Sheila Ebanks: Driving Trucks to Driving Teams, A Coca-Cola Executive's Journey

How Sheila Ebanks Leads at Coca-Cola While Raising Four Kids

Sheila Ebanks, Head of Large Store at The Coca-Cola Company, shares her inspiring journey from delivery truck driver to managing key retail partnerships with Albertsons, Publix, and H-E-B. As a mother of four (ages 5 to 28), Sheila redefines work-life balance through intentional integration—prioritizing family events and embracing flexibility.

She opens up about mentorship, building a “challenger network,” and using AI to free teams from mundane tasks. From relaunching Diet Coke with Lime to navigating career growth, Sheila offers four guiding principles: ask powerful questions, learn from failure, own your worth, and leverage your network.

Tune in for candid insights on leadership, motherhood, and making meaningful impact. Share this episode with anyone balancing ambition and family.

Chapters

• 0:19 Introduction to Grocery From Her Seat
• 1:00 Meet Sheila Ebanks, Head of Large Store
• 3:55 Career Journey and Family Life
• 9:44 Mentorship and Networking Insights
• 16:30 Industry Trends and Future Outlook
• 21:39 Leadership Advice and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:19

Thank you. Bolder voices you won't hear anywhere else. Every episode is packed with leadership tips, fresh strategies and grocery insights for store owners and operators, as well as product and service providers. Grocery From Her Seat is where inspiration fuels action. Now let's dive into another episode of Grocery From Her Seat, powered by the NGA Foundation and hosted by WGA President Kristen Popp. I am your host, President, Kristen Popp.

Speaker 2: 0:45

I am your host, kristen Popp, and today I have the opportunity to chat with Sheila Ebanks, head of large store with the Coca-Cola Company. Welcome to Grocery From your Seat, sheila, and I thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today. Thank you, kristen, for having me Truly appreciate it. Okay, sheila as well. Head of large store. Can you explain to us what that means and what falls within your responsibility, and, if there even is such a thing, a little bit of insight into what your day-to-day might look like?

Speaker 3: 1:12

Absolutely Kristen. So I have the privilege and honor to lead the large store portfolio team for the North America Operating Union at the Coca-Cola Company. What that really means is that I, within my portfolio, I have these large store powerhouse regional customers as well as the strong independent based customers. And so when you look, some noteworthy customers Albertsons, publix, atb, hyde, meijer, and just name a few and then obviously you also have IGA under that umbrella as well, which probably you're very familiar with.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Absolutely. Do you have a bit of what like a normal week might look like for you? Are you traveling a lot or kind of where do you land?

Speaker 3: 1:51

Yeah, actually I live on the road. I'm a road warrior, probably travel about two to three days per week visiting different customers or being able to be in the market with my team. Truly believe that being in the market is essential to keeping pace with the way that the industry continues to change. It's where all the magic and the action. But on any given day I actually wear several different hats, with leading a large team. I have about 63 individuals who report within my organization. I have eight direct report. We also are a fully integrated retail team, so that actually expands my business to 100 people as well as my directs. As far as that integrated retail team to, approximately fascinated by your organization, the scale of it.

Speaker 2: 2:45

I think we could do an entire episode just on that alone, but I'm going to set that aside for now because I really want to focus on you, your journey and what you've learned along the way. Go ahead and start with family. Can you share a little bit about yours?

Speaker 3: 2:57

I actually have four children. They are ages 28, 12, 11 and 5. We and my husband joke that what that means is we're going to be raising kids for the rest of our lives. We have problems. That's came from, you know. My car broke down all the way to. He's staring at me in the back On this journey, though, I have my wonderful husband, who we've been together actually longer than we've been apart and currently sitting at over 21 years of marriage.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Wow, congratulations. I love your wide gamut of issues that you're probably dealing with, or, as I like to call them, opportunities. Right, the scale of what you're dealing with is definitely wide. I want to highlight that and just keep that in our mind as we talk about your career journey to being a mother of four and what that looks like. Let's chat about how you got into the grocery industry.

Speaker 3: 3:45

My actual story was a story probably of more necessity. I actually started within grocery in 2009, but I started actively looking in 2008 when there was a massive economic depression. We had the real estate collapse within the economy and it was very difficult to find a job. And I just graduated with my master's degree and I had developed a mentor. I was working as an hourly associate at the Walt Disney Company and I had a mentor within the company who recommended that I actually look at consumer packaged goods and she recommended a few companies and really scared me to go back to the career fair at the university to be able to make my rounds once again. And I did that and I landed a role in a leadership development program in the sales department where I actually spent my first almost 10 years of my career at that company.

Speaker 2: 4:36

I love this because I get the opportunity to have so many conversations with female leaders and the different paths that they've taken into the industry. And it's just, it's fascinating and really highlights that there's no one entry point but endless opportunities. You came into the industry out of need and then why have you stayed in the industry? Really fun fact too.

Speaker 3: 4:54

I actually started out my career in this development program driving trucks. I drove 18 foot trucks, which is equivalent to a bread truck, and 24 foot truck foot trucks which is equivalent to a bread truck and 24 foot truck. And the reason I stay is truly because the pace. No day is the same as the other. It's really an amazing fast paced industry. The second reason is because of the impact we I truly believe on the supplier side of the business. We strive in particular for Coca-Cola company to be able to bring value even beyond beverages.

Speaker 3: 5:26

So not only strengthen our position within the non-alcoholic ready to drink category, but push ourselves beyond those now make sure that we're driving win-win propositions for our retail partners. And then, lastly, truly it's about the people in this industry have the privilege of having this amazing network who really continues to challenge me, to learn, and so that's what truly motivates me to stay within the consumer packaged goods and grocery industry.

Speaker 2: 5:51

You know, the people is the heart of everything that we do, whether it's the teams that we work with or the communities that we serve. I love that answer because I think it all comes down to people. And we sell groceries, we distribute groceries, but it's all about people. And I also love your fun fact about driving trucks. I did not know that. As you look at your career so far, what are some of the highlights or achievements that you're most proud of? I'm going to share a recent one Right now.

Speaker 3: 6:17

I'm currently like I've shared with the large store portfolio team at the North America Operating Unit and currently really have a vision of winning the hearts and minds of our consumers and our customers, and really what we found, in particular with regional customers, is that Coca-Cola is a global company, but as much as we are global, we are highly globalized. We have a bottling system that creates the products where they're sold, and so, when you think about that, there's a lot of local relevance of the Coca-Cola company, and so really there's magic in our ability to be able to bring localization and regionalization to life within our strategic partners in the grocery industry.

Speaker 2: 7:00

Yeah, and I think that's where I get into like I'm just fascinated by the whole. I think I joke sometimes and say, can I get a family tree for that organization? Kind of understand all of the moving parts, because I think sometimes we're blind to everything that it takes to get everybody aligned. What's something on your resume we talked about kind of career and achievements and something highlights so far, but what's something that's not on your resume that you're proud of?

Speaker 3: 7:24

We actually just started a new cohort, but at the Coca-Cola Company we're sponsoring the Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council, and what that entity does is it's really a group of visionary retail executives from major corporations as well as strong independents that come together to really research topics that impact the grocery industry, and so I have a chance to actually be a part of that, and what's really interesting about being part of that cohort is that I'm not a part of deciding the topic or what that topic will look like, which we're in the process of doing as we speak but I actually get a chance to just listen to these revolutionizing retail leaders, and it's been really a privilege to be able to sit in the room and discuss what impacts will happen in the grocery industry, especially with some of the technologies and things that will be coming down the pipeline in the future.

Speaker 2: 8:18

Yeah, I've heard a little bit about the Research Council and obviously would love to hear more about it. I know we don't have time for that today, but maybe another special welcome that.

Speaker 3: 8:27

And just know that that council was established in 1978. So it has a long history. So anytime you want to chat about it, let me know.

Speaker 2: 8:35

Awesome, I love that. So let's shift a little and talk mentorship and networking, and let's start with mentorship. Who are some along your path who have mentored you, and in what way have you?

Speaker 3: 8:47

realized that mentorship. I would say I'm going to highlight two individuals who have mentored me through my career journey, in particular, coca-cola system Yang Rao, who works at Cisco. She was a leader who brought me into the Coca-Cola company, and what I learned from Jane is the value of being an authentic leader, something that is very critical. It truly helps you build trust. And then, before I came into the Coca-Cola company, I had the privilege and honor to work for Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and Troy Taylor, who is the CEO of Coke Florida. He has taught me about embracing change and being a transformative leader. I truly appreciate his support eight years of my career.

Speaker 2: 9:36

I think that you've found some of that within your own organization that has helped you just specifically there, but also broader scope, to ensure in many ways. Are there any other female leaders specifically outside of that that have inspired you in some way or motivated you, or that you continue to watch? Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 3: 9:56

I mean there's plenty I would share with you. There are people who are my mentors that don't even know my mentors. I truly believe you can actually mentor somebody or be mentored through observation, and so there's plenty of people who wouldn't even know that they're my mentors. But One person who I would love to highlight, who has really made an impact on my career and who is extremely special, is Pamela Stewart. She's been a tremendous source of inspiration, literally.

Speaker 3: 10:26

Now a year and a half ago is when I came over to her team and it really does feel surreal. She inspired me to go to the Coca-Cola company and I think, in the ways that she's challenged me have really made a massive difference in the way that I've become a leader. She's made me simplify the complex, truly speaks about cultured people and performance, with culture being the most important element, and that has actually transformed and transpired within my leadership style. And the other thing that I've learned from Pam is inspiration can be a platform for transformative growth. That's one of her unique qualities is that she is exceptionally inspirational. So something that I'm trying to think out within my larger team.

Speaker 2: 11:16

Very powerful. I think a lot of us are familiar with her and she is an inspiration. But I also like how you point out that there can be mentorship and mentoring type situations without even knowing it, and the inspiration that an individual can provide or impact that they can play. I think that's a really good point that you bring up, that you don't always know who's watching or you know how you're impacting somebody in one way, shape or form, but it can and always is happening in some capacity Through observation.

Speaker 3: 11:47

you see sometimes what actually applies to your style and what may not, and what you can easily adopt and what you need to work on, and that's really what I've gotten from watching leaders, just even just leaders who are within the Coca-Cola company, ceos that share in their earnings reports, other leaders that I've seen in podcasts and other entities too, and so many avenues anymore, to be able to find some of that inspiration and just knowledge and motivation to be your best sell.

Speaker 2: 12:15

As we look at networking, what importance do you think it's played in your success and what importance do you think it plays overall in success?

Speaker 3: 12:24

Yeah, I think one of the learning journeys I've had, kristen, in full transparency, is that I probably wasn't a great networker when I was younger in my career I also probably didn't put as much value in the networking aspect. And what I share with you and anyone who is listening is that your network is very important, not only for opportunities but in the way that you continue to grow. And one of the things that I think is really important about a network is that the network challenges you on your thought processes. It truly helps you embrace a growth mindset and challenge it. I remember sitting in the audience, and I think it was Adam Grant, and he said that you should have a challenger network, and the challenger network is the network that tells you why your ideas probably aren't going to work, or they challenge you to think differently. And really, if I had to share anything with you, is that, outside of just the networking for relationships, for career opportunities, I would tell you that aspect of a network is something that I think we all tap into for growth.

Speaker 2: 13:34

Such great advice is that it's not just about creating those friendships, and obviously that is a benefit of growing and building out your network. But I actually had the opportunity at one point to meet a networking concierge. That was her title and I'm like tell me more. That title is amazing. What does that mean? But it's like intentionally building your network for things just like that, whether it's professional growth or personal growth or challenging yourself and making sure that you're selecting the network that's going to allow you to become better and that you can contribute the same way for other people's growth as well. As we look at networking and opportunities, are you obviously involved in NGA, wga, things like that. What role do you think that those organizations play in this arena, but also in the networking and being able to build that out?

Speaker 3: 14:28

Absolutely. I think there's a few roles they play. I think one is development and capabilities I think NGA and WGA really are a source for that and being able to continue to expand your knowledge and your viewpoints and particularly obviously focusing in on the career study industry. I think, secondly, it creates a safe space. I'll use WGA for a second as a safe space for females to build relationships, mentorship again, with like-minded and also different-minded individuals. I think those are the resources that I would say most amplify your participation within WGA and NGA.

Speaker 2: 15:04

Yes, and I want to take a minute to acknowledge and thank you for both your support and the incredible support of the Coca-Cola company that you have had and continue to provide to WGA as our premier sponsor, that you have had and continue to provide to WGA as our premier sponsor. It's made an incredible impact and I'm truly grateful, literally shaping the future of the industry as we continue to provide the unique support so that everybody can show up to be our best selves together and just do things more effectively. So thank you wholeheartedly for all of the support that you and your teams provide us Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 15:35

I love that comment on best selves. That's one of the cultural pillars of my team is making sure that we are enabling and allowing people to be their best selves and truly think that that is something that we mutually share with WGA and NGA.

Speaker 2: 15:50

And to every extent that we can do that, we're all succeeding together at that point. Do you have any projects or initiatives that you're working on that you hope will have a big impact on the industry?

Speaker 3: 16:00

With Coat Cooler Company, we continue to push the bounds of modernizing retail. In that scope, we continue to really look at the large store portfolio as a way that we can amplify that modernizing retail store portfolio, as a way that we can amplify that modernizing retail. One of the things I'll highlight and I think this is something that I'm very proud of in our team is that a Diet Coke with wine that actually just recently launched within market my team brought that back. So we're really excited about our innovative platform at the Coca-Cola company and, again, how it continues to complement and drive traffic within our nursery partner stores. That's something that we're very proud of.

Speaker 3: 16:37

This is actually an LTO, so a limited time offer launching within this month, and again, I think what we're seeing is, you know, just to share with you, diet Coke has had a resurgence. I don't know if anybody's seen, but I love what I'm seeing online from people sipping it and telling us what store or locations they purchased it at, whether it be Chick-fil-A or McDonald's. And so, with that said, we actually have launched IACoakLitLine a few years ago and then brought it back this year.

Speaker 2: 17:04

I love that and I love kind of seeing that recycling, taking advantage of those opportunities and where your team. I think that's so amazing that your team and that you were able to lead them to bring that back and look at the innovation and how that has an impact today. So, if we talk about the future for a minute, what trends do you think we need to be keeping an eye on right now? You know, I will tell you.

Speaker 3: 17:23

I know it's very prevalent right now when we talk about our industry. Right, I do believe AI is going to be highly impactful for both the consumer traffic industry and for our retail partners. I think you will see AI show up in many ways where there'll be efficiencies brought to the supply chain. There'll be algorithms we use predictive algorithms but I also think it's going to actually change the consumer experience as well as in some ways that will interact at the grocery partners.

Speaker 2: 17:54

It's such a powerful conversation and there's so much. I think that we're all still learning about what that looks like, but definitely a topic of conversation and almost anything that you're a part of these days, whether it's a conference or reading something about it. But there's definitely a great opportunity there and how that shapes us. I think will be very interesting to see how it plays out. What excites you the most about the future of the industry?

Speaker 3: 18:15

I think I'll share with you. I'm going to use AI because I'm on this learning journey myself with it, and what I share is that the biggest opportunity is efficiencies for our teammates, for them to really focus on what's important, and what really gets me excited is that it could actually automate the mundane for us and really help us and continue to focus on the work that truly matters, which I think is going to be imperative to all of us winning in the future.

Speaker 2: 18:40

Yeah, and we're kind of taking a little bit of that journey ourselves. I think in the beginning, the thought of any AI and utilizing it to that capacity was a little frightening, but I think now, as we look at it as a tool and a resource, how can we utilize it to become more efficient at what we're doing? Let individuals really focus on where they can be innovative and have those greater impacts, instead of being bogged down in the weeds on some of the things that you know. That's not where we want them spending their time, I agree.

Speaker 3: 19:08

And that's a really great thought starter too. I don't know if, Kristen, you've ever experienced this, but there are times where I may be needing fatigue, and what I use AI to do is also just jumpstart my thoughts again. You know, help me just focus in on some things, and it really has actually transformed even the way that I leverage it to infuse into my everyday 100%.

Speaker 2: 19:31

Again, I think another episode we could probably tap into and I want to tie back in the beginning of the conversation I kind of tabled and wanted to keep in the back of our minds. You know the thought of being in the position that you are leading the teams that you do, traveling like you do, being a working mom of four, finding balance and I say that word loosely because I somewhat believe there isn't any but balance with success. What challenges does it present, and can you just touch on a couple other things that you found that help you overcome some of those challenges?

Speaker 3: 20:04

I think you and I may subscribe to the same thought process. Though I wholeheartedly don't know if work-life balance exists, I do believe in integration. I actually do believe that as a working mom, I can have it all, but I probably can't have it all in one day, and that I'm probably disappointing one of my key stakeholders kids, husband, work, you know, teammates at some point in time in any given day. But with that said, I think with things that for me understanding that I integrate and understanding that I can't be perfect that perfection is the enemy and particularly within my life of progress. What I choose to focus in on is a few things. One is that at the beginning of the year, I sit down with my kids and I ask them to tell me what do I need to prioritize, what is really important to them? That are the non-negotiables that I need to be a part of and those are the things that I lay it on the calendar and those become the baseline for my next year calendar and I make sure that I protect that time from travel, so then I can make sure that I'm here for them.

Speaker 3: 21:14

I think the second thing is that I also look at what I can control and what I can't control, and I try to provide an infrastructure that enables me to be successful. So meaning that it's a kind of a time benefit cost analysis on where my time is better spent versus what I outsource to someone else. So, on any given week to share with you, I may choose to, or dinner once a week I may choose to say you know what laundry I may need that. Or I choose to have my house maybe cleaned so that I can be engaged within my attending husband's lives. I think those things are really important and, based on where you're at in your career journey, those levers may look different for everybody. When I was earlier in my career, I picked and chose what I chose very carefully.

Speaker 2: 22:07

I love how you frame that and I think I took a couple nuggets for myself away from there. Sitting down with your children at the beginning of the year and asking what's important to them, I think could be game changing, because it reshapes. Making sure that your priorities are aligning and that they're feeling supported as well. I love that.

Speaker 3: 22:26

I think as a working mom and you don't want to disappoint them, right, you work because it fulfills you and I think that's the other thing too. So many times I've heard a lot of my female peers and teammates. When they talk with their kids, they will share. Oh, I do this because it enables the dance lessons, but I also encourage everybody to share that it makes you happy, that it fulfills a need in you, and that's why you continue to grow within your career. It's really important that your children understand that.

Speaker 2: 22:56

Yeah, absolutely. So what advice? I know you've given out such great advice, Sheila, throughout this whole conversation, which I appreciate. Is there anything that you have ensured that you would give somebody either aspiring to join the industry or continue advancing their career in grocery?

Speaker 3: 23:12

I would encourage you, and particularly if you are new in career, and regardless grocery, consumer goods, it could be any industry. I think this is applicable to open-ended questions are a superpower the higher up that you go. What's really important is that you have the ability to formulate your questions, to be able to get to the answers. You know, I once heard a stat that CEOs make decisions off of 20% of the information they receive. And so powerful because they have to have the ability to ask the right questions to make sure that they're understanding the total opportunities in front of them. So I start with that.

Speaker 3: 23:53

The second thing is and a lot of times we don't talk about this, but I think again it's so critical is embrace failure, or what I like to call iteration. It's such a powerful teacher and can be a true motivator to how you continue to evolve and leverage a growth mindset in the future. The other thing, too, that I think is super powerful is command your fate and don't let anybody determine your worth. And then, lastly I'm going to tie it back, kristen, actually, to something we talked about in that I think WGI, ngi is really something that is critical to this this leverage your network relentlessly. Those would be four nuggets that I would love if I could impart anything on anyone with B2S watchings.

Speaker 2: 24:38

Such great advice, sheila. Thank you for sharing that. So, as we look to wrap up, I'm going to throw a little curveball at you. If you were writing a book or creating a podcast about the industry today, what would the title be? And give us a little insight as to why.

Speaker 3: 24:54

Yeah, professions of the aisle. I say that because obviously all the magic happens in the aisle. I think it's open under the nut to where it can touch many different topics, to be fun and lighthearted and levity that we've seen within the industry and in the consumer goods within a store, but also it can get you to really powerful messaging that you sometimes want to impart. Sheila, I want to thank you so very much. Industry and in the consumer goods within a store, but also it can get you to really powerful messaging that you sometimes want to impart.

Speaker 2: 25:17

Sheila, I want to thank you so very much for sharing your time and your thoughts with us today. I greatly appreciate you. I appreciate your story and I can really appreciate your contribution to the industry. Thank you for your valuable insights and I look forward to watching you make a difference in all you do. Kristen, thank you so much for your time. You have a wonderful day Until next time. Keep making a difference in all you do, kristen. Thank you so much for your time you have a wonderful day Until next time.

Speaker 1: 25:38

keep making a difference in all you do With gratitude. Thank you for listening to today's insightful interview on the Grocery From Her Seat podcast. If you think someone should hear her story, please share this podcast with a friend. You don't want to miss any episodes this season, so be sure to subscribe and remember. More people will hear about stories of her success. If you like, follow and leave a five-star review. Episodes are sponsored by NGA, hosted by WGA President Kristen Popp and published by Rachel Milo with SWA Marketing. Until next time, continue your great work in the independent grocery industry.