Celebrating The First Woman: Amy Niemetscheck

Today, we take a look back at an episode from April of this year when Kristin had the opportunity to interview Amy Neimenscheck.  

This year, Amy has been named WGA’s Woman of the year and just this week installed as the first female chair of the ROFDA Board, Amy's journey reflects both personal achievement and industry wide progress. 

 From her start as an accountant to leading as a CEO, her past shows what it means to combine technical expertise, visionary leadership, and unwavering advocacy for the grocery industry. 

 Today we wanted to celebrate Amy not only for her individual accomplishments, but also for the doors she's opening for other women and future leaders in grocery.  

Here are two great takeaways to listen for today: 

1st: Recognition validates impact. Being honored as WGA's Woman of the Year affirmed that Amy's years of leadership, advocacy, and passion for grocery are making meaning a meaningful difference, both inside her company and across the industry. As the first woman to serve on the board and now as the Chairperson of ROFDA, she is reshaping what leadership looks like in wholesale and distribution.  

2ndly: Collaboration shapes the future. ROFDA share groups and NGA share groups show the power of collective learning. 

This culture of collaboration or Co-opetition as they call it, amplifies innovation and supports the independent retailers they serve. Amy's story is a reminder that Trailblazers in Grocery do more than lead their own teams. They open doors, elevate others, and redefine what's possible for the entire industry. 

Now enjoy this interview between Kristin and Amy on Grocery From her Seat. 

https://theshelbyreport.com/2025/02/10/co-opetition-encourages-rofda-members-to-share-ideas-resources-solutions/

Transcript

Meet Amy Ninkachuk

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Now listen, take notes, and welcome Kristen Pop.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

I am your host, Kristen Pop, and today I have the opportunity to chat with Amy Ninkachuk, president and CEO of Circo Inc. Welcome to Grocery Farmer City, Amy, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today. Thanks for having me. It's my pleasure. Amy, I know we touched on your title, but can you share with us a little more in detail what that role plays within your organization specifically?

SPEAKER_02 2:43

Sure. So I am currently the president and CEO at Circo. And with that title, I have the opportunity to work for approximately 250 independent grocers. I am directed and given opportunity once a month to sit with our board of directors, which is made up of seven of our current members, as well as our CFO and our executive vice president. So annually we go through strategic planning, talk about industry trends, things that are influencing the warehouse, employment, several items, develop that strategic plan, and then it's my job to execute and provide updates to the board and the stockholders throughout the year. So it's it's been quite a ride.

SPEAKER_03 3:31

I'm sure it has been, especially with your tenure with the organization. I want to go ahead and start by diving into your background. Can you share your career journey that led you to and including where you are today?

Choosing Circo Over Finance

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Oh, sure. So I had a little unconventional path to Circo. Um after college, I I graduated with a business degree in accounting and was an auditor for a public accounting firm out of Milwaukee and found out pretty early on that my niche that I liked was manufacturing and distribution. And I knew that I enjoyed going into different businesses and learning about different leadership styles, different ways that businesses were successful. Also, through that pattern, I saw businesses that weren't successful and kind of shaped what I foresaw as maybe a future dream job for myself. And in the mid-2000s, one of my clients happened to be Circo. When you talk about putting those different clients into those buckets of, wow, this would be a great place to work. What an awesome, you know, culture to be working for the customers that are also your owners and that customer service aspect that bled throughout the whole organization. I just thought was a very neat and interesting dynamic. So, but again, I was living in Milwaukee, not in Madison at the time. But fast forward um till about 2010, and I was transferring, moving away from Milwaukee, moving back to Madison, and got a phone call from someone in my network from public accounting days letting me know that they heard I was back in Madison and they also heard that Circo was looking for a controller. So um I went in and interviewed and uh was given the opportunity to join Circo back in January of 2011 as a controller and enjoyed the finance and accounting side of the business, worked my way up to CFO for a number of years, but really got involved, you know, helped one of our warehouse expansions when we built the cooler out of our existing facility, moving it to a different set of grounds, and just really became more passionate about the overall business, not just you know the accounting of the business. So put myself into meetings I probably sometimes didn't belong in and had a great mentor in the previous CEO, Randy Simon. And when his succession came up, it was a pretty open and kind of interesting conversation with him when I was given the opportunity to learn from him for a couple more years before he retired. And um, I took over in 2019 as CEO. That's how I got here.

SPEAKER_03 6:01

I like what you shared that Randy has asked you when he was looking at his succession plan uh to take over leadership of Circo. And uh can you share what he asked you when you guys had that conversation?

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Yeah, he pretty much said, Amy, do you love accounting and finance or do you love Circo? Um and for me, he he asked it in such an open and really for me a light bulb went on at that moment. And I'm like, yeah, you're right. I it isn't the accounting and the finance. It's again going back to working for your customers that are your owners. Um, and just that feeling that you can put within your own culture of your, you know, at the time there was about 400 employees to let that be how your culture is built and work for just an amazing group of stores that we're looking to serve. So yeah, our our transition was about two years, and I gladly hired a new CFO that's doing wonderful things, and uh I've been able to step away, which is great.

SPEAKER_03 6:59

That's fantastic. So you talked about when you were in the public accounting and that you did work for Circo um through that role, but uh and you found the niche that you really enjoyed um with the independent industry, but was there anything that specifically inspired you to to then come back and join the industry other than that phone call that you got?

Family, Culture, And A 550-Person “Home”

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Um I again, I think it was the idea of what a cooperative was, right? I mean, I didn't work for many um other clients that were organized in that manner, where when you're talking to them about their customer base, it is not the ownership in many of those situations. They might have had uh private equity investment, they might have been family owned. Um, but the dynamic of uh that customer service aspect being part of it was just um really, really gravitated to me. And then I think just um, you know, knowing that these independent grocers are like the backbone of so many of these communities that including one that I grew up in was pretty special too. Um at the time when I joined the neighborhood grocer that I went to as a young child with my mother was on our board of directors. So it was just it was a very uh very very much at home feeling, that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03 8:19

Absolutely. It does it. I think when we understand the full impact that the independent plays within the communities that we're a part of is just it it's inspirational in an in and of itself to be a part of such a such a great uh industry that can serve our communities in in the way that we do. Mm-hmm. Very much so. Amy, I know that family is important to you, and I say that both personally and professionally. Something you and I have chatted about on several occasions, uh, each having three kiddos, but can you touch on your home and your work families and and what they each mean to you? Oh, sure.

Presence Over Balance

SPEAKER_02 8:56

Um, so I've been very blessed. I've been married for uh over 23 years with my husband that I met in college. Um and we had uh for about the first seven years of our marriage, uh both of us were pretty, pretty much into our jobs. We loved our jobs, we loved being able to travel. Um so we had a little what some people will say unconventional um family plan. We had our first kiddo after seven years of being married. So the three kids I have, um I have a daughter who's soon to be 16, and about she'll tell me exactly the hours and days because of her 16 birthday, uh, and then two boys who are 14 and 12. Uh and they're all um uh healthy, so I feel very blessed for that. And they're also driven. Um, they're they're driven kids as far as they're you know, they're in multiple sports. Um my boys are also, you know, in in uh music, so one of them's in choir, the other one's in band. Um so I I try as much as possible to be that basketball mom, soccer mom, and person in the crowd cheering for every concert I can make. Um, but no, it's it's it really happens in the opportunity to to take on a position such as this because my husband has been such a rock for me. Um, you know, he's got a job out of the house, which has been uh a wonderful thing to give us some balance in our life, and he knows he's the call that's gonna have to take the call, probably more likely than myself, and pick up the the kiddo that's sick and bring in the permission slip that was missed. Um just a really good support system there. Um and then here at Circo, you know, I had mentioned earlier, you know, back when I took over as CEO versus now, I mean we're we're over 550 employees at this point. And it's hard to keep that family feel, but it was a culture that was here before I was in this chair, and I'm I think I've done a fine job maintaining that. Um we do things that many 550 plus employers don't do. We have a Christmas party every year still. We have a summer picnic uh where all the employees and their spouse and their families come out to a park. And we even attend, it's called the Madison Forward. It's a semi-pro soccer um team that we all go and watch one game in the fall. So it's it's a very tight-knit 550 employee um base. And that there's days I I will pass by people and I don't know their name. Um, but that's okay because they they recognize we've grown and we've been very fortunate to grow with our our member owners. So yeah, I feel very blessed uh professionally and personally with my my family.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

You mentioned that your kids are driven, and I uh have to guess that they were getting that from their mom. You're a great inspiration. I can only imagine to them and what they're seeing you accomplish. So uh great role model for them. And then, you know, just the the work family, and as you grow, it does get more and more challenging, but I think you've done a fantastic job at trying to keep that um that personal touch that can make such a difference uh in in your work environment as well. I think it's interesting as we talk about this and the responsibilities that are tied to each, as we as we prep for the conversation, you shared something not on your resume besides your amazing kiddos, uh, that you are proud of. Can you touch on what that was?

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Oh, sure. Um, you know, I I I can't take full credit for this. I I think I I learned a lot of this just by by reading and and watching other leaders um what I what I saw as a successful leadership trait. Um and really what I like to say is I don't I don't have work-life balance. Um I just try to have presence in whatever I do. So what I mean by that is, you know, when I'm at work, you know, my heart, my drive, I try to have a hundred percent of everything to be there. And it kind of goes back g goes back to what I was talking about with, you know, what I have at home with a very supportive husband that has the flexibility to to drop things if if something happens with the kiddos, um that he can step in and and he can take care of that. Yet because I I feel like I give when I'm physically at work every day, I really have no issues when I go home trying to say, you know what, I've I've given Circo, I've given the board, I've given my members a lot. I I deserve to have presence now with my with my kids, you know, and and my husband and maybe my parents and my brothers, however that may go. So yeah, I just feel, you know, that idea of work-life balance is is a hard, hard thing to master. And I've always just looked at it to say one thing I'm proud of is I just I don't try to balance it. I just whatever I'm in at that moment, I try to give it my all so that when I'm in the next presence, whether it's home and friends, I I give it all there as well.

WGA Board: Mentorship And Scholarships

SPEAKER_03 14:04

So and I I I really want to highlight this is I think there can sometimes be a false belief that some females, and I know I hear it too, how do you do it all? But some females in executive or leadership positions with kiddos and multiple activities and a demanding job who can attend both and be present have some unbelievable superpower. Uh when the fact of the matter is you have figured out what works best for you and have aligned your priorities in such a way that you can accomplish what matters most to you. So, Amy, I applaud you for talking about this to shine a light on there not being a magic recipe to make it all work, but rather finding your rhythm that works for you. Um because I I, you know, when people say to me, how do you do it all? And it's I'm just very intentional with my time. So, you know, I've picked and prioritized what works for me so that when I'm in a moment, I'm intentional in that moment. Um and I think you have to just find what works best for you, and and but I don't think there is a magic superpower or a magic wand that we wave and it all flows together, right? Correct. Sometimes I think we wish there was. Right. But it's just not there. So you just have to find what works best for you, and and that's okay. Right. Amy, you are a fierce advocate and also an inspiration for the industry. In addition to your day-to-day role, let's talk about the boards you volunteer your time on. Although you recently transitioned off the board of WGA, let's start with your involvement on the WGA board. Can you start with how you got involved and your experience?

NGA Leadership And Advocacy

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Sure, sure. So um I was fortunate, in my opinion, to join the the Women Grocers of America at about the same time as the person I'm having this conversation with you, Kristen. But uh really the person that literally grabbed me in the hallway one day at an NGA show was Stephanie Reed from the Shelby Report. And she said, Hey, I want I want to introduce you to this group of people. You know, we were trying to launch a mentorship program, and um we also, you know, have this fun run at the at the NGA show that um creates scholarship monies for the Mary Macy Scholarship. And I said, Oh, well, that sounds interesting. You know, at that point that was it, that was really my first opportunity to see what it might look like to join an organization. I I didn't go into that meeting thinking I would be on the board by any means, but I was fortunate um based on where the organization was at the time to take a board seat. Um not not not like yourself, Kristen, who took on the the president role, but you know, it was it was uh as I said, I just felt like the timing was just really really impactful. Um I mean the organization was really focused on those two things I said. They were trying to have at the NGA show this idea of a mentorship opportunity for some seasoned um women in industry to maybe talk to some people who were up and comers, which is where I was at the time. Um and instead really the the board seats kind of shuffled and it became much, much more than that. Um and you you have uh uh you should be very proud, Kristen, for for creating that um because it took your vision. I just was fortunate to grab onto pieces of that vision and and try to have some ownership. And for me, I I did love the idea of of the scholarships. Um so you know, at the time, like I said, there was this one Mary Macy scholarship that was funded by this run. I think the last year I did it this past summer, um, you know, between vendor sponsorships that were now coming in related to specific um food safety related um scholarships, for example, we gave out four. So, you know, that's pretty remarkable growth on just a scholarship front. Um and then just that idea of trying to make sure that the organization was in a good spot financially. Um, you know, besides what you've all been able to raise with vendor recognition of of how important this organization is, um, I took on just trying to come up with a way that made it easy and fun to uh create a raffle at at the uh NGA show. And uh, you know, we didn't come up with the prize, but I think we did um come up with a pretty creative way the first year that we decided to take our raffle online. Um and we put ourselves out there against the uh NGA pack and uh their raffle with the uh the bourbon and we went to the uh QR code, able to use a credit card versus their conventional way of expecting people to have cash, and we did very well that first year just by changing that format of how we could actually collect funds. So it's been, you know, as basic things to that, to obviously being a member of EXFL um for a number of events, and then now the symposium that's been created after the uh membership uh feedback as far as what would make that educational, networking, amazing group of women that come together um as meaningful as possible. So it's been a great ride, and uh I've enjoyed contributing, I've enjoyed learning and uh being a part of a board where every person picked something up and just did it is quite remarkable. I can tell you, not every board is like that.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

So I think the involvement of our board is phenomenal, and uh I appreciate all your kind words. It's been a great ride. And Amy, um, as we know as leaders, right, it's all about the team that you build to make it work. And I think we have such a great uh team on our board. Like you said, everybody is willing and driven to help make this be successful and work towards the vision. Um and I think that's where we've been so fortunate to accomplish that, accomplish that vision and continue to move it forward with great impact. Uh where do what place do you feel WGA has in the industry for the future? Where do you feel that that impact lies?

SPEAKER_02 20:23

Um I I guess for myself, I would say uh, you know, we want to see people continue to come into this industry. So I think one thing that the WGA has done a nice job job on, you know, it does have woman in the name of it. Um but I think many of us are just very passionate about making this industry something that is appealing to people to find a career in. Um and I think the idea of, you know, the involvement with the students has been wonderful to show them that a career doesn't have to look like you're the checker at the grocery store and where your career can actually go, whether it's at retail, wholesale, um, working at one of the CPG partners. Uh it's just I think it's created that openness with multiple campuses as well to continue to shine a light on this is a great industry to be in. And uh as as people weigh and see economic pressures in different industries, as I always like to say to my kids, people always like to eat and need to eat. So why not join an industry that's pretty stable when it comes to a uh necessary survival item?

SPEAKER_03 21:37

Well, and and to your point of, yes, there's woman in women in the name of the organization, but w we all know that we have uh great male male allies, and I think the important part of it is supporting everybody in their uniqueness so that we can all do better together and continue to have a thriving industry, both by attracting new talent, but also retaining the talent that we have and making them feel that they're they're in a space that they're supported to achieve success. Absolutely. Absolutely. So let's talk about your next role. You are also on the NGA board, and I know you're part of that executive committee. Can you share a little bit about your role on that team?

RAFTA: First Female Chair Ahead

SPEAKER_02 22:17

Oh, sure. It's somewhat new for me still. Um at the the board meeting that's coming up actually in a couple days here. This will be my first time that I'm actually uh in the role as as secretary on uh on the board. So uh the really there's the chair, vice chair, treasurer, and then the secretary. So um the the chairs have been somewhat laid out for the um succession of the upcoming years of the NGA. So just looking to continue to to find ways where I can have a larger role. Um I I currently also sit on the investment committee that meets quarterly, so we review the the different asset allocations for where the different funds are sitting and ensure that we're following our uh investment policy statement uh for the NGA. I've also been part of the strategic planning initiative that Greg uh created a subcommittee for that lays out kind of their their longer-term strategic plan and their pillars that the NGA wants to continue to support. Ensure that we're listening to the membership and and uh obviously making sure that we're specifically you know being the voice in Washington, D.C. for the independent grocer. So those have been really where I'm at now. And like I said, I'm gonna learn what this next secretary seat has very shortly. So great work you're doing there. And let's not forget your role in future with the RAFTA board. I like to refer to this one just because I I I am the only female on that board. I like to call it my brotherhood because I am on a board with seven other CEOs of uh retail-owned food distributors. So I've held the roles there of treasurer and now the vice chair of of RAFT. The November of 2025 conference. Uh Mike Violet, who's our current chair, will be stepping down and uh I'll be excited to be able to say I'll be the first female chairwoman of RAFTA in history. It's an exciting time there as well. You know, RAFTA's been known for creating dynamic um opportunities for share groups across the wholesaler to come together twice a year. And we rotate our teams. What I mean by that is you can have finance, the CFO from every one of the eight wholesalers come and they have two days of sharing best practices from operations to human resources. Been very lucky at RAFT to have a lot of associate support from technology companies, CPGs, marketing organizations to include our independent retailers as part of the conference as well. So when we go to these things, they're not just coming and talking to the CEOs about a potential great arm of the technology that could be used to better their business, but we now bring two retailers each. So it's been an evolving board to be on as well, and I'm just honored to kind of have that place in history to say I'll be the first female here very soon.

Building The Bench And Humble Leadership

SPEAKER_03 25:10

Absolutely incredible, Amy. The perfect leader for the the the Rasta organization and the path you're paving forward and opportunities for others beyond inspiring. Keep shattering ceilings because you're doing amazing. Thank you. Looking back, what are some of the key achievements or highlights you are most proud of?

SPEAKER_02 25:28

I'll start maybe with with what I I try to make sure I I've learned that I didn't grow up cleaning milk bottles in the back room. That wasn't my background. So I've quickly learned that I I need to be understanding with myself and not be uncomfortable if I don't have that same historical background as a lot of the people that have gotten into roles uh similar to mine. Um but I feel really it's about knowing what you know and building a bench of people around you to support you in areas that you aren't the expert on. Because there's nothing better for an organization if the the person at the top isn't leading by an egotistical view of having to know it all or pretending to know it all. Because you can get the culture when you show them that they're part of something and they have a special what they're doing is is leading and and helping the organization's mission. It took a bit, I'll be perfectly honest, for me to realize it's okay not to know everything. When you're put into opportunities as I've been blessed to lead in different departments, I don't try to say the fake it till I make it. I'm very open and say, I need you to own that and I need you to report back. And you might need to teach me a little bit of why, because I might not know exactly why you're saying that. That to me is a somewhat of an achievement. Not swallow your ego, but recognize you're gonna be better off as an organization when you build the bench around you. And I don't know, I think my timing of becoming CEO was was also somewhat was a challenging couple years. Um I started in April of 2019, and I was in my role for maybe two months and suddenly lost, our meet director suddenly passed away. You know, you never expect that. Superhuman. He was in an Iron Man competition and passed. So you go through a moment like that and you have to pivot, you have to be there for your team. And then within a few months of of that happening and getting that department back and stable, we decided we were no longer going to be a surefine house. And and we were pivoting to a different brand for all of our stores to love or hate. And it was a challenging, challenging transition. What followed was was COVID. I think looking back, that was definitely a very challenging 24 months. And I I made it, so bring it on. It was very uh it was stressful, but also very humbling to to look back at all that the organization accomplished in that time.

Crisis Years: Rebrand And COVID

SPEAKER_03 27:58

Remarkable, really. When you mentioned that you, you know, not starting your career in grocery and having to navigate through what that looked like. Was there anybody that helped you do that specifically or have a better understanding of the industry as a whole?

SPEAKER_02 28:15

Yeah. Um, so I talked a little bit about Randy Simon and you asked about that one critical conversation. You know, he was the CEO prior to myself, uh, and he definitely was a mentor for me. Uh he he was the one that brought me into meetings, like I said, that maybe I volunteered myself to get into, but he also obviously saw something in me that he wanted me to be part of those meetings. So whether it was, you know, a system change or a uh difference in how we were going to do forecasting, it was not a hundred percent related to CFO duties, but I was brought into them and I have him to thank for that. Um, I also, you know, I uh have so many great retailers that I have the pleasure to work for, but uh Ted Bellisturi, I've always said he he's one of the uh co-owners of Sendix Food Markets, and he always he'll tell me there's never a dumb question, but I can tell you I've asked him a lot of dumb questions in my opinion, and he's never made me feel dumb. Um because he was, you know, he's just he's not he's a humble leader. I don't know how to describe it. And he he has built quite a team underneath him, and he has a lot of traits that I've tried to mimic and take pieces from because I felt like he was a very impactful leader and still is. The last would just be at my current board of directors. Um, like I said, there's seven independent retailers that sit on the board right now. They're extremely engaged, they're thinking of what is coming in the future. I'm very fortunate that they've all crossed my path.

SPEAKER_03 29:46

I always love hearing those stories because it's just it's such an incredible network to be a part of. What are some of the challenges that you see others, uh men or women, facing in leadership today?

Mentors, Retail Partners, And Board Support

SPEAKER_02 29:57

I go back to that that idea of Of you don't have to know it all. I think the idea that you really need to build your benches and that that goes beyond just your professional benches, but I've got my strong bench at home with my family. I've got a strong bench of personal friends that are my outlet when I need to get away and have a girls' weekend. If you don't create those benches, you're going to you're gonna bog yourself down and you're gonna put unrealistic expectations on yourself. I think that's a challenge that people have, and you know, I call it like department geniuses around you so that the entire organization, back to the professional side, is better off. The leader's role is to make sure the communication barriers are broken down, the silos are broken down across those departments, and you're marching with values that are meaningful and you can personally uh attach yourself to. And uh I think when that leader grabs those types of traits versus the I'm gonna portray I know it all, I think you're really building an organization that that can have a lot of staying power and be very powerful. And what trends do you see now that we absolutely need to be keeping an eye on? As of late specifically, GLP1s or other things that are happening, but the the way that the consumer is viewing food, a lot of emotion, I guess, around food, you know, watching that trend, what the independents offer, that can be a huge winning point for us. The consumer might look at a big box and think, how do I get emotion when I'm shopping, shopping there versus if I can go into uh a store that I can walk in the door and they've made their fresh bread there that day, I can pick up a steak that I just watched that person cut. Equally so, they're they're all watching their pocketbook. Making sure that our stores are still showing value to the consumer will continue to be a challenge. And then how much the shopper is shopping it in different ways. How much are they buying online versus how much are they buying in store? Maybe your uh e-commerce isn't going to explode, but you know what? If you don't offer it, that is going to give the shopper a reason to maybe go somewhere else. Just that constant balance of investment to make sure that you're in the game with technology, yet you still have those niche things that you create that emotional tie with food that is a differentiator that the independence can do. I think it's an exciting time because of those trends.

SPEAKER_03 32:20

We could probably do a separate podcast on each of those. Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 32:26

Is there anything else that excites you about the future of the industry? Some of the main initiatives that NGA's been working on, um, the traction that is being heard across Washington on you know fair competition. I haven't been on the hill a ton lobbying, but the times I have, the the attention we're getting is very exciting to have leveled that playing field. As a wholesaler, if I can if I can buy in a truckload of product and can be as efficient as a customer as the big guys, why can't we have similar promotion strategies, similar pricing strategies and opportunities to compete?

Modern Grocery Trends And E‑Commerce

SPEAKER_03 32:59

Yeah, and I think the impact that you you mentioned the hail visits and some of those uh conversations that are had with representatives, the impact that those carry, I think, are oftentimes underestimated and the experience of being able to do that and create those relationships too, um, just very powerful. Not only the business, but the customer and the consumer as a whole. Okay, Amy, you have received a high recognition in the industry this year and being named WGA's 2025 Woman of the Year. I could not be more proud on behalf of the board to have you highlighted with this honor. Can you touch on what this means to you and the impact it has on you both personally and professionally?

SPEAKER_02 33:34

You know, first of all, I humbly surprised to hear where the nomination came from from, you know, the peer group of board of directors and then personnel that have had the the joy of working with many of them for 10 plus years. Some of them were here the entire time I've been at CERTCO. The things that you're doing that you wonder if they're making an impact when you s when you receive something like this, it makes it all worth it. And I don't mean to get emotional, but it yeah, I I was truly floored. It it makes all the hard work worth it. I I don't know else to say.

SPEAKER_03 34:05

Your passion, your advocacy, your contributions, the award represents your inspiring leadership with the in in the industry. And you know what, my friend, keep lays and trails because you're absolutely making a difference. And I also want to say, you know, we talked about you becoming the first leader of the RAFT board, um, and and your kiddos being able to see you take on new roles and create new heights and new paths uh forward. This again, another opportunity that your kids get to see, you know, that drive that you're sharing with them and that they're gonna do the same thing and they get to follow a mom's footsteps, and I just it's incredible to watch. I will say, you know, the selection committee, they selected the absolute right individual. But I'd be amiss without calling out, you know, over 20 candidates are selected, which just to me is so inspiring. So many amazing females in this industry. It's just it's awesome to be a part of.

SPEAKER_02 34:57

I'm just honored that you know, I'm I'm one of the one of the ones that people can hopefully see that it's possible and you gotta just be true to who you are and not fake it till you make it. It's about surrounding yourself with good people, having the luxury of having a a great board of directors and great customer owners that uh align with your vision as about as perfect as it can get. Just amazing.

SPEAKER_03 35:17

Thank you. Amy, as we like to wrap up this wonderful conversation, I'm gonna throw you a little bit of a curveball. If you were writing a book or creating a podcast about the industry today, what would the title be?

Fair Competition And Policy Momentum

SPEAKER_02 35:28

I would call it driving change one case at a time. You know, have that be a pun on warehouse distribution a bit. But for me, it's it's not everything needs to change, but having the ability to pause and reflect on even the makeup of an executive team, taking the time to recognize the bench as it was didn't exactly match what I thought was right, and challenging yourself to figure out what would make sense. And you might make mistakes along the way, but as long as you learn from them and uh and recover and and you don't do it again next time, it's a good slogan.

SPEAKER_03 36:02

Love, love, love it. Can't wait wait to read that book. Amy, thank you so very much for sharing your time and your thoughts with uh with us today. I appreciate you, your story, and your contribution to the industry. Thank you for all you do, and a special thank you for your contributions to the WGAs or your time on the board. Thank you, Kristen. To our guests, thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. We hope you enjoyed the discussion as much as we did. If you found value, be sure to subscribe to the podcast to never miss an episode and leave a review on your favorite listening platform to help others discover grocery firm seeds. Until next time, keep making a difference in all you do. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

On behalf of the Women Groups of America, we thank you for listening to our podcast.