Meet The GIANT Company's Store Manager Awards Finalist

Category B: Gary Cottingham
The GIANT Company, Chambersburg, PA 

It’s fitting that Gary Cottingham is a youth baseball coach who helped his team win a state championship. This store manager understands the importance of being a team player, keeping your eye on the ball, seeing opportunities to take a new base and strategically calling plays to score points and win, whether it’s by a bunt or grand slam. 

A Winning Momentum

At the helm of a store in Chambersburg, PA, Cottingham and his team hit 7.9% comparative sales growth in 2019 while also driving item growth by 5.2% and customer growth by 5.4%. Also last year, his store knocked it out of the park with a record sales week in produce, seafood, beer and wine, floral and pharmacy and double-digit comparable sales improvements in deli, bakery and floral. 

Continuing the winning momentum, he has led the company in customer count, total sales and percentage of store sales for the new GIANT DIRECT service that allows customers to shop online for pickup or delivery. He is one of those store managers who loads groceries into your car, gives your kids an apple or banana while they wait with you and tucks in a note from the store team into a small token gift. 

A Hallmark Managerial Style

Connecting with others through communication is a hallmark of Cottingham’s managerial style. His nominators cite his authentic communications that combine the big picture, effective storytelling and encouragement of feedback. In customer interactions, Cottingham turns any negative feedback that his store receives – and such complaints are infrequent – into an opportunity to talk with shoppers and resolve their issues, preferably in person. 

Meanwhile, through weekly meetings with the store’s leadership team, which often include team-building exercises, he drives action through collaboration. He created a store newsletter that outlines important information and transparency, resulting in an above-average total store engagement of 80 %. Moreover, 94% of his staff reported that they have a clear understanding of company objectives. 

He has been recognized for his results and skills. His peers chose him to serve as the lead for the company’s Store Managers Council, where he leads a team of high-performing store managers to help solve challenges and effect change. In addition, he is a key-carrier trainer for new hourly team members interested in having total store responsibility.  

Diversity initiatives are important to Cottingham, who serves on a new business resource group for team members called MOSAIC.  His priorities extend to the community, where he served as vice president of the National Black MBA in Harrisburg and has coordinated programs and scholarship opportunities for teens and young adults. He also led the revamp of a park in an inner-city Harrisburg neighborhood with 500 community volunteers.  

You might say that Cottingham steps up to the plate every day with a winning attitude.