Jenn Hahn: How A Humble Leader Built A National Recruiting Firm For Grocers

A chance encounter at a college career fair led Jenn Hahn into the Aldi training program, where she learned the store from the floor up and ran multiple locations at 22. That early trial by fire shaped a leadership style built on humility, directness, and full accountability—traits she later used to launch J Recruiting Services, a national search firm serving independent grocers, wholesalers, and CPG partners.

We unpack how Jenn scaled from “laptop at the kitchen table” to a sophisticated team by refusing to post and pray, demanding premium candidate and client experience, and hiring for strategic thinking over bullet points. She shares the operating system behind balancing CEO life and motherhood: life-first calendars, clear role definition, and trusting a team empowered to tell the boss to step back. We also dive into why intentional networking through WGA, NGA, and peer communities is not optional—it is how opportunities, mentors, and great hires find you.

On talent trends, Jenn flags where grocery is investing now: supply chain roles across food safety and logistics, the tech and AI layers that power them, and renewed focus on operations and the in‑store experience. E‑commerce matters, but connection at the register still wins loyalty, especially for Gen Z and millennials. The strongest candidates show resilience, business acumen, and comfort using AI and data to run better stores, not just better spreadsheets. Her closing advice is simple and sharp: stay open‑minded, take the intro calls, and let curiosity guide the next step. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s building their grocery career, and leave a review to help more leaders find these stories.

www.jrecruitingservices.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/jrecruitingservices/?viewAsMember=true

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Transcript

Season Three Kickoff And Guest Intro

Producer 0:04

Welcome to season three of Grocery from Her Seat, the Women Grocers of America podcast. This season you will hear from influential CEOs and industry icons to rising stars and game-changing entrepreneurs. We are bringing you bigger conversations with 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 Hersey 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 Pop.

Kristin Popp 0:45

Hey, I'm your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have the opportunity to chat with John Hahn, founder and CEO of J Recruiting Services. Welcome to Grocery from Your Seat. Jen, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today. Thank you so much for having me, Kristen. Always a pleasure. John, I want to start with how you got involved in grocery and how you've gotten to where you are today and the the need for J recruiting.

SPEAKER_02 1:08

Yeah, absolutely. I went to Michigan State, um, the self-proclaimed greatest university on the planet. Uh, so Go Green. And at Michigan State, I went to the career fair, as many do. Um, let's see, that would have been early in my senior year. And I had a mark, I was getting a marketing degree, a general business but marketing degree. Um, and I had all sorts of ideas on what I would do with that career as I graduated college. And at that career fair, it was, it was like every booth I went up to, I had this big plan on what I was gonna do and how I'd be the best marketing associate they might ever have. Um, and they would shake my hand and say, Okay, great, apply online. And I was like, Okay, I'm not really sure why I'm at this career fair. So I went and sat in the stands and like waited for one of my, it was in the big university um gymnasium, right? Where where you see Michigan State play base basketball. Um, and I waited for one of my roommates and she came up and sat next to me and I was like, I've gone to so many tables and everybody says great, nice to meet you apply online. And she was like, Oh, Aldi is giving um interviews like tomorrow. And I was like, Really? What does Aldi do? And she she said, I don't know. So I looked it up real quick, uh, found it on my little career fair map. So I went and I got in line and I shook Frank's hand. I still remember Frank and I'm connected to him today. I said, My name's Jen. And I told them a little bit about myself and the types of roles I was interested in. And they said, Awesome, sounds like you have great experience. And they took a little bit of time with me. And then they said, We'd love to set up an interview for you tomorrow. So I left, not knowing all of that much about Aldi, but essentially that's where it started, Kristen, is that career fair. I got the interview the next day. I think I went through a myriad of interviews over the next few months, and then I started in their district manager training program, um, which essentially is one of those incredible training programs that many of the industry offer, um, where you start out, you get to know everything about the store. So I cashiered, I was in the freezer, I was on the floor, um, everything that I could learn about being in the store. And then once I graduated from that phase, I became a district manager. So at the ripe age of 22, I was a district manager leading four to six stores for Aldi, fell in love with the grocery industry very quickly. I was with Aldi then for five years. I'm in that district manager role. And essentially the only reason I left that role, great company, great leadership, loved what I was doing, loved the teams that reported to me, but my opportunities for growth were outside of West Michigan. And at that point, I had built a family and decided to stay in West Michigan.

Kristin Popp 3:49

Taking a leadership role so very early in your career had to have been both overwhelming and I'm assuming a little intimidating. How did you navigate that? What did you do to be successful?

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Yes, both of those things that you said, overwhelming and intimidating. First of all, Aldi has an incredible training program. I think as most of the really well-respected grocers in the industry, they really treat their people right and they spend a lot of time on developing people. So they had an incredible program that taught us everything from how to manage our calendars because we were 22-year-olds that, you know, had to start leading full business. The other thing that I learned very early on that I still carry with me today is really how to lead different types of people and how to build rapport early. Because most of the leaders that were on my team had been there over 10 years. They were much older than I was. They knew a whole lot more about grocery and Aldi and their stores and their teams than I did walking in at 22. Um, so it built a very humble leadership style that I think has turned out to be an incredible strength of mine even today, in understanding you don't have to know the most in the room to be the right leader for that seat. And I had a really great director, um, JT Branaman was my director, still in touch with him today, and really great mentors on that team that taught me some of that, right? Yeah, how to make mistakes, how to build trust, how to get to know your team well enough to lead them through challenging conversations when they've been there 15 years longer than you have.

Kristin Popp 5:28

You bring out a lot of great points of what you learned throughout that experience. You took on a pretty significant role within a big organization at a young age. And I'm sure that has truly shaped who you are today, how you show up, how you lead, how you work with people, um, beyond any of the things that you mentioned, is there anything else that stuck with you throughout that experience that you still use today?

Confidence, Humility, And Accountability

SPEAKER_02 5:51

The confidence that one when it's done right, the confidence that, hey, you deserve a seat at this table. And if you're in this room, there's no reason to second guess your abilities. You couple that with humble, right? Like I mentioned, like knowing that, hey, you're not always the smartest in the room. You might not know the most about the merchandising plan or the inventory or whatever might be happening in front of you, but you deserve to be in this room. And I think that confidence of learning to deal with really difficult situations. I mean, the amount of personnel things that I was involved in when I was at a very young age. At that time, I was HR for my stores as well. So promotions, letting people go, having difficult conversations, going through that so young just built confidence. So I do think it built confidence at a young age. There aren't a lot of people that I'm I'm nervous to have a conversation with that we're all just humans. We all put our pants on in the morning, right? Or our skirts. Um, I think that is a really valuable lesson.

Kristin Popp 6:53

Yeah, I love that. I mean, you had to find that confidence within yourself, but I also like that you couple that with being humble and not always having to know. I love that you've taken that and that you remember that to this day.

Why She Launched J Recruiting Services

SPEAKER_02 7:05

And accountability, right? I had to be accountable for if I did make a mistake, if I did make a decision for not only what I was doing, but for what my teams were doing on a daily basis for the store conditions and the numbers they were running. I wasn't passing the buck. And I think at a young age, it's very easy to pass the buck, but in the seat I was in, it was like, nope, that's that's on me. So if if we're winning, I'll take that accountability. But if we're losing, I'm gonna take that accountability as well.

Kristin Popp 7:32

Yeah, because I want to get into how we arrived at you being the founder and CEO of J Recruiting Services. So that's where you're at today. Can you talk to me what inspired you to start this organization? I'm assuming that you saw a need or we're solving a problem.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

Yes, absolutely. I'm one of those entrepreneurs that never planned on being an entrepreneur. As I mentioned, when I left Aldi, it was it was a very hard decision because I could feel my heart was in grocery retail. But I had two young kids and I knew we weren't moving. And it just felt like the right decision for my growth. But I had fantastic relationships with my leaders when I left Aldi. I actually went into a sales role and then I ended in up in a sales leadership role. And then eventually I landed in a recruiting seat. And I thought I'll take a step back in terms of capacity and I'll recruit a couple days a week and stay home with my kids a little bit. Eventually, my network saw that I was in a recruiting seat as well, and they started reaching out. Hey, Jen, I noticed you're in recruiting now. Could you help us? So I decided to leave that recruiting seat I was in and I thought I would just do it from my kitchen, Kristen. I thought, like, I'll have my laptop, I'll just be a single shingle and I'll recruit for these few people that I know because it was definitely my zone of genius. I don't even think I had a website when I sent my first invoice out. Um, I had to actually apply for my LLC after I had an invoice to send. So it was not this big grand plan, like, oh, everything has to be perfect before you open your business. It was, hey, I think I could do this differently because of my previous experience. I didn't see things the same way that other recruiters saw things. I saw it as, hey, I've felt that before. Like I had to fill my own seats. I've led my own teams. I know what that feels like and I understand the industry. So once it caught a little bit of steam, Kristen, I did decide to create a website, built a team. Today we serve um the industry on a national level. We have a sophisticated team. I'm not involved in all of the recruiting anymore. I get to do fun things like this and chat with you. But it was a mix of opportunity knocking and then my unique um skill set and experience bringing sort of a different way to recruiting.

Kristin Popp 9:48

First of all, I love your transparency with gonna be the single shingle that does it out of your kitchen. Wake up, grab your coffee, and we're gonna do some recruiting because I think it really shows that you can start something that can have a true impact uh on an industry. And it doesn't have to be over the top to start with, but you've grown it to that. You've grown it to such an amazing organization that is the big focus for all of us is trying to put the right people in the right position. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:20

And so I think some of what our clients love today is the way we own the work that we do. It's like, oh, okay, if we're opening a search, like this is not we post the job and we we hope that better talent shows up to our job post than yours would have, Kristen. I have extremely high expectations for the way that our clients are treated and our candidates are treated. It was very frustrating to me on the other side of the coin before I was a recruiter myself to get some of those emails that were like, yeah, we're working on it, or oh yeah, you're just not paying enough. You know, it was just never enough information. I'm like, okay, what next? I think that that is really what took it from me saying, I'll just be a single shingle and I'll rock it to the national firm that we are today because the way we showed up felt different. And then I knew that as I built the team, I could only hire people that had that same energy. If anyone says, like, oh yeah, but that's average, I'm like, great, we're not doing that. Because we're not average around here. But I do think it's really important for people to hear the fact that I didn't have a whole plan. People will be like, How did you know how to get here? I'm like, I didn't. I had no idea that we'd be where we are today. Um, we evolve every month, every year, in even the clients that we serve, but I did know I think we could do that differently. And so we just we started, and that's how you do anything, right? You start, you test, you learn, and then if it goes well, you grow.

Balancing CEO Life And Motherhood

Kristin Popp 11:46

Right. Yeah, you got to start somewhere, right? And I love how that story paints that picture. So, John, being a CEO brings several demands. I know you said you're not in the heat of the recruiting now, but you still lead the business. So I it brings this whole set of demands and opportunities. I want to take some time to chat on this because not only are you a CEO, but as you alluded to earlier, you are also a mom of three young kiddos and have a role of mom and a family to balance. So, how do you how do you do it? What have you found that works for you?

SPEAKER_02 12:17

Evolves every year. I think with every different season of where my kids are and where the business is and what my personal goals are for the year, it evolves. But I would say I'm a calendar maniac. So everything is in my calendar and the things that go on my calendar first are not work related. So I am very diligent about putting the things that are most important outside of work on the calendar first, which I never did when I was younger, right? It was like, it was like I would fit something in where work allowed, but now work fits in where my life allows. And that does not mean that I'm slacking off. It doesn't mean that, you know, I work two hours a day. It just simply means that when there is something that's important to me as a mom, as an individual outside of work, as a wife, that goes on the calendar first. And I'm disciplined in making sure that I show up for those things. Um, and I think it's really anyone that's in a leadership role knows that you could get involved in everything, but you probably shouldn't. And that lesson is hard for me, Kristen, because it's it's it's my baby, right? Like this business is something that I've built from the ground up that I didn't even know I was building at different times, right? So I do love to get involved in details I shouldn't be involved in, but I have hired a team that is willing to tell me, right? That is willing to say, hey, Jen, we've got this. Remember, your role is this when needed. Um, and I can stay disciplined in my job description. So as the president and CEO of this organization, right, I need to know exactly where my time should be spent and where it shouldn't, even if my time was spent there last year, right? Every year it's evolving. So I guess that's a couple of things is just really knowing my job description and even going as far as as not I don't have a job description for myself as a mom, but I would say I have values like the things that I'm at, the things that I that maybe are less important to me and my children for me to be at, and my date nights with my husband, like those things are just as important as the meetings with my clients.

Kristin Popp 14:27

And I like how you frame that and putting on your calendar first uh the things outside of work. And uh somebody in a conversation I had earlier um had mentioned that they asked their kids at the beginning of the year what's the most important to them in the upcoming year, and making sure that you're highlighting those because you can't always be at everything, especially when you have multiple children that are very active, right? And so it's hard to show up at everything, but understanding what's the most important to them and making sure that you're there for those things, um, it has kind of shaped how I look at my year a little bit differently as well, similar to you. And I like how you also say that you uh can't get involved in everything, although you might like to. Um and leaning because I'm the same way, yes, but leaning into your team that you've put in place to do those things for you and letting them do their job. And it's uh it's uh difficult, but also rewarding when you get to that point and you can really lean into that and then see them shine in their roles um is also a really just a great phenomenal thing to be a part of.

Calendars, Boundaries, And Letting Teams Lead

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Yeah, and the whole um getting your kids involved, I I don't do it that way, but I also heard I think I think maybe Sheila shared that um with us at WGA at the symposium. A little plug for the symposium, if I will. Um, but I think she said that if if that's the person you're thinking of. And I was like, that's really smart because I feel like that allows them some buy-in, right? Or some ownership of, hey, my mom cares that about my opinion, instead of you know, me simply deciding, hey, it's really important to be at all of these football games, but maybe the school fundraiser isn't as important. Well, maybe he feels differently about that, right? So I think that's really smart. I haven't implemented it yet, but maybe that's a 2026 goal, just so you know. With three kids and uh running a business and having a social life and trying to make it to date night and my husband's busy with work. Like we're not gonna magically have time. We have to put it there. And the reason I have been disciplined in that is I have seen the difference in my work and in the business when I do that for myself.

Kristin Popp 16:42

Yeah, and let's touch on that for a second too, because I think sometimes in earlier in our careers and trying to build that up can it can look very different than it does once you've built that and and you're showing up. But all throughout your career, taking time for something that fills your cup, whether it's um working out, whether it's a yoga class, whether it's a date night, whether it's whatever it is, and you can you can continue to build upon that, right?

SPEAKER_02 17:11

So I don't discount that yeah, it looks different for sure when you're in your first couple of years and um working your way through a corporate organization or building that respect. It definitely looks different, but I think the principle, like you're saying, is the same. It's just are you committed to yourself as much as you're committed to your work? Because if you are, people will take notice. Um, Jesse Itzler calls it building your life resume. He's Sarah Blakely's husband, for those that might not know. And he's right. And I think you can only show up as that human if you do commit to yourself outside of just your work responsibilities.

Kristin Popp 17:48

Such a great point. You mentioned the symposium earlier, the Women Grocers of America Symposium, which I love that you called that out. Let's uh talk about how does building out your network and attending events and and being involved in organizations like WGA, NGA support success uh throughout the industry.

Networking That Actually Moves Careers

SPEAKER_02 18:08

I think it's imperative. If you remember the story of how I started this business, I said my network reached out to me. That was not intentional networking. I wasn't giving anyone my business card saying eventually I'm gonna start a business, keep me in mind. It was simply I showed up in a way that they remembered and I was genuine in those conversations and I took my work seriously. And so when they saw I started recruiting, they were they were like, hey, I think I want to work with her. She knows talent and I remember the energy she brought to her work. Um, that was networking and I didn't even realize it. But when you get even more intentional, like through WGA, NGA, um, Progressive Grocer, Next Up, other industry groups that we've been a part of here at J Recruiting, I think it helps for outside perspective, um, to for personal growth. And then if or when you're ever looking for new opportunities, it also helps to know people in organizations, right? Other than instead of, hey, I've done my work, I've kept my head down, but you can't get to the next level if you haven't expanded your network, expanded your point of view.

Kristin Popp 19:15

But it's building out your relationships with others because when there is a business need, whether it's for you or somebody that you know, you have that network build out that you can lean into it. Yeah.

Role Models And Straight-Talk Leadership

SPEAKER_02 19:26

And with um WJA specifically, I walked into that room and I knew no one. But I I would recommend don't let that hold people back, right? As adults, I think we hesitate to anything new or different. We we keep letting it drop to the bottom of our to-do list because it feels uncomfortable, but it only takes one time. And now I came out of it with incredible connections. You and I, and now we're sharing, we're swapping podcast episodes and we're having side conversations, and you've introduced me to incredible talented ladies throughout the industry.

Kristin Popp 20:01

So many people in this industry throughout the industry, whether it's a retailer, whether it's a wholesaler, whether it's a service provider or CPG, are so willing to have the conversations if you just are willing to approach them to ask the question or introduce yourself. Or I always say have those like back pocket three to five questions that you can sort of spark up a conversation with anybody, whether it's where's the most interesting place that you've traveled, or what book are you reading right now, or have you listened to a great podcast?

SPEAKER_02 20:31

Yeah, absolutely. Especially if you're bringing your life resume.

Kristin Popp 20:35

It's not looking at leaders. Is there anybody, any female leader that you look up to or has inspired you in any way?

SPEAKER_02 20:42

Oh, so many female leaders. Um, I will say I do have a mentor that I've never met, and she doesn't know she's my mentor. Her name's Sarah Blakely, founder of Spanks.

Kristin Popp 20:51

I think we share that as well.

Talent Trends: Ops, Supply Chain, And AI

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Yes. And now sneaks. Like I just love that she is wickedly talented, really sharp, has built what, I don't remember, a billion-dollar business and sold it, something along those lines. But she is so herself. If you follow her, she's like, oh shoot, I have the tag on my pants. And I just did a major speech. And I think that's so, so inspiring that she shares that and she lets other women see that so that if we ever have the tag on our pants, we don't think, oh, guess I wasn't meant to do this, right? Like, hey, we all have those moments, we keep moving. And so I love Sarah Blakely. In terms of personal female leaders, um, when I started in this industry, one of the directors that I reported to, uh, Trisha Snyder. So she was a director of mine and I've stayed connected with her since then. I've always loved working with Trisha. I was so fortunate to work with her as a young 22 year old because she she was she said it like it was like she spoke directly and she didn't apologize, but not in any type of like rude way, right? She was just like, this is how it is. She spoke in facts and not feelings. And I think as a woman in this industry, that was really important. Me to see. And she stood her ground. That was really, really inspiring. And I still look up to her today. I used to tell her I would wear like a what would Tricia do bracelet when I was younger in my leadership, learning like, all right, what would Trisha do? Because she was bold. She would say what she felt and and she had passion for what she was doing. Love it. But what are you seeing right now that you think will have a big impact? See, when it comes to talent, the trends that I'm seeing are a major focus on um supply chain roles. So think food safety, think logistics, all the AI and technology pieces to those supply chain roles. I think that has become really important in the last couple of years. Um, I see a major trend in operations or customer-facing roles getting the attention that I believe they deserve. I think those are the most important roles in the business. And in the last few years, we've seen a lot of dollars invested into those two areas. But it was, it was forced after COVID. Like, okay, these are these are roles that if they're gonna continue to be mission critical, we're gonna have to invest in them. I have seen in our team, in our systems, it is not easy to train a strategic mindset. And something I'm seeing in our interviews for all talent, whether it be at the corporate office, whether it be in the C-suite, whether it be in store operations, is they need someone that can think strategically, that has accountability, that has ownership, that understands business acumen at a level to which they could then use all of these systems and technologies that we're investing in to run the business. So I guess to wrap that up, I'm seeing in corporate offices, some things are shrinking or we're combining roles because we have systems and technology to maybe work more efficiently in some cases. And then across all areas of the industry, when when clients are working with us on talent, we are not interviewing them for just their resume bullet points. We are interviewing them for their strategic mindset, for their ability to own and operate their business, whatever piece of the business they have, and resilience. You can't run from this AI thing. You can't just be mad at it and say, I'm not gonna touch it, right? Like you need to understand what's next and new in technology and AI in order to thrive in the industry.

Kristin Popp 24:19

I think those are all great call-outs. I think number one, there's so much focus on um digital and online and e-comm. But the in-store experience has not gone away, right? So when you talk about operations and the in-store experience and experience in general and making sure that we're not losing sight of that is important, but also the leaning into the technology and how do we not run from it, but embrace it and maximize use of it to and and be strategic about it. Um I think those are great call-outs because I think if we run away from it, we're behind. Um we're already behind, right? And a lot of it and what we're seeing um throughout the throughout the space in general, but I think embracing it.

SPEAKER_02 25:06

Yes, and the in-store experience is interesting. I'm I'm a fan of e-commerce. I I get my groceries delivered from my top favorite grocers, but we know about Gen Z, right? They value experience. I mean, we've got millennials and Gen Z saying, like, I'm not gonna use my phone for a day, right? We're seeing people step back into like, I just want simple. And simple feels like going to the grocery store, having a phenomenal experience, having the cashier know my name, or if it if we're using self-checkout, someone knows my name or remembers me from last week, actually says hello and looks me in the eyes. I think that is so, so important to pair with your e-comm and your digital strategy.

Career Advice: Stay Open And Take Calls

Kristin Popp 25:49

Yeah, I think it's a pairing. It's not one or the other. It's how are you doing both well. So, Jen, we have covered so many great things today. But is there anything that we haven't touched on, like advice that you would give somebody that's either looking to join the industry or looking to continue advancing their career in the industry?

SPEAKER_02 26:12

I would say stay open-minded. I think we get blinders on when it comes to our career, myself included. I mean, back when I was in operations, I just wanted to be a DVP. I wanted to be a divisional vice president, and that was the thing. Um, I never had any idea I would end up as the founder and CEO at J Recruiting Services, right? But I followed my curiosity and I put one foot in front of the other. I guess something that I would share is just be open-minded. Take the intro calls. So many people turn down intro calls to others in inside of this industry or around this industry. And I just people are a bridge, right? So we talked about the importance of networking, but we we often are too busy to make the next connection that honestly could be your business partner one day, could be your next boss, could be your next hire, but we're not taking the intro calls because we've filled our calendars with meetings.

Kristin Popp 27:11

That is fantastic advice. Love it, Jen. Jen, thank you so very much for sharing your story and your voice with us today. I appreciate everything that you're doing for the industry. Keep leading, keep inspiring, and I look forward to following the impact you will continue to make.

SPEAKER_02 27:25

All right. Thanks, Kristen.

Kristin Popp 27:28

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.

Producer 27:46

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 Pop, and published by Rachel Milo with SWA Marketing. Until next time, continue your great work in the independent grocery industry.