Chelsea Matzen: Driven by Community and Continuous Learning

Chelsea Matzen, Vice President Foundation at the National Grocers Association, unpacks how scholarships, mentorship, and community-powered programs shape the next generation of independent retail leaders.

She gets candid about:

• drawing healthy boundaries in an always-on world, 
• the broader shift toward digital convenience, especially for Gen Z shoppers, 
• and leadership, inclusion, and the future of feeding communities

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Transcript

Meet Chelsea And Her Role

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hi, I'm your host, Kristen Popp, and today I'm sitting down to chat with Chelsea Manson, Vice President Foundation with the National Grocers Association. Welcome to Grocery from Your Seat, Chelsea, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Hi, Kristen. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

So, Vice President Foundation, can you share a little more on what that role is and what it all entails?

What The NGA Foundation Does

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Yeah, of course. So within the National Grocers Association, we have a nonprofit arm for our foundation. So I am the lead of all of the work that falls underneath our foundation. That, you know, traditionally has been a lot of support for the careers of those in the independent grocery industry. So that can be leadership development. It's attracting students into the industry and doing student programming and scholarships. It's helping support the diversity of the industry through the Women Grocers of America. And then we've also been doing a lot of grant programs to help grocers with food assistance programs they can take advantage of. So it's been a really rewarding place to work within the industry. I get to help a lot of individuals and connect on that level.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

And I love that you help from all levels, right? So, you know, from uh I know student programs and all of that falls under the foundation side of things, but then all the way up towards uh seasoned executives that are looking to continue their career in some capacity. But you play a critical role in the success of, like you said, Women Grocers of America WGA. So first, thank you for all you do for that. Um and second, can you explain your position as it rates relates specifically to WGA?

SPEAKER_01 1:47

Yeah, of course. I kind of consider myself uh a partner to you and the vice president, uh, Heidi, and all the people on the board to get our programming, you know, executed and accomplished and getting people excited about coming. Um so I'm really just kind of the you know internal to NGA champion of WGA and making sure that you all have all the resources you need to succeed. And um, it's honestly one of the best parts of my job. So I'm very excited to talk about it more.

Personal Milestones And Community Roots

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Well, and we appreciate that. And I wouldn't say you just because you do play a critical role in helping tie everything together, making sure all the ends meet and everything buttons up nicely so that we can have success in everything that we do. Uh so before we dive in more into your professional perspective, can you share a little on the personal side? I know that you've had an exciting past few few years with some more exciting news for the upcoming year. So can you share a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Yeah, it's been an exciting few years for me personally. Um I got married about a little over two years ago. Uh bought my first house last year, and I'm expecting my first baby at the end of this year. So I'm just clipping my way for those milestones.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

Yeah, well, congratulations, very big milestones in every one of those. So uh congratulations to you. And I know um community is important to you, and in prepping for this conversation, you shared something that's not on your resume that you are proud of. Can you share that?

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Yeah, so I'm somebody who, yeah, as you said, community is really, really important to me. And so throughout kind of my life here in DC, I've made it a point to really be a part of long-term community. So I've been a part of a book club for 10 plus years. I've been in the same workout group for 10 plus years, and it's just been really great to kind of have these pockets of of people and really grounding myself in a neighborhood and in a community that um I think is just such an important part of feeling like you're grounded somewhere. I I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and um, you know, putting roots down in DC, like those communities are what makes me feel rooted.

SPEAKER_00 4:05

Well, and I love that. And I wanted to highlight that because I I think it's important, and I don't think that you see that as often that people stay in that same community for such an extended period of time, um, because people drift apart whether their career takes them that way or their personal life takes them that way. So the fact that you've been able to stay with that community and have that to lean into, I think is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

No, exactly. Yeah, and I also forgot to mention my I've also been on the same softball team for over 10 years. So it's uh we've definitely had people come and go in the softball team. Not everyone can stay, but it's fun to see who, you know, how it evolves over time and who's there.

Path Into Food And Grocery

SPEAKER_00 4:43

I love that you're part of that foundation. So jumping back into your career, can you explain your journey into grocery?

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Yeah, of course. Um so growing up uh in Ohio, I was very interested in food and the food system, and I didn't know what that was gonna mean for me. I was just like, I I know I'm passionate about this, grew up gardening with my dad. Um, and so I ended up coming to DC to study political science. I thought maybe I'll be a lobbyist or who knows what. Um and then when I graduated, I ended up finding out more about associations that exist and how those work and how they are kind of a supporting feature for various industries. And so I've now worked for over 10 years in kind of food system association work. I spent a little over four years with the National Farmers Union helping family farmers, um, making sure that they have, I did a lot of proof of safety work there and running grant programs and working in the foundation on that side. Um, and when that grant ended, I was like, you know, I've been on this like farm side of things. I would really like to move and see a different part of the industry. And in particular, grocery was very interesting to me because it was 2020 and the pandemic and be narrative, and you know, it was just everyone wanted to support groceries in some way. And so I was really excited when the National Grocers Association had a job opening to kind of give me the opportunity to see, okay, what you know, what are the policies and issues that are really relevant for grocers and seeing this other side of the industry from, you know, I had been into like, you know, getting it from the field end, and now I was getting it. How do you get it to the consumer side?

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Well, in uh 2020, so nothing like jumping into grocery both feet at the same time. Exactly. You got it all. Uh, real quick. So what what's inspired you to stay in the industry?

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Honestly, what's inspired me to stay within the industry has been just how great. Um, I'm gonna pause. Is can you hear my dog just losing her mind downstairs, or is that only on my end?

SPEAKER_00 6:59

That's just on your end.

Why She Stayed In Grocery

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Okay, great. Teams is doing a great job. I was like, I could open the door and yell at her, but that would just make it louder, I think. Um okay, so you asked, um what so what's inspired you to stay in the industry? Yeah, so I think what's inspired me to stay within the industry is that it does just feel so rewarding to work with individuals who are part of feeding communities. Um I think you know we all have to make money in in some shape, form, or fashion. And there's very few um, there's very few as honest ways of making money as helping those people, uh helping feed people. So that's like one of the like things I always kind of come back to when I'm thinking about uh working in this industry.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

And you know, you've worked on with it within the food food ecosystem in some capacity for you know your career, um, but the industry is ever evolving and and mostly at a very fast pace. Is there anyone who's helped you navigate the space and in what way have they helped you?

Mentors And Learning The Business

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, I would say that um I mean honestly, WGA itself has been one of the best ways for me to learn the grocery industry and connect with different people who've been willing to explain, you know, how what they do impacts grocery and you know, breaking apart the system for me so that I felt like I had a really great base uh that kind of keep adding to that. Um but then I also have had just really great mentors. Um, one of my former bosses, Barbara Patterson with National Farmers Union, was just a great guide for me and um how to be a leader, how how to ask good questions. Um those are all kind of I think really important um really important pieces to help me like feel like I'm succeeding and uh learning the industry and being on the right being on the right footing.

SPEAKER_00 9:09

I I love that you mentioned the WGA side of things because I do obviously it makes my heart full to hear that, but I do um just truly believe the community and the network that's been created within that environment is so strong and so willing to help each other be successful in whatever part of the industry they're in. It's just it's very rewarding that to be to even just be involved in that in any capacity, member or otherwise, because of the network and the strong community that that exists within it.

Ongoing Leadership Growth

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

So, Chelsea, let's chat on leadership. As a leader in your role, what are some things that you have learned or how do you approach that role?

SPEAKER_01 9:52

Yeah, I think um, you know, there's always something you're learning when you're a leader. Um, I feel like it's always important to kind of continue leaning into leadership, you know, classes or trainings, uh, whatever it might be, because you get something new out of them each time. Or honestly, sometimes it's just a nice reminder of, you know, I think once you go through a day-long training of leadership, you know, can implement one or two things out of that training at any given time. And so sometimes going to another training a couple years down the line, you get reminded of, oh yeah, the other training I went to had this, but I like didn't implement it at the time for whatever reason. And so it's a nice reminder to be like, okay, I'm that's what I'm gonna absolutely do this time and like take back to my day-to-day. Um, and so I think it's always important to, as a leader, make sure you're always like continuing to learn.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Yeah, and I think that you also shared um, you know, in in our prep for this conversation, you shared a little bit about accountability and making sure that you're holding yourself accountable, which I thought was a great um as a leader that we're not just expecting that out of our teams, but we're also reflecting on ourselves in that capacity as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Yeah, absolutely. I think accountability is another kind of key aspect of being a good leader of a team. Um, you're holding other people accountable, you need to hold yourself accountable to you know getting the job done, or even acknowledging the times when you're like, hey, you know, I know that I fell short and what I wanted to do to support, you know, this project and being able to kind of be transparent and what's going on of maybe why you know you didn't meet your own expectations. Uh I think that goes a long way with building a team up and building respect.

SPEAKER_00 11:42

100%. I couldn't agree more. So, what are some challenges that you see leaders facing today, either um new or unique from previous generations?

SPEAKER_01 11:56

I'm scrolling to see what I said. I know how to get a response to that.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So you can just jump in and start answering. Yeah, and you framed it as what um what are the challenges that what are challenges you see? Yeah, what are some of the challenges you see leaders facing today, either new challenges or unique from previous generations?

Boundaries And Modern Leadership

SPEAKER_01 13:44

I think one of the maybe unique challenges to leaders today is figuring out where to set boundaries, particularly when it comes to maybe like we have so much social media and so many other ways of connecting with people that didn't exist, you know, 10 to 20 years ago, even. Um, and so I know, you know, personally I hold myself to a boundary that I don't really connect with people on social media that I work with until we are no longer directly, you know, colleagues or directly reporting to each other. I just think that's a healthy boundary unless it's on LinkedIn or, you know, via a business platform. But I think navigating how do you bring your full self to the office and acknowledge that you're a human being and we all are, um, but also that we're here to do a job and we have to try and do our best. And I think navigating some of those boundaries can uh be very challenging for leaders.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

Yeah, I think it can be. And the uh, you know, setting boundaries can be so um it can it can set you up for such great success, but holding yourself accountable to those boundaries can sometimes be a challenge too. So not only setting boundaries, but then holding yourself accountable to the boundaries that you do set um can can also be, in my opinion, those can also be that can also be a challenge as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

Oh yeah. I've just certainly had sometimes colleagues reach out and they're like, I want to be friends with you on Facebook. I was like, I would love to be friends with you on Facebook whenever one of us no longer works here. And it was just like sometimes well received and sometimes not.

SPEAKER_00 15:21

Yeah, but you're you're staying with what you believe to, you know, be the right boundary for you and and make sure that you're not crossing those lines um personally and professionally, which I commend you for you know sticking to that. So let's shift a little bit and talk about the initiatives and programs that either you work on directly or that you oversee in your role, which I know we covered the kind of wide range of programs that the foundation oversees, but is there any one that you hope uh that or that you see having a big impact on the industry um moving forward? And in what way do you see that impact?

Programs With Lasting Impact

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Yeah, I think that um of like a lot of the initiatives that are having a huge impact, like WGA is you know one of the programs that NGA that I think makes a difference for the makeup of um, you know, leadership teams and grocery. I think WGA is helping raise people from all, you know, as we talked about earlier, it has members from across uh experience levels in the industry. And so I'm really hopeful that you know the more we do there, the bigger impact it's gonna have on the industry down the line and raising up leaders that maybe weren't gonna be tapped otherwise and giving opportunities. Um I know you all do a great job of even looping in our student programs and reaching out and saying, hey, you know, we can have uh women on the, we can have students, you know, women students on the WGA board and giving them an opportunity to see how a board runs and what that looks like. Um I think that's so valuable, just kind of the ways that we're piecing all of those things together.

SPEAKER_00 17:08

Well, and I think you said, you know, elevate leaders, not only elevate leaders that maybe what wouldn't have otherwise we tap, but also recognizing um and helping attract potential leaders into the industry um by those student programs or by offering initiatives like this as an industry. It's something unique that we offer in the independent space that I don't think um we see elsewhere. And so just how do we continue to grow the industry and make sure that we're developing strong talent going forward? Absolutely. So, as we talk about supporting women in the industry, do you have anyone throughout your career that's helped support you or that inspired or motivated you in some way?

Future Trends: Gen Z And Online

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Yeah, I would say um, you know, another kind of mentor of mine when I first started working at NGA is Ted Mason. He um is a former, I think, president of the Kentucky Grocers Association. I think maybe has done some time with NGA previously, FMI has been in the industry a long time. And um, you know, he was just really great for me to kind of talk through, you know, what does it really look like to operate a grocery store? You know, if he'd run, you know, been in grocery stores himself and um took the time to, you know, really meet with me, explain the intricacies of grocery, talking through grocery math, talking about the net profit, how you set pricing. Um I think all of that was extremely important to making sure that I was on a good path at NGA to keep moving up and keep growing. And I really, really value the time he spent with me to explain that.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

I love that you know, just spending time with somebody, and I think that's something that uh sometimes can get passed by, but you know, if you're willing to sit down and share advice, share experiences, share stories, share information, share knowledge, so much can be achieved together in this industry. And I love that um, you know, somebody that took the time to do that has stayed with you and impacted you in that capacity.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

So as we look towards the future, what trends do you see shaping what's next for us?

SPEAKER_01 19:25

Um, so this is somewhat influenced by the fact that uh we in the foundation have a program called uh SunTac. It's our grant to help grocers with Snap Online. Um, but the more we've you know dived into Snap Online, the more I've just also thought about online shopping in general. Um and the more we talk to you know the students who are involved in our programs, it does feel like Gen Z is just they really tend to purchase online from the folks that we talk to. I mean, there's always outliers, and I think people who care about the grocery industry love going to a grocery store and shopping in person. So, you know, sometimes we're in our own echo chamber. But a lot of the students we talk to talk about online shopping and being able to click and pick it up and have it delivered. And I think a lot about how you know we talk at our events about how independent grocers tend to differentiate themselves through the in-store experience and that, you know, personal touch when you go to the store and someone remembers your name, or they're helping you cut your meat, or helping you select some really great stuff from the bakery, you know, those are all in-store experiences that, you know, is Gen Z going to, as they age, start caring about more, or are they going to continue really valuing the efficiency of online shopping and being able to keep their lives moving? Um and so I'm really interested in seeing how independent grocers will, you know, continue to adopt and adjust as as online shopping trends shift. I think that's gonna be um a really notable trend to kind of keep keep looking at, keep wrestling with, keep looking at.

SPEAKER_00 21:08

Yeah, the future shopper really is uh interesting to me in what watching what what they're going to shift towards and and where where that's gonna fall because I think digital and online is such an important part of the system, but in-sort experience is not lost today. So how that shifts and what that shapes up to be for the future is uh you know something I'm keeping an eye on as well. What excites you the most about the future of the industry?

SPEAKER_01 21:38

I think what excites me uh the most about the future of the industry is that we uh do seem to be willing to keep evolving. Um you know, every I think conference I've been doing the past year or two is really looking to the future and how grocery is going to keep changing and evolving and how the independence kind of you know not only keep pace, but actually set the pace in certain ways. And so um I'm just excited that like it's not we are in an industry looking to the past and trying to figure out how we like continue just doing it the way we've always done it. We are looking for ways to innovate and it's just I'm excited to see, you know, what the next big innovation is gonna look like.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

You and me both. Chelsea, do you have any advice you would give someone aspiring to join the industry or continue advancing their career in grocery?

SPEAKER_01 22:37

Um, I think you know, taking in um podcasts like this one, looking to connect with others, you know, I we were talking earlier about how important community is to me and connections. I think, you know, if you're interested in learning more about grocery or being a part of it, you know, reaching out to people and saying, you know, hey, I see you work in grocery or I see you have experience in this, you know, do you have time for a coffee? Um most people are gonna say yes to that, is what I have found. I know that you know, I always feel really honored when somebody reaches out to me to ask those kinds of questions. Um and you know, if they don't have time, they don't have time. But no one's ever gonna be, you know, inconvenienced, I think, by you asking for their advice and to learn a bit more about their career and their history. And that's just the best way to learn.

SPEAKER_00 23:29

Absolutely. And I think, you know, to me, the heart of this industry is the relationships and the networking that happens within it and building those relationships because then you can lean into those. And I I had this conversation um not too long ago with somebody else about the coffee chats. And um, even if somebody doesn't have time in their schedule at the you know, currently just to have that, you know, time to give, they typically can ref refer you to somebody else that does. And so I think that just speaks volumes to everybody is willing to help, and even though it might not fit on their plate at the time, they can usually give you or refer you to somebody else that could. And so just reaching out and asking those questions, Chelsea, I think is fantastic advice.

SPEAKER_01 24:13

Yeah, that's a really good point. Even like leaving it open to like if you don't have time, do you have somebody you'd recommend me speaking to?

SPEAKER_00 24:21

Yeah, and I think you know, the networks that are built, they they typically do, and they're very willing to share that and um can can continue to open your network as well. So I'm going to throw you a little curveball as we like to wrap up. If you were writing a book or creating a podcast about the industry today, what would the title be?

Closing Thanks And Subscribe

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Hmm, that's a very good question. Um It's funny, I feel like my friends and I, we always joke about like what our personal biographies would be. So now I'm trying to think back to see if anything pops for me. But um I'm trying to think through our uh when we were brainstorming the WGA podcast name, what other names we came up with.

SPEAKER_00 25:17

There were several.

SPEAKER_01 25:18

There were, yeah, we went through a few different iterations. Um nothing's coming to me right now.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Okay, well, we'll table that for the next time we chat and see what you come up with. So, Chelsea, thank you for sharing your story and your voice with us today. I appreciate everything you're doing for the grocery industry through all of your work, through the foundation and through NGA. Keep leading, keep inspiring, and I look forward to following the impact you continue to make.

SPEAKER_01 25:46

Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Kristen.

SPEAKER_00 25:50

Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope it sparked ideas, inspiration, and a reminder of the impact you make every day. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a conversation and consider leaving a review to help others discover grocery from her seat. With gratitude, making a difference one story at a time.