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With today’s Meet a Team Member spotlight, we’re continuing our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month! Meet Christopher Gomez, floral lead at our Old Courthouse Square MARTIN'S in Martinsburg, WV, who shared a little about his family, favorite traditions, and so much more! Tell us about your family! My family hails from Puerto Rico. I’ve never been but would love to visit one day. What does Hispanic Heritage Month mean to you? Hispanic Heritage Month means that I can showcase the Hispanic culture to the world through food, music, anything. What’s your favorite family tradition? One of my favorite traditions is when we gather for Thanksgiving, we have a traditional Puerto Rican dish called Pernil instead of Turkey. Pernil is pork should or leg, cooked with pineapple and cherries. It’s VERY good and definitely comfort food. During Christmas, my family loves to stay up until midnight, then start opening gifts and celebrating.
Worth the wait! After missing last year's event due to COVID-19, this past weekend, on the most perfect fall day, we got the fam together for The GIANT Company Family Reunion! Thousands of team members and their families made their way to Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa. park, ready to spend the day playing games, riding rides, enjoying food, catching up with old friends, and making new ones, too. An annual tradition, we're proud to offer this fun day to our team members and their families in appreciation of all they do throughout the year for our customers and communities. We can't wait for next year!
Please join us in celebrating Chris Keetch, director of produce and floral at The GIANT Company, who has been named the 2021 Produce Retailer of the Year by PMG Magazine. This prestigious honor recognizes the best of the best in the industry, and Chris certainly fits the bill. "When people tell me what they love most about GIANT, our beautiful, fresh produce department is almost always at the top of their list. When I think of our produce department, I think of Chris ," said GIANT Company President Nicholas Bertram. "There is no one more deserving of this honor than him. We are so fortunate to have a leader of his caliber at the helm of our produce team, and I can't wait to see what Chris accomplishes next."
Today our team was in Philadelphia to wrap up #HungerActionMonth in a big way! We teamed up with our friends at Sharing Excess Inc. for a neighborhood food distribution and delivered a new 26-foot refrigerated truck to help them expand their operations and feed even more families in need! "Sharing Excess is leading the way when it comes to reducing food waste and eliminating hunger," said Paul Madarieta. "Since becoming their first grocery store partner in 2019, we've helped Evan Ehlers and his team provide more than 250,000 meals across the city, and this donation will help us make an even greater difference in the city we're so proud to be a part of."
Over the weekend, in celebration of National Family Day, our store teams had some fun surprising our customers with everything they needed to make a spaghetti dinner to enjoy with their families. By taking the age-old question of what's for dinner off the table, we hope we made it a bit easier for families to take a moment, share a meal, and make memories because, for The GIANT Company, that's what it's all about.
For today's Meet a Team Member Monday, we're shining a light on Jessica Dorsey! Jessica started her journey at The GIANT Company as a cashier while finishing her college degree. After many years of hard work and growing through new opportunities, she is currently a category analyst on the Ethnic & Kosher team. From planning promotions and negotiating with vendors to deciding on assortment and ad plans, Jessica stays busy. She also oversees planning for the promotional events around key Kosher holidays like Hannukah and Passover. Jessica loves the fast pace and variety of her daily duties. When we asked Jessica what helps her make so many decisions each day with ease, she replied, "the customer." "Putting the customer first is always at the heart of what I do because without listening to the customers and making decisions based on their wants or needs, we would not be in business!" Thank you for always putting the customer at the heart of all you do, Jessica. Families across our communities are lucky to have someone like you in their corner!
Hispanic Heritage Month Follow along as we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Hispanic Americans who have enriched our culture and communities – and those who will continue to do so for generations to come.
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week It's National Truck Driver Appreciation Week! With nearly 400 drivers across our Perishable Distribution Center and GIANT Direct teams, we'd like to take a moment to recognize this group of extraordinary men and women and the significant role they play in our business. This dedicated group keeps the communities we serve and our business running 365 days a year. Our drivers regularly brave rain, snow, and busy roadways to ensure fresh products are delivered to store shelves and doorsteps. The past year and a half, a time of great uncertainty, only highlighted the important behind-the-scenes work our drivers do every day. Please join The GIANT Company in thanking our truck drivers for their service to our stores and communities and for all they do to help families gather around the table; if you see one of our truck drivers this week - or any week - please give them a warm thank you!
Today we celebrate Dana Sherwood, who has been promoted to creative director. Dana has been one of our brand's best storytellers for more than 11 years. She has played an essential role in many of our most crucial customer-focused initiatives, including our brand re-launch and bringing our brand platform, For Todays Table to life. In her new role, she'll continue to help set us apart in the eyes of our communities and customers by elevating our brand story across all touchpoints. Please join The GIANT Company in congratulating Dana as she begin her new role and expands her opportunities to grow!
Today, we're celebrating the promotion of a very talented and deserving team member: Joe LaCagnina, who has been promoted to director of store format, Joe has been with our organization for almost 20 years. In his most recent role as real estate development manager, Joe was heavily involved with developing many of our new stores and growing our brand in new geographies. Joe was even named an honoree from The Philadelphia Business Journal in the Dealmaker category of its 2020 Best Real Estate Deal & Dealmakers Awards. As director of store format, Joe will define and deliver the key brand elements necessary to ensure a customer-first experience across our stores, reflecting the unique needs of the communities and families we serve. Please join The GIANT Company in congratulating Joe as he begins his new role and expands his opportunities for growth!
