The CGA Educational Foundation has created a unique scholarship program designed to acknowledge and continue the legacy of many of California’s grocery leaders and recognize them for their many contributions.
The Foundation has created the "Legacy Scholarship Program." Under the program, the Foundation hopes to encourage the creation of new Legacy scholarships that will honor CGAEF’s Hall of Achievement honorees, both past and future, as well as the many other men and women who have had rewarding and influential careers in the grocery business of California and the West.
"The thinking behind the program has been deep and heartfelt", said Allan Scharn, former Chair of the Foundation and Hall of Achievement Inductee. "Many of the industry’s most prominent leaders have shared the same career paths: They started as a box person or checker at a single store and kept moving up the ladder and deeper into the corporate realm, never losing sight of their devotion and passion for the business."
"The stature of the people in our industry is so profound. We felt it would be wonderful if there was a vehicle to recognize the many contributions these individuals have made to the industry," said Scharn, who retired in 1996 as President of Gelson’s Markets, a Southern California chain of 18 stores that is a subsidiary of the publicly owned Arden Group. He spent 36 years with the company, where he started as a clerk.
Scharn said he and other Foundation Trustees have strong feelings about the new program.
"This is a way for the family members of these individuals, or their companies, or the individuals themselves, to offer an ongoing scholarship in their name. It would be a reminder of their leadership and an inspiration to others in the industry," said Scharn, who was on the CGA Board of Directors during the 1980s, and served through the Vice Chair position before retiring.
The latest scholarship effort is ambitious. Under the program, donors would commit a minimum of $10,000, to fund annual $1,000 scholarships in the honored person’s name. The scholarships are to be awarded based on general requirements set by the Trustees of the Foundation and the donors themselves.
Scharn emphasized that the program is flexible. Donors will have a variety of options for giving, including charitable annuities, endowments or annual cash gifts."We understand every situation is different. The program is designed to be flexible," Scharn said.
The Foundation hopes the program is so successful that donors will want to continue the scholarships for many years beyond their initial commitment. "How wonderful it would be to keep it going," Scharn said.
In 2004, the first of the Legacy scholarships was named for Lou Amen, Chairman of Super A Foods, followed by Jack Brown, Chairman of Stater Bros. Markets that same year. The next year, the program welcomed Bob Piccinini, Save Mart Supermarkets; Bob Wilson, Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream; W.R. "Bill" MacAloney, Jax Markets; and Don Kaplan, Bonfare Markets. 2006 saw the addition of the 7th Legacy scholarship from Roger K. Hughes, Chairman of HOWS Markets. Al Plamann, President/CEO of Unified Grocers, entered the program the subsequent year. 2008 saw the addition of the 9th, 10th and 11th donors. The Trelut Family (Jim & Lynda), Peter & Jody Larkin and Joey & Florence Franco of PW Supermarkets added their names to the prestigious list of Legacy partcipants. Most recently, Darioush Khaledi, K.V. Mart Co., Gene & Peggy Yee, Dick's Markets, and Bimbo Bakeries USA joined the ranks as the newest program donors.
To learn more about the program, or to begin a Legacy Scholarship, email Brianne Korte, or call (916) 448-3545.
About Our Legacy Scholarship Donors
Lou Amen
A legend in the industry. That is how Louis Amen, Board Chairman for Super A Foods, has been characterized by those who know him well. Amen bought his first store in 1950 with a partner and parlayed that into a 10-store chain that later was sold. Then he started the process all over again by himself in 1971 when he began building his current Super A chain of 12 stores in Los Angeles. A past CGA Chairman, Amen served on the Board for 30 years. He also has been a longtime Board member with Unified Grocers, the largest cooperative in the western United States. An early riser, he still is known for arriving at the office before dawn on many mornings.
Bimbo Bakeries USA
The retail industry has had a generous and tireless leader in Doug Detherage, Director of Customer Relations with Bimbo Bakeries USA. Detherage, of Rancho Mirage, first experienced working in the retail world as a grocery courtesy clerk at age 15. From there, he went on to enjoy a long and productive career in the bread industry. Over the years, he worked to develop strong relationships between suppliers and retailers through the Illuminators, the California Grocers Association, and the Food Industry Sales Managers Club. Detherage also has been an effective supporter of educational programs as a past CGA board member and through his service on CGA’s Educational Foundation Board.
Jack Brown
With a personal, hands-on style, Jack Brown leads Stater Bros. Markets as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Born on Flag Day, Brown is as patriotic as they come. He began his grocery career as a 13-year-old box boy in San Bernardino. After serving with the U.S. Navy, he found his way back to the grocery industry, working for firms in Southern California, Indiana and Nebraska. In 1981, he joined Stater Bros. Markets as its top executive, and operates more than 150 supermarkets in Southern California. Among his many accomplishments, he was the recipient of the 2008 Semper Fidelis Award, the highest award presented by the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.
Joey & Florence Franco
Joey and Florence Franco’s warmth and generosity became hallmarks of their independent grocery chain, PW Markets. Joey Franco, who emigrated from Italy at age 9, opened his first PW Market in San Jose in 1943. He and his wife, and later their children, worked side by side in the family-oriented business. Franco was known for his love of the industry and his big heart: When customers faced tough times, he wouldn’t hesitate to extend them credit. PW Markets has nine stores in the San Jose and Santa Clara County areas, and has been a staunch supporter of the Educational Foundation’s scholarship programs. Florence Franco died in 2002 and Joey in 2003. According to daughter Joy Belli, a scholarship in their name was the perfect way to honor their legacy.
Roger K. Hughes
Roger K. Hughes, a veteran of the supermarket industry, had been with Hughes Markets, Inc. since it was founded in 1952. During his 45 years with the Southern California supermarket chain, Hughes held a variety of management positions. For 10 years prior to his becoming Chairman, he owned one of the chain’s main locations. Throughout his career, he was actively involved in matters affecting California grocers and food retailers. He has served as spokesperson for the grocery industry on several occasions, addressing a variety of public and political concerns. He is also a past CGA Board Chair. Currently, he is involved with 3 other partners in Hows Markets with 5 stores.
Don Kaplan
Thirty-five years is a long time to stay committed to one organization. But for Don Kaplan, 35 years as a member of the California Grocers Association marks an era of time well spent, and time well rewarded. Kaplan, a former CGA Board Chair, worked with the late former CGA President Don Beaver to help create and shape the Educational Foundation. A Trustee since the Foundation began, Kaplan is a Chicago-born CPA who retired from the Foundation in December 2004. He remains the President of Bonfare Markets, a chain of small convenience markets, and is a lifelong fan of the warmth that can be found in the grocery industry.
Darioush Khaledi
One of California’s most successful independent grocery operators, Darioush Khaledi built his K.V. Mart chain in the Los Angeles area on the twin platforms of serving the community and creating a well-trained workforce. In that same spirit, Khaledi, Chairman and CEO of K.V. Mart, has worked as a leader in the industry to strengthen the business climate for retailers and advance educational opportunities for retailers and their families. Khaledi, a former chair of CGA, left his native Iran in 1976 to protest its dictatorship regime. Today, besides being a successful California retailer, Khaledi is the owner of Darioush Winery in Napa Valley, which produces world-renowned wines in a setting celebrating Persian culture.
Peter & Jody Larkin
In the annals of CGA history, Peter Larkin will go down as having led the way in transforming the association into a strong and vibrant presence. A former Vice President for the Food Marketing Institute, Larkin became CGA’s president in 1996. Professional, wise and well-regarded, he brought CGA to a healthy financial state, revamped the annual convention, developed a strong government relations team, and helped build effective Educational Foundation programs. His wife, Jody Larkin, is a fund-raiser in private education who believed strongly in the efforts to expand scholarships and training. “We both were very proud of how well the industry supported the Educational Foundation,” she said. At the time Larkin moved on to start his own consulting business in December 2007, the Foundation was giving out nearly $300,000 in scholarships a year, a source of great pride to this industry leader.
W. Bill MacAloney
Bill MacAloney had a tough start in life. He grew up an orphan in Massachusetts, and at 16, hitchhiked to California. Today, MacAloney is the Chairman and CEO of Jax Markets, a small chain of three stores in Anaheim. He got his start in the industry in the late 1960’s by taking over a bankrupt grocery store in Hollywood, and making it a success. In 1970, he opened his Jax chain. MacAloney has been active in CGA for 20-plus years, and is a past Board Chair. He also has served in leadership positions with other major retail associations, and is a past mayor of Villa Park. Mindful of his humble roots, MacAloney has long been a supporter of scholarships for those who need a hand with their education.
Al Plamann
A well respected and highly regarded leader within the grocery industry, Al Plamann is an executive known for his breadth and depth of knowledge on a wide range of industry-related subjects. President and Chief Executive Officer of Unified Grocers, the largest retailer-owned grocery wholesaler in the western United States, Plamann oversees a company that supplies grocery products and services to more than 2,500 independent retailers on the West Coast. Al Plamann is also active in a number of food industry and community-based organizations, including the Food Marketing Institute, National Cooperative Bank, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the George L. Graziadio School of Business & Management – Pepperdine University, the Weingart Center and the San Gabriel Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America. A member of the CGA Board of Directors from 1997 to 2003, Al Plamann was inducted into the CGAEF Hall of Achievement in 2004.
Save Mart Supermarkets
Robert “Bob” Piccinini is the owner of Save Mart Supermarkets, a chain of 200-plus stores headquartered in Modesto and begun by this father and uncle. As a 12-year-old, he earned his first grocery paycheck from a Save Mart store for pressing labels onto packaged meats. How far he has come from that 50-cent-an-hour job: As a young man, he was named Vice President of the company following his father’s unexpected death in 1971. Today, Piccinini oversees a vast grocery empire that has expanded into the warehouse market and has 23,000 employees. A leader with longstanding CGA ties, he is also known for his passion for classic automobiles.
Trelut Family
The Trelut family’s legacy in the grocery industry is long and meaningful. Lynda Trelut’s father and uncle, Mike and John Bonfante, started the first Nob Hill grocery store in the 1960s. She was a checker in high school, and married her husband, Jim Trelut, in college. The two returned to the family business after that, spending 30 years with Nob Hill Foods (now owned by Raley’s). Each became a vice president, Jim for Human Resources, Lynda for Marketing. Lynda Trelut was a founding member of the CGA Educational Foundation, and the first female chair of CGA. She chose to leave a legacy scholarship to honor her husband, who died in 2003, and to “give back” to CGA and the Foundation for the many opportunities that she experienced.
Bob Wilson
Gracious and funny, Bob Wilson has spent virtually his whole life in the food and grocery business. He got his start at age 14 as a checker for an independent grocery in San Bruno. Today, Wilson is Director of Business Development for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. He has been active in state and national industry groups for years, including The Illuminators, the national nonprofit organization that supports the grocery industry. He served on the CGA Educational Foundation Board for three years, and was active in scholarship programs. A true good-humor man, Wilson keeps the freezer in his garage stocked with Dreyer's ice cream bars for the neighbor kids.
Gene and Peggy Yee
Gene Yee’s experience and accomplishments in the grocery business have spanned more than half a century. Yee came to this country as a child from China, built his first grocery store in San Jose in 1948, which grew into Dick’s supermarket chain of 15 stores operating until 2001. Over the years, Yee did all he could to help new immigrants get started in the industry, as well. A longtime leader in the retail world, Yee’s generous spirit and commitment to the industry played out into notable achievements: He was Chairman of the California Grocers Association in 1974 and inducted into the Sales Managers Club’s Grocers Hall of Fame in 1997.
Lou Amen
Bimbo Bakeries USA
Jack Brown
Joey & Florence Franco
Roger K. Hughes
Don Kaplan
Darioush Khaledi
Peter & Jody Larkin
W. Bill MacAloney
Al Plamann
Save Mart Supermarkets
Trelut Family
Bob Wilson
Gene and Peggy Yee