Stater Bros. Markets has promoted Greg McNiff to chief operating officer, effective immediately. In this position, he will lead the company’s marketing, retail, and distribution departments and report to Pete Van Helden, current CEO.
In addition to his role as COO, McNiff will remain as the company’s president and continue to serve on its executive leadership team.
SVP and CMO Rebecca Calvin, SVP of retail operations Bertha Luna, and SVP of distribution Darold Fero will all report to McNiff. The new structure will unite the three core business units under a single leader. The new structure will hopefully result in a more innovative, effective, and nimble execution of key business initiatives to achieve its long-term strategic plans, according to a statement by the company.
“Greg is known for being a compassionate leader and I admire his thoughtfulness and how much he cares for people. He brings teams together and encourages them to achieve alignment behind our company’s initiatives,” said Van Helden in a statement. “I look forward to working with Greg to harness the strengths and resources of our teammates into a powerful, unified force.”
McNiff is a 41-year supermarket industry veteran who has spent 30 years of his grocery career in Southern California. His grocery career began in 1981 as a courtesy clerk at Albertsons, eventually working his way up to the leadership team, serving in many VP and SVP positions including SVP of marketing and merchandising, and SVP of operations. In 2019 McNiff joined Stater Bros as company president.
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