2024 MW Emerging Leaders

The Shelby Report of the Midwest is pleased to honor...

Amber Hall PFSbrands Director of People Success

Amber Hall is a paragon of quality human resources in the retail food industry. Her meticulous attention to detail and

Claudia Luetkemeyer PFSbrands Executive Operations Strategist

Claudia Luetkemeyer is dedicated to supporting leaders and listening to experts, always seeking to grow in her field. Her

Amanda Lai McMillanDoolittle LLP Director, Food Industry Practice

As a strategy consultant to leading retailers and brands, Amanda Lai has worked with companies across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, UK, Japan and South Korea. In seven years, Amanda earned four promotions and in her current role leads McMillanDoolittle’s food industry consulting practice.

Amanda’s food clients include The Fresh Market, Bristol Farms, Metropolitan Market, New Seasons Market, Roche Bros. and Dom’s Kitchen & Market, among others. Amanda manages McMillanDoolittle’s largest client, a leading

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technological acumen ensure that her organization operates at the highest standards.

Amber’s leadership is characterized by her unwavering commitment to her employee-owners, providing them with the tools and support they need to succeed.

Amber fosters an environment of excellence, encouraging her colleagues and vendors to strive for their best in every task.

commitment to serving her employee-owners is evident in her approach to her work, which prioritizes the well-being and development of her organization.

Claudia’s ability to listen and prioritize the needs of the people at all levels in PFSbrands has been instrumental in her success, enabling her to implement effective solutions that drive organizational goals forward.

Claudia’s style is inclusive and empowering, motivating her colleagues to excel in their roles. She creates a

supportive environment where everyone feels valued and heard, fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

international retailer with $35 billion in revenue. She supported her client’s U.S. market entry, growing their U.S. business from effectively $0 to $1.5 billion in three years.

Amanda was involved in shaping the overall U.S. business strategy and its tactical execution. This included scouting real estate, negotiating leases, supporting two acquisitions, partnering with architects and designers to design a grocery food hall concept, and developing a private label brand. Amanda reports to the U.S. CEO, who describes her as a key contributor who has helped implement their vision of creating the next leading grocery company.

Amanda is a subject matter expert at grocery conferences and for media interviews. She has spoken at industry events for the FMI - Food Industry Association, National Grocers Association and the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers. She is also quoted in industry

publications and is a recurring guest retail analyst on The Schwab Network.

Amanda’s dedication extends beyond her contributions to food clients and thought leadership. She also aspires to foster diverse leadership within the grocery industry and the local Chicago community, to cultivate leadership teams reflective of the rich diversity that defines America today.

She is a board member of the Chicago Alumni Chapter of INROADS, a nonprofit that pairs high-achieving, underrepresented BIPOC college students with paid internships at companies such as Aldi, Albertsons and PepsiCo. Amanda has also been a mentor to a youth for seven years through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicagoland program. Amanda has an unwavering commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing talent to make an impact in the food industry and local community.

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SEPTEMBER 2024 • THE SHELBY REPORT OF THE MIDWEST

Madison Rahn Fareway Associate Category Manager

Madison Rahn is definitely an up-and-comer in the grocery business. She is on top of her game.

David Saltzman Dave’s Supermarket VP of Operations and Strategy

David Saltzman is a fifthgeneration grocer whose journey within the family-owned Dave’s Supermarkets, a staple in Cleveland, showcases his innovative and forward-thinking leadership, setting the stage for the future of grocery retail.

David, alongside his brother, Aaron, has seamlessly integrated the values and traditions passed down from their great-great-grandfather, Alex Saltzman, into a modern retail landscape. Having grown up working alongside their father, Dan, and grandfather, Burton, David has developed a deep understanding of the grocery business. This legacy, paired

2024 EMERGING LEADERS IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

She always keeps her colleagues on their toes, making sure they have all new store and resets on pace. It’s great to have someone caring about the business as much as we do.

Madison is also very responsive to questions. She is just a pleasure to work with and we see a bright future for her.

with his strategic vision, has been pivotal in expanding the family’s footprint.

After graduating from Ohio State University, David gained experience outside the family business, broadening his perspective. In 2020, he and Aaron made a significant move by acquiring two Lucky’s Market locations – one in Cleveland and another in Columbus. Under their leadership, these stores have retained the beloved Lucky’s brand while being revitalized to meet the evolving needs of customers.

David’s customer-centric approach is evident in his plans for the new Lucky’s Market in Columbus’ “Victorian Village,” which opened just a few months ago. By introducing features such as a prepared meal grab-and-go section and an on-site culinary expert, David is redefining customer engagement and convenience. His focus on local and regional products, including Ohio and Midwest beers, wines and cocktails, underscores his commitment

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to supporting local economies while offering high-quality, unique options.

Moreover, David has been at the forefront of integrating customer-friendly technologies, such as self-checkout stations, into their stores. This effort enhances the shopping experience, providing customers with greater convenience and efficiency. Balancing modern technology with a personal touch has been a key to the success of Dave’s Supermarkets and Lucky’s Market under David’s leadership.

Stop into a Lucky’s or Dave’s store and there is a good chance that you will run into David as he is helping various department staff, greeting customers and passing along a word of encouragement or two – a welcome “old school” trait in a “new school” world. With his ability to blend time-honored family values and contemporary retail practices, David is not only continuing the legacy of Dave’s Supermarkets but is paving the way for the future of grocery retail in Ohio and beyond.

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SEPTEMBER 2024 • THE SHELBY REPORT OF THE MIDWEST

Jordan White White’s Foodliner Operations Manager

Jordan White was basically born into the business and raised within the walls of a grocery store. His grandfather, Joe White, opened his first store in May 1953 in Coldwater, Kansas. He would expand his operation to three stores by 1982. Joe was a longtime president of the Kansas Food Dealers (now Retail Grocers Association of Missouri and Kansas) and was a true student of the business. He put in one of the first self-service meat cases in small-town Kansas when a lot of people thought he was crazy for doing it.

Pat White, Jordan’s father, took the reins of the company as Joe retired and sold him the business in the early 1990s.

The White’s Family Christmas and chats after Thanksgiving and halftime at ball games centered around grocery gross margins, expenses, innovation, technology, new products,

2024 EMERGING LEADERS IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

resets and challenges in the grocery business.

Jordan worked for his dad whenever he would travel to and from the stores. They would help pack holiday candy, clean onions and wrap meat. Jordan remembers the first time he was allowed to make cube steaks. At age 12, Jordan was a proud young grocer to-be. When he was 15, he convinced his dad to let him cut pork steaks on the saw in their Medicine Lodge store – mainly because he had taken two years of woodworking and learned to cut on a table saw.

After high school, Jordan worked all summers, traveling around our stores and doing special projects and filling in for store managers and department managers on family vacations. After college, he had to get out of the grocery business. He wanted to try something different.

Jordan went to work at Citywide. At the time, it was a mortgage, investment and insurance office. While he did this for three years and had some success, he wasn’t happy and kept a hobby of going to cities to look at new grocery stores. After a few years, he told his dad to keep him in mind when looking at opportunities.

Jordan came back to the family business in 2007. He

realized right away that he needed to go work for a bigger player in the city to learn. He moved to Kansas City and took a job with Whole EMERGING Foods Market, as it was really searching for people after the merger with Wild Oats.

While with Whole Foods, he essentially got master’s degree on a different level of marketing a grocery store.

After three years at Whole Foods, Jordan knew he was ready to be back with his dad and was much better equipped with a whole new base of tools to help improve White’s Foodliner. In 2011, the family bought a location in Oklahoma, getting Jordan back into the stores and operating them, as well as traveling to other sites.

By 2016, White’s Foodliner had four stores. In 2018, Jordan and his father built a store in St. Johns, Kansas. That was followed by stores in Scott City (2019), Lindsborg (2020), Lyons (2022) and Osage City (2023). Jordan has taken the reins and is leading White’s Foodliner into the future.

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