DETROIT -- The Associated Food & Petroleum Dealers' (AFPD) board of directors has named Auday Arabo its new president and CEO, effective October 1, 2010. Having served as AFPD's COO for the past two years, Arabo replaces Jane Shallal, who retired from the position after five years of service.
As a young boy, Arabo and his family immigrated to San Diego from Baghdad, Iraq, in 1979. Arabo graduated Magna Cum Laude in Political Science with a minor in History from San Diego State University. Upon graduation, he joined U.S. Representative Brian Bilbray's Congressional staff, [image-nocss] working in Washington as a legislative correspondent for nine months.
Later, Arabo returned to San Diego and attended California Western School of Law, finishing law school in two-and-a-half years and graduating in the top one-third of his class. Although he excelled as a prosecutor in the San Diego County District Attorney's Office, Arabo had been raised in the small grocers business and wanted to use his knowledge of retail, government relations and the law to help improve the California independent retail industries.
As the driving force behind the 2007 merger between the California Independent Grocers and Convenience Stores and the California Beverage Merchants, Arabo created the Neighborhood Market Association (NMA), the largest independent grocers association on the West Coast, and served as the organization's president and CEO. After putting NMA on solid ground, Arabo wanted to move to Michigan for personal reasons; Shallal recruited him to join AFPD as COO in December 2008.
Since his arrival at AFPD, Arabo has achieved numerous major accomplishments, including helping to recruit 598 new members to the association in 2009 and signing up 303 new members in 2010 to date; implementing a number of successful money-saving programs for members; helping to reduce the AFPD operating deficit by $77,570 in his first year of service and continuing to find ways to reduce expenses without cutting services or service levels; creating the Joseph Sarafa Annual Scholarship Luncheon, which has raised more than $800,000 for college scholarships for members' children since its inception; and working on selected pieces of legislation, such as food stamp disbursement, recycling and the bottle bill, as well as alcohol and tobacco issues.
"AFPD will be facing some new challenges in this tough economy, but we are confident and look forward to facing each obstacle in stride," said Arabo. "AFPD has had an incredible 100 years of history in the business community, but I firmly believe our best days are yet to come."
He added, "It is an honor and privilege to be selected as the new AFPD president and CEO. I am humbled by the board of director's strong support and confidence in my leadership abilities and vision and thank God for all He has blessed me with."
With more than 4,000 members, the AFPD serves the retail food, beverage and fuel industries in Michigan and Ohio.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.