10/30/2023

Meijer Reveals 2023 Legacy Award Winners

6 team members given company’s highest honors

Senior Editor

Meijer honored one team member, Fred Walker, with its Fred Meijer Award and five others with a President's Award.

As a private, family-owned business, Meijer Inc. also takes time to recognize its family of team members. The Midwest retailer announced the winners of its 2023 Legacy Awards, the highest recognition that associates can receive.

The recipient of this year’s Fred Meijer Award is Fred Walker, the Lansing, Mich., complex director. That distinction is given annually to one person who demonstrates founder Fred Meijer’s values of humility, generosity and passion for serving others. Walker was honored for his strong relationships with community leaders and his work on behalf of Meijer with groups such as United Way, Peckham Institute in the Lansing Community and the Lansing Community Center. Walker also serves on several committees at Meijer.

Meijer also named five winners of the 2023 President’s Award, which recognizes team members who have made a significant impact on the company’s success.

The President Award winners include the following individuals:

Brandon Ford, store director in Avon, Ohio
Cris Jones, senior real estate manager in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Amy Messing, specialist of senior organization development in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Sahar Nabbud, cashier in Shelby Twp., Mich.
Chris Thurner, indirect procurement support manager in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Executive chairman Hank Meijer lauded this year’s Legacy Award winners. "Meijer was built on a solid foundation of values – focusing on our customers and treating our team as family," he said. “Despite how much we have grown or how fast the industry changes, these values guide us along a path of positive growth. The Legacy Awards shine a spotlight on the leadership, innovation, and service of our team members who work hard every day to help shape the Meijer legacy."

Added Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes: "Few things embody our culture more than our annual Legacy Awards. These awards are especially meaningful because they're decided based on nominations from the winners' peers and coworkers. I'm honored to recognize their accomplishments in living our company's values and making a positive impact on the people around them."

Privately owned Meijer operates 500-plus supercenters, Meijer Grocery, neighborhood markets and Express locations throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company is No. 23 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Top 10 Most Sustainable Grocers and Best Regional Grocery Chains in America.