< Back to FMI.org

Finalists

2025 Store Manager Awards Finalists!

Store Manager Awards are given to outstanding managers who generate sales growth, effectively communicate company and store goals and objectives, demonstrate team leadership in their store/company, provide exceptional customer service through in-store programs and improve community relations.

Category A: (1-25 Stores)

Russell Blais

Roche Bros. Marketplace
Duxbury, Massachusetts

Timing is everything in store management, especially at locations with seasonal businesses. At the helm of a Brothers Marketplace along the coast in Duxbury, Mass., Russ has impeccable timing for scaling, servicing and steering. He meets the needs ...

Emily Lowe

E.W. James & Sons, Inc.
McKenzie, Tennessee

Managing a store in her hometown of McKenzie, Tenn., Emily understands the importance of roots. As she tends to this E.W James & Son Supermarkets site, she also recognizes the need to nourish, grow and branch out when needed. For example, building ...

Category B: (26-199 Stores)

Jason Johnson

K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., Food City
Gray, Tennessee

Like many leaders in this industry, Jason Johnson began working as a courtesy clerk at the age of 17. Back then, while assisting shoppers and joining his first store team, he couldn’t know that he would eventually work his way up to receive the ...

Amy Stainbrook

Giant Food
Baltimore, Maryland

Keeping a lid on employee turnover is tough in any setting these days and had been a particularly difficult task in this location in Baltimore City. That roadblock didn’t faze Amy, though, who deployed a host of workforce development incentives that ...

Brittany Rhoades

Family Fare Supermarkets
Dickinson, North Dakota

In addition to leading daily store walks with her team, Brittany has guided this location into a new and better path. You might even call it a U-turn. In less than a year under her direction, this store has made a financial turnaround, posting ...

Category C: (200+ Stores)

Ramatoulaye "Rama" Diallo

Jewel-Osco
Chicago, Illinois

Among many other things, Ramatoulaye, or “Rama” to her friends, is known for her merchandising skills that create a sense of theater in her store in the western edge of downtown Chicago. While she sets the stage for product discovery and bigger ...

Heath Redman

Harris Teeter LLC
Asheville, North Carolina

It’s been said that storms draw things out in people that calm weather doesn’t. That sentiment was especially true in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which wreaked devastation in many parts of the country in fall 2024, including western North Carolina....

Toby Pentecost

Food Lion, LLC.
Scottsville, Kentucky

In a small Kentucky town, Toby strives to make a big difference. He executes strategic pricing and loyalty programs that benefit community members mindful of their budgets and is a proud member of the community, too, who often organizes and leads ...

Category D: (International)

Tahjae Welch

The MarketPlace Limited
Paget, Bermuda

This young leader has made history both on the pitch and in the store, showing that talent in one area of life often extends to another. The common denominators: sheer skill and a competitive fire. Tahjae started his career in the grocery industry ...

Larisa Kvaratskelia

SPAR Georgia
Tbilisi, Georgia

Larisa has a certain playbook for success, but she’s set herself apart by creating an actual huddle board. Team members and leaders actively use that board to set goals, track progress and celebrate achievements. The board is a visual guidepost and ...

Leon Kruger

SPAR South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa

Strong store managers regularly solicit and respond to feedback from their customers. Leon takes that two-way communication a step further, engaging with shoppers on a day-to-day basis in store and also inviting customers to take part in focus ...