GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- SpartanNash’s Dennis Eidson will retire as CEO following the food distributor's annual meeting May 23. David Staples, president and chief operating officer, will succeed Eidson as CEO.
“Under Dennis’ guidance, the company has achieved remarkable success in executing its business strategies and leveraging the food distribution, retail and military segments to achieve sustainable growth,” said Tim O’Donovan, lead director for Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash. “Dennis demonstrated leadership through the merger with Nash Finch Co., and the successful integration of Spartan Stores and Nash Finch has positioned our company for continued success and growth. This is further exemplified by the company’s solid financial position and its ability to pursue future growth through the recent acquisition of Indianapolis-based Caito Foods Service and Blue Ribbon Transport.”
Following his retirement, Eidson will continue in his role as chairman of the board of directors. Staples was appointed to the board of directors March 2.
“Dave has been an instrumental member of our executive team for the past 17 years and a key leader in our transformational merger in 2013,” Eidson said. “His leadership has been an essential component to our success, and I have great confidence in his ability to lead our remarkable group of associates to deliver the best in customer focus and service.”
Before becoming president and COO, Staples was SpartanNash’s chief financial officer for 16 years. He is a certified public accountant, and he sits on the boards of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids Symphony.
“I am honored and humbled to be appointed to this critical leadership role,” Staples said. “[SpartanNash has] high standards of excellence, and I look forward to further strengthening our market position by leveraging our organization’s core competencies and competitive advantages to ensure that we collectively cultivate relationships that will enable us to extend our success well into the future.”
SpartanNash is a Fortune 400 company with core businesses including distributing grocery products to independent grocery retailers, national accounts, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries. SpartanNash serves customer locations in 47 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain and Egypt. The company operates 155 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare Supermarkets, Family Fresh Market, D&W Fresh Market and SunMart.
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