“Jeff embodies the humanitarian ideals that this award recognizes. Jeff has raised his company’s level of charitable giving to nearly $80 million a year. SUPERVALU donates funds, volunteers, trucks and other resources to countless causes. He provides great leadership in the fight against hunger,” said FMI President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie G. Sarasin, presenting the award at the association’s 2009 Midwinter Executive Conference in Orlando, FL.
In 2007 alone, SUPERVALU distributed 135,000 tons of products to food banks across the country, enough food for more than 20 million meals. Since then, the company has increased its hunger relief efforts to meet the growing need, partnering with Feeding America, the national network of more than 200 food banks.
Noddle has been instrumental in providing emergency food relief during disasters such as the hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. He also helped raise more than $1 million to fight heart disease for the Twin City’s Go Red campaign.
Under Noddle’s leadership, SUPERVALU earned many awards for sustainable business practices such as building LEED stores, using solar power, installing low-energy lighting and taking other measures to protect the environment and its resources.
“Jeff helped chart a new course for FMI, serving as our Board chairman from 2005 to 2007. He helped create a strategic plan for the future, featuring a new mission statement that sharpened our focus and defined FMI’s core competencies. The plan called for the creation of an industry educational conference. This became Future Connect, a forum where the entire industry can come together and develop the leaders we critically need for tomorrow,” said Sarasin. This conference debuts May 4-6 in Dallas, TX.
The Herbert Hoover award was introduced in 1961, inspired by industry and government campaigns that President Hoover led to deliver food relief to victims of the Boxer Rebellion, World War I and Great Depression. Noddle is the 54th person to receive this award.
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its nearly 1,250 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI’s U.S. members operate more than 25,000 retail food stores and almost 22,000 pharmacies with a combined annual sales volume of nearly $650 billion. FMI’s retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent operators. Its international membership includes 126 companies from more than 65 countries. FMI’s nearly 330 associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members.
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