing officer. In 2016, she was promoted to executive vice president and elected to Hy-Vee’s board of directors, and later that year she became executive vice president, chief marketing officer/chief customer officer. In 2020, she was also named chief of staff. In 2022, Tweeten transitioned to executive vice president, chief of staff, chief merchandising officer and then was promoted to executive vice president, chief of staff, chief marketing officer. In late 2022, Tweeten was promoted to her current role as president of Hy-Vee.
Tweeten has been nationally recognized for her influence in the advertising and sports marketing industries, including being named a 2024 Champion of Change by ADWEEK and receiving Ad Age’s Leading Women Forward award. This year, she also received FMI’s prestigious Esther Peterson Award for Consumer Service.
Tweeten has received a number of other honors throughout her career including being named one of Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery in 2011, 2013 and 2019, and received the publication’s highest honor, the Top Women in Grocery Trailblazer award, in 2023. In 2016, she received several awards, including Shopper Marketing magazine’s Women of Excellence, Marketer of the Year by Supermarket News for her innovation and success throughout the grocery industry, and People Who Made a Difference by Mass Market Retailers for combining Hy-Vee’s fundamentals and guiding principles with modern marketing efforts and creativity to enhance the customer experience. In 2022, Tweeten received the Lifetime Achievement Award by Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) and Store Brands magazine.
Tweeten received her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Drake University and obtained certification from the Kellogg School of Management’s Executive Leadership program at Northwestern University. She plans to consult and continue to mentor others after her retirement from Hy-Vee.
Hy-Vee, Inc.is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 570 business units across nine Midwestern states with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee was recently named the No. 1 grocery store in America by USA TODAY. The company’s more than 75,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.
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