Greene Concepts Expands Be Water Sales With Get Be Water Campaign
Greene Concepts, Inc. with its local beverage distributor, Get Be Water, has significantly expanded Be Water sales in the local and surrounding areas around the Marion, N.C., bottling plant.
The team aims to bring widespread awareness and interest for the high-quality Be Water brand throughout North Carolina and neighboring states. The focus of the team is to bring Be Water into as many local retailers as possible, and then expand through the rest of North Carolina and into the states of South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.
“The sales team continues to reach new North Carolina retailers that are proud to carry Be Water,” said Amy McNally, VP of sales and marketing. “They have established a tremendous rapport with local businesses over the past several months, and their connections include restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, gas stations, gyms, and more.
“The team has supported Greene Concepts since the launch of Be Water. In addition to penetrating the North Carolina market, they are responsible for the company’s ecommerce logistics and have been crossed-trained as ecommerce fulfilment specialists. I could not be happier with the team’s on-going accomplishments, dedication, and the milestones they have helped Greene Concepts achieve.”
“As our key North Carolina distributor, the Get Be Water team is letting the world know that Greene Concepts embodies prestige, has exceptional customer service, and is primed for monumental growth,” said Lenny Greene, CEO of Greene Concepts. “Because Be Water is manufactured and sourced in North Carolina, local retailers can be proud to support a North Carolina business that helps the community and offers a high-quality product to consumers.
“The team emphasizes Local Communities, a Customer Comes First focus, and the knowledge that Great Service goes a long way. The team is vital to the growth of Be Water into local neighborhood stores and businesses throughout North Carolina. Since this year’s summer campaign, the Get Be Water team has signed up 41 local businesses near the Marion, NC bottling plant that now carry Be Water.”
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Giant Food, Loop Offer Reusable Packaging in D.C. Stores
Giant Food shoppers can purchase a selection of products in reusable packaging, thanks to a new partnership between the leading Washington, D.C., grocer and Loop, the circular reuse platform developed by TerraCycle. Customers can walk into any of the 10 participating Giant supermarkets and purchase more than 20 products from leading consumer brands, all packaged in reusable containers instead of single-use packaging.
“Giant is proud to be the first grocery retailer on the East Coast to launch a partnership with Loop, a global leader in eliminating waste, and offer our customers a program that allows them to shop for products while helping our environment,” said Diane Couchman, vice president category management, non-perishables at Giant Food. “We look forward to expanding our Loop item offerings and launching in more Giant locations in the near future.”
An assortment of products in reusable Loop containers from well-known brands including Kraft-Heinz, Nature’s Path and Stubb’s BBQ Sauce will be found in branded displays at participating Giant stores. When finished with a product, the empty packaging is returned to a Loop Return Point at any of the participating stores. From there, the containers are sent to Loop to be sanitized, then returned to the CPG suppliers to be refilled and returned to the store for future purchase. Customers are charged a small packaging deposit at checkout, and a full refund is given once the container is returned.
“Loop’s goal has always been to make reusable packaging as convenient for consumers as disposable packaging,” says Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle and Loop. “With Giant as the newest retailer bringing Loop to consumers, we are giving them what they’ve been asking for since Loop was introduced in 2019 – the ability to forgo single-use packaging and purchase the products they use every day in durable, reusable containers.”
To maintain advanced sanitization standards for all reusable containers, Loop consults with Ecolab Inc. — a global leader in cleaning and hygiene solutions — to identify proper equipment and design on-site cleaning procedures.
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UNFI Hires Erin Horvath to Strengthen Supply Chain Team
United Natural Foods, Inc. has hired Erin Horvath as chief supply chain transformation officer, a new role that will collaborate across functions to help build UNFI’s transformation agenda and future capabilities, drive value creation for shareholders, and create an improving experience for customers and suppliers. She began her role on Oct. 17 and reports to Sandy Douglas, UNFI’s chief executive officer.
“As we work to be the most valuable partner to our grocery retailer customers, we must continue evolving our supply chain network, leveraging automation, creating new efficiencies and capabilities within our facilities, and using technology, data, and insights to improve our customer experience,” Douglas said. “Erin has a wealth of experience, including a unique combination of strategy execution, operations, customer analytics, and software implementation. Throughout her career she has successfully worked across teams and departments and I’m looking forward to seeing how her experience and fresh thinking can best support Mark Bushway, our chief supply chain officer, and Louis Martin, our chief strategy and transformation officer, as they partner together to drive positive results.”
Since assuming the CEO role in August 2021, Douglas has repositioned UNFI’s senior leadership team and sharpened the C\company’s focus on key operational priorities designed to better support its customers, suppliers, associates and the planet. The addition of Horvath to UNFI’s leadership team supports the company’s focus on continuous improvement, and its ongoing work to create a more efficient, expansive, and high-quality food supply network.
“UNFI has a tremendous history and foundation in place, coupled with an exciting growth roadmap that is both aggressive and achievable,” Horvath said. “The food industry, like many industries, is experiencing significant change. UNFI’s focus on, and investment in, advancing technologies and transforming operations is a testament to leadership’s commitment to a long-term strategy that will best support customers and suppliers within this evolving landscape.”
Horvath will oversee UNFI’s fulfillment network transformation, as well lead automation initiatives, including the recently announced automation agreement with Symbotic. Her work will support the company’s long-term strategy, leveraging her 17 years of experience garnered at AmerisourceBergen Corporation, a more than $200 billion global pharmaceutical wholesale company.
During her tenure at AmerisourceBergen, Horvath most recently served as chief transformation officer with a focus on accelerating the company’s high-growth, high-value subsidiaries, strategic partnerships, and mergers and acquisition activities. She also has extensive experience leading AmerisourceBergen’s distribution network in roles as president, distribution services (2019-2021) and senior vice president, distribution services (2017-2019) overseeing a team of over 5,000 associates and managing more than 50 distribution centers.
During this time, she designed a five-year distribution and customer operations strategy, led the building of several new state-of-the-art greenfield distribution centers, and created a diverse, cross functional and geographically dispersed team focused on optimizing the company’s investment in its warehouse automation. She also spent time in senior leadership roles overseeing replenishment, continuous improvement, and commercial operations.
Prior to working with AmerisourceBergen, Horvath served as a management consultant at Smart and Associates, a business consulting firm, and at Arthur Andersen Business Consulting, and garnered foundational experience in distribution and operations at McMaster-Carr Supply Company and the U.S. Department of the Navy as a contract specialist.
Horvath serves as a board member for the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation, and recently completed service for Healthcare Ready where she served as a board member for four years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and an MBA from Villanova University.
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