Misty Bryant: Listen Deeper, Lead Better, Serve Bigger

A small moment in a grocery aisle can change a day—and sometimes a career. We sit down with Misty Bryant, Director of Merchandising Support at Houchins Food Group, to unpack how a curious part-time start became a purpose-driven path built on service, mentorship, and data that actually helps people. From a child’s joy over a Peppa Pig toy to the precision of electronic shelf tags and rapid out-of-stock scans, Misty shows how human connection and operational excellence can live side by side.

We trace Misty’s journey across merchandising, buying, and category management to a role that bridges tech, marketing, and store operations. 

We also look ahead: balancing e-commerce growth with the enduring value of brick-and-mortar, adding services like pharmacies and hardware to stay essential in small communities, and building teams that out-learn and out-serve. 

Misty’s closing playbook is actionable: walk one more aisle, ask one more question, test a small fix, measure it, and share the credit. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who’s building a customer-first culture—what’s one small change you’ll test this week?

https://www.hfginc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/houchens-food-group-inc/

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:45

I am your host, Kristen Pop, and today I have the privilege to chat with Misty Bryant, Director of Merchandising Support with Houchins Food Group. Welcome to Grocery from Your Sleep, Misty, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Thanks, Kristen, for having me. It's such an honor to share a little bit about myself and Halchins and get to connect with you a little bit more.

SPEAKER_02 1:04

Perfect. Missy, let's go ahead and start with your background. How did you get started in grocery?

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Yeah, so was not a generational grocer. I was a high school graduate, graduated early, had the um opportunity to meet some folks from Halchins as a co-op initiative with a local school. Got an opportunity one day to take a part-time position at their corporate office, learned a little bit, and got so curious about the organization and the people and the fact that a grocery is this huge community that touches so many businesses and so many people and got the grocery bug, right? Like so many of us do. And nearly two decades later, I'm still going strong and learning something new every single day from our community.

SPEAKER_02 1:55

It is just a big community of us that stay engaged in the business and the industry. There's a lot of us that we see the title may change behind our name or the the company may change on our business card, but we're still in it and we uh have so much passion and drive for it. So I love that you're a part of that group and that community. So you didn't start with the intentions of coming into grocery and you kind of touched on your journey, but is there anything else that you'd like to share about your journey that's gotten you to where you are today with Houchins Food Group?

Career Path Across Merchandising

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Absolutely. Houchins is a very unique independent grocer who, you know, has grown tremendously over our last hundred years. And I've been able to meet a lot of people along my career so far and continue to change. So I started out part-time as a merchandising assistant, went into become a buyer, then moved to category management, uh, then moved over to become the director of merchandising support. And that role has been super interesting for me because we do a little bit of everything with all of the departments, whether that's tech or maintenance or our merchandising team, our marketing teams, our vendor community. And so you have this huge network of people where you get to come up with these amazing ideas and say, let's make it happen, right? Worst case scenario, we go back and we pivot, but best case scenario, we just landed something fabulous that's going to help our operators do their job more effectively and ultimately to take care of our customers. Because at the end of the day, anything we can do to take care of our customers, whether that's being able to be more efficient so we can talk to them a little bit more up and down the aisles, to having their needs met because we got a questionnaire filled out, or we hung up a new sign that let them know about some fabulous new campaign Shane and Clark and her team have going on with our marketing, uh, or if our cower managers have gone out and secured an exclusive item. Right now we have a peach moon pie for the fall uh selling season that's unique to Halchins and being able to share those things with our customers and our source associates is a wonderful experience. And so what's most exciting is that we get to create our day. We get to create the impact that we make.

Customer Moments That Matter

SPEAKER_02 4:15

So you talk about the community and and the excitement of finding solutions and and providing service enhancements for the consumer. But what has kept you in the industry? You know, not intending to start in grocery, and here we are, you know, several years later in the industry. What has inspired you to stay?

SPEAKER_01 4:34

Yeah, I think what's truly inspired me is that I get to I get to be part of something bigger and I get to serve and I get to talk to people, right? So uh yesterday I'm on site at a store here in Melling Green, Kentucky, and I'm standing there talking with Jonathan Brown, our senior director of merchandising. A little girl came up and you know, she's probably like four, and she is so excited because we have this Peppa Pig toy. And so I got to stop and talk to the mom and talk to the little girl, and she ended up buying the Peppa Pig. So for me, I get I know that what I'm doing actually makes a difference to see that little girl's face light up. And when she walked in the doors at Priceless IGA, she didn't intend to buy Peppa Pig, right? I wasn't on mom's shopping list. But we got to do something for her and we got to build a connection. That is just a remarkable thing. So at the end of every single day, you truly did something that mattered. That is what's kept me inspired to keep going up and down the stores every single aisle and making that difference regardless of of the task that I'm actually performing.

Mentors And Building A Circle

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Well, and you mentioned not only with your team are you having those opportunities with with the customers? That fills my heart when we can make an impact or have a difference and really see that through the eyes of somebody else, a four-year-old who, you know, was so excited, or those everyday moments that become remarkable in our jobs are it does make a difference. Missy, as you navigated your career, who has helped you along uh to be successful? Are there any mentors as we talk about mentorship that has helped you navigate that path?

SPEAKER_01 6:19

Absolutely. Our CEO of Houghton's Industry, Zion, will always tell you to find a mentor and be a mentor. We we fully believe in that. And I have built what I call a small circle of people around me. One of my greatest mentors is Greg Resch. He's the current president of Houghton's Food Group. And so he has always challenged me to rise the bar even better than we have it today because we can always be better, but to anchor every decision that I make in what's the impact for the customer first and what's the impact for Houghton second. And if we always make every decision with the customer in mind, then we've made the right decision along the way. And sometimes those are you know hard conversations, Kristen. Those are conversations with our vendors, those are conversations with our operators. You still have to lead with integrity, and he is always really focused on that. For me, I've also been very blessed to have Donna Barker to come into my wife probably 15 years ago and she's retired probably 10 years ago, but I still meet up with her once every couple of months and just catch up with her and talk to her, let her know about not only work things that I have going on to get her perspective, but also personal decisions that I have going on with my wife. And she has always pushed me to never settle for no. She grew up in the grocery industry at a much different time in her career uh than I have. And so, but the challenge is some of them remain the same and some are not. And so to to have that female mentor has been tremendous to me to make sure that I am pushing myself and I'm not settling at any point. Those are my my mentors, but I also believe that you need to find somebody that's at your level that will push you. And so I have been very blessed to find somebody that, you know, has grew up with me in the industry, Jonathan Brown, and he pushes me every single day to, you know, make sure that I have a seat at the table and to take that mic and to be able to have my voice and to again develop that next generation of grocers. And he's not hesitant to hold me in track to say, hey, you know, I understand your viewpoint, but I'm gonna challenge you on this or that. And so this is my perception of the situation or the task that we're trying to complete, and not just have somebody that's always going to agree with you, but gonna feel confident to challenge you to get out of your comfort zone because if you stay comfortable, you're not growing and you're not bettering yourself. And so for me, I've been very, very blessed to have that small circle of those individuals.

Leadership By Listening And Integrity

SPEAKER_02 9:11

You know, I love that if I completely agree with you. If we're not uncomfortable, we're not growing in some capacity. So it's great to have cheerleaders and champions that are cheering for what you are doing, but then somebody that's willing to push you and push you outside of your comfort zone and challenge you to be better is also necessary in your corner for continued growth as well. As we talk about leadership and not only your own leadership but growing leaders, throughout your career, what have you learned about leadership?

Visibility, Voice, And Women In Grocery

SPEAKER_01 9:38

I've learned that fundamental of leadership is to listen and to listen to learn. A lot of times I find that we are more busy today than we've ever been, and we're listening to respond, but we're not actually truly engaged in what's going on around us. And I think to be an effective leader, you've got to be engaged and you have to listen. And if you're listening, hopefully you're staying curious because if you are curious and you're listening, you're gonna stay engaged, and those around you are gonna stay engaged. And if you surround yourself with high performers, you are going to become an even higher performer. And from a leadership perspective, you want to continue to encourage that and you want to showcase those features around you, and you wanna make sure that everybody that you come in contact with has that same version of you, regardless of whether you met, you know, Misty in the store or at the corporate office, you're still going to see the exact same Misty Bryant because I'm representing myself as well as Houchins.

SPEAKER_02 10:46

And as we talk about leadership further, what are some of the common challenges you see leaders facing today? Challenges different from previous generations or something that's carried forward that is um maybe in a different light than it has been previously?

SPEAKER_01 10:59

Many of our challenges that we face today, a lot of our predecessors have faced them, right? They just kind of evolve a little bit. I think one of the biggest things for women um in particular is we feel the need that we have to prove that we belong. And that, even going back to my mentor, Donna, she always can relate to that. But I think now, you know, we're not only proving that we need to belong, but we're also having to stay visible. We're having to be excellent in our data and our technology and our people, and it but more importantly, how you manage your time because we want to stay productive, not just busy, but also making sure that you're staying visible and that you take acknowledgement for the things that you're doing, right? I think a lot of times, in particular for women, but especially these younger generations that are coming up on our business, they don't feel like they can say, Yes, I did that. I helped launch that campaign, or that was my idea. And so I think that a challenge that we're seeing is, you know, making sure that people are actively engaged and that they feel confident being able to come to the table, know that they belong at the table, and then raise their hand to say, hey, what about this idea? And so making sure that everybody knows that it's okay to have their voice and that their voice matters. And we're not going to ultimately go with every single um idea that was put out, but we at least need those ideas to be heard because just because it doesn't work today doesn't mean it won't work next year. And so having that acknowledgement and knowing that we're all at the table together and we're collectively sharing those ideas or sharing those struggles, right? One thing that we do often is we have, you know, little get-togethers where everybody in that same role just kind of connects and we talk about what are we struggling with. And somebody will share an idea and it's like the light bulb goes off, and we're like, why didn't we think of that? That is brilliant. And so I think it's really important to make sure that you're building that connection network and you're staying actively engaged because you know, you you'll think, hey, I just talked to them a month ago. But in reality, that might have been three months ago because our world is just so fast-paced today.

Books That Shape Perspective

SPEAKER_02 13:25

Faster than ever. But one thing that I want to go back and uh hit is the importance of speaking up and sharing your ideas. Because, like you said, while we might not take every idea that's brought to the table, or what I would add to that, while it might not be that idea in end state, it can oftentimes spark a conversation to get an idea to end state or create a an opportunity that develops into a new path or solution forward. So I think that's that's spot on. And as we talk about leadership, do you have any books or podcasts or anything that you use or that has influenced you along your journey?

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Yeah, so I love to read. That is like what I do personally to just unwind from my day and let my let my brain kind of take a breather and get off that cell phone for a few minutes. So the book that I recently read is The No Sir by Anzi Andrews. And you know, it was just a simple, powerful reminder to keep your perspective. Highly recommend this book. It really just touched on this gentleman going throughout his life and things that he noticed and conversations, interactions he had, and it really reminded me of my perspective and staying curious, staying engaged with those around you, because you know, everybody that you come into interaction with is going through something in their life, right? So, you know, maybe a customer that is coming into my store today, you know, just by simply saying, Hi, good morning, how are you, and smiling at them, that might be the thing that they needed today. I don't know what their struggle was. I don't know what's going on in their life, but I do know that they made a decision to come shop at my store. And so um I think sometimes we can lose perspective of all the things that everybody is doing and carrying um in their day-to-day and and all the many hats that we wear, right? All of those interactions that we have in our day are important and they make a big difference in who we are. And, you know, I think as a society we've kind of lost touch of speaking to people and having real conversations, even if they're just a quick one or two sentence conversation, they may make a big difference in somebody's life, and and we get to do that no matter what you do for work, no matter what level of an organization you're in. You can make a difference every single day. And I I just thought it was a really good book, and I read the whole book in one day. So I would highly encourage everybody to pick that book up, get it on your whatever device you may use, but um it was it was a good read.

Industry Networks: NGA And WGA

SPEAKER_02 16:06

Well, anybody that knows me or is connected to me on my LinkedIn knows that I am also an avid reader, so I love that we share that and uh we'll be adding the noticer to my list to read uh in the coming weeks as well. So excited to pick that one up. Uh Missy, as we talk about people support mentorship, how have organizations like NGA, WGA um played a role and have had an impact for the future of the industry?

Operational Efficiencies And Data

SPEAKER_01 16:32

I got to come to WGA just a couple of months ago, and what a fantastic experience to get to meet so many women, whether they're a vendor, whether they're another retailer, whether they're an IT program. It was really remarkable to understand that everybody is going through so many different things, and everybody comes from different backgrounds, different perspectives, um, different parts of the United States, you know, those institutions, they are constantly looking for content to educate people on, content to research more on. And so those workshops and events that you go to, whether they're golf scrambles or their workshops or their dinners or all of the different activities that those things and organizations offer are critical to every person learning and engaging more and just staying relative with what's going on outside of your direct organization. I've met several women who I've kept up with since WGA and learned from and called and said, Hey, we talked about this in a breakaway, and I really wanted to schedule some time with you to deep dive a little bit into that. I've personally found some vendor partners that I didn't have before WGA. So I would encourage you to build that network of people.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

So let's shift a little and talk about the work that you are doing. Is there anything that you're working on that you hope will have a big impact on the industry?

SPEAKER_01 18:07

We are really focused on operational um efficiencies. You know, we've installed our electronic shelf tag program. We've got almost 60 stores on our electronic shelf tags with a PRN. Amanda Benson in our IT department has been a rock star into helping deploy those. We've got installation down in a day and a half, we can switch over an entire store and get it installed. And that is allowing our operators to not focus on hanging up all of those paper tags. And so we're able to reinvest those labor hours into taking care of our customers, making sure that the products that they want and need are stocked fully on that shelf, focusing on our out of stocks to truly understand how many outs do we have up and down every aisle and getting that data collected. Years ago, we would go through and we would count and say, hey, we've got 75 out-of-stocks. But we're we're actually scanning that information in with track it. And so we're able to every single week deep dive across all of our 14 states and to be able to understand what are the patterns and trends, what are the things that we can work on with our vendor partners, with our wholesaler to say, hey, what's going on here? Is there conversion missed? Do we have voids on our top items? We want to make sure that every customer that walks in our door today that their needs are met. And so being able to do that and rely on data and to scan an entire store for us, it takes less than 15 minutes. And then that information goes back to our home office, and then our category management team is using that to have conversations with our vendor suppliers and relying on those tools and those data and being able to be quick and efficient. And to make real-time business decisions on the data because data is the new gold for us.

AI Adoption Without Fear

SPEAKER_02 20:07

Congratulations on that. And you talk about gold data is gold, but as we look at the future, what trends do you see shaping what's next for us?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

Obviously, AI is a huge, huge trend. Really not being scared of that, leaning into all of the different capabilities that you have, whether that's writing an email better, whether that's drafting, a quick marketing banner. There's so many things that make you more efficient. We should not be scared of that. We should be leaning into how do we become better? What are the things that I can, you know, use that AI to help me identify trends on an Excel spreadsheet, or if it can help me take a store layout and identify, you know, some areas of focus that I need may need to be aware of. And AI will help us do that if we learn how to do it. But you have to have that base knowledge to understand is that the right answer? Is that what I'm looking to do? There's, you know, infinite possibilities out there of how you can utilize AI to take care of tasks.

Growth, Omnichannel, And Community

SPEAKER_02 21:13

I don't think I have a conversation these days that AI doesn't come up in. Um, in some way, shape, or form, whether it's on the podcast, whether it's in a everyday conversation. There was a time that it was quite overwhelming. But to try and position it to help you do your job, I think is where we all need to be or get to very quickly as we continue to learn and see what it's going to do for us. So we talk about what trends we should be looking at, and obviously AI is top of the list for for several, but what excites you the most about the future?

SPEAKER_01 21:43

The most exciting thing for for me is how do we continue to grow and still take care of our customers' needs. And so, you know, really it goes back to the basics, making sure that we have what the customers want. And that means listening to them. That means talking to them, that means sending them surveys. And, you know, that's just being able to be part of that vision during a very unique time as we're continuing to see e-commerce grow. But we also know that brick and mortar holds its place. And so focusing on how do we continue to change, and for how trans, we're very diversified, right? That may mean our restaurant group or that may mean Ace Hardware and having those hardware stores inside of our stores. That may be our Sheldon's pharmacies inside of some of our grocery stores. And so, how do we make sure that inside of our small communities we're doing what we need to do to be relevant five, ten, fifteen years, even a hundred years from now? And so it was just a few years ago the Houchins turned a hundred. And so that is such a legacy, and we take that responsibility um very seriously to continue to be a top grocer in the next hundred years.

Practical Career Advice And Time Mastery

SPEAKER_02 23:06

Yeah, Missy, you've given so many great nuggets and guns of information. Is there any advice that you'd like to share with somebody that's aspiring to join the industry or continue advancing their career in the industry that we haven't touched on yet?

SPEAKER_01 23:20

Absolutely. Stay curious to listen to learn and not listen to answer. The best leaders I know ask one more question. They walk one more aisle, they front up one more product, and and they sit in silence long enough to hear what's really being said. Hair your curiosity with action, write down what you've heard and test a small fix. But you also have to measure that result and make sure that you share the credit, right? I work with a lot of remarkable people. I'm very blessed that way, but make sure that those people know how important they are to you. I have key people like Jonathan Brown in our merchandising department, you know, I have all of my operators out in our stores. I have Shannon Clark with marketing, Amanda Benson with our IT department, you know, I've got Charles Black with our warehouse department. And so staying engaged with those folks every single day, every single week, so that, you know, they know um what's going on with you, you know what's going on with them. But also, you know, speak last so that your experts around you can shine. And when they miss or you miss, own that. You know, fix the system, not the person. And I think that's, you know, something that is really critical as you're as you're learning and developing your own style is, you know, you are attacking the problem, not the person. And so make sure that the person understands that. Also, build your network. You want to have a strong network of people before you ever need the network. And every um interaction that you have every single day is important. I went to a workshop not long ago, and Terry Daniels was our speaker, and he let us know that, you know, every single moment of your day shapes your commercial, and everybody has a commercial. And right now, if they played the Misty Brant commercial, would that be a Super Bowl commercial? And if not, then I had something I needed to work on. And I thought that was a very interesting perspective of looking at every little interaction that you have. But I also want to make sure that you protect your time. You should protect your calendar just like you protect your PL. You want to make sure that every moment of your day is productive and not busy. Make sure that you are managing your time because it's your most valuable asset. And once it's gone, you can never get that time back.

SPEAKER_02 25:50

Great advice. So many gems in that one. And I love the everybody has a commercial and is yours, your Super Bowl commercial. That's gonna stick with me for sure. Thank you for sharing that. And Misty, thank you so much for sharing your story and your voice with us today. I appreciate everything you're doing for the grocery industry. Keep leading, keep inspiring, and I look forward to following the impact you will continue to make.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Thanks, Kristen. I appreciate you having me on and have a fabulous day.

SPEAKER_02 26:18

Thank you so very much for tuning in to 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.

SPEAKER_00 26:36

Thank you for listening to today's insightful interview on the Grocery from Her Seat Podcast. If you think someone can hear her story, click share this podcast with a friend. You don't want to miss any episode subscribe. And remember, more people will hear that story at first.