Wakefern Food Corp.

Est. 1946Privately Held27,743 Employees
Employees
~27,743
Founded
1946

About Wakefern Food Corp.

About Wakefern Food Corp. Starting in 1946 as a modest local co-op established by eight forward-thinking grocery store owners, Wakefern Food Corp. has grown into the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States. Based in New Jersey, Wakefern today operates as a broad network of member families who take pride in owning and running hundreds of supermarkets under well-known names like ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market, Di Bruno Bros., and Morton Williams. Wakefern’s distinctive cooperative structure allows local, family-run enterprises to succeed and compete against large national chains. Currently, its member companies serve communities in nine states: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Driven by a goal of helping small businesses thrive in a big-business environment, Wakefern also focuses on fostering stronger, healthier communities. Its members reside and work in the areas they serve, backing numerous local groups and charitable causes. As a prominent figure in the supermarket sector and in corporate social responsibility, Wakefern additionally leads efforts to address food insecurity via its flagship program, ShopRite Partners In Caring.

Key Facts
Approximately 27,743 employees globally
Headquartered in Keasbey, New Jersey, United States
Operates in Retail
Founded in 1946

Executive Leadership Team

Bryant Harris
Bryant Harris
Chief Merchandising Officer
Since 2020
Cheryl Williams
Cheryl Williams
Chief Information Officer
Since 2016
Darren Caudill
Darren Caudill
Chief Sales Officer
Since 2024
John Jantson
John Jantson
Chief Information Officer
Since 2023
KM
Karen Meleta, MBA
Chief Communications Officer
Since 2020
MS
Mike Stigers
President
Since 2023

Organizational Chart — Preview

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Wakefern Food Corp. Executive Leadership Team

Bryant Harris
Bryant Harris
Chief Merchandising Officer
Since 2020
Cheryl Williams
Cheryl Williams
Chief Information Officer
Since 2016
Darren Caudill
Darren Caudill
Chief Sales Officer
Since 2024
John Jantson
John Jantson
Chief Information Officer
As CIO for Wakefern, I’ve led the transformation of our technology organization into a modern, business-aligned function that drives strategic growth and innovation for the company. Over the past three years, I’ve delivered both structural and cultural shifts to elevate the value of technology across the enterprise. Key accomplishments: -Built a high-performing leadership team through focused coaching and development, ensuring strong, sustainable IT governance and execution. -Defined and secured buy-in for a comprehensive five-year technology strategy aligned with Wakefern’s business growth goals. -Reshaped the IT operating model by identifying critical functional, technical, and change management capabilities, and strategically recruiting top-tier talent to fill those needs. -Reduced budgeted headcount by ~10% while improving organizational capability and efficiency. -Established a purpose-driven culture grounded in four core principles: winning, obsessive collaboration, cultivating excellence, and having fun. -Redefined the IT organization’s “go-to-market” approach, collaborating closely with business partners to select and deliver technology solutions that drive ROI and create competitive advantage. -Successfully executed this selection approach across major initiatives in HCM, SAP, Loyalty, TMS, CLM, and data platforms. -Deepened business-technology integration by aligning technical teams to business outcomes rather than technical outputs alone. -Enhanced cybersecurity posture by refining enterprise security protocols and implementing best-in-class practices. -Overseeing the implementation of key transformation initiatives, including implementations of SAP Finance & Supply Chain, HCM, TMS, GCP, Loyalty, and Production Planning. -Modernized core infrastructure, deploying a new mainframe, upgrading all SAP environments, rolling out SD-WAN, and introducing robust security enhancements
Since 2023
KM
Karen Meleta, MBA
Chief Communications Officer
Since 2020
MS
Mike Stigers
President
Since 2023

Business Focus Areas

Identified by BizNLP
Business Focus Areas
AIE-CommerceWholesaletechnologyRetailLogisticsDistributionGrocery RetailSupply ChainPrivate Label
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Wakefern Food Corp. Org Chart & Organizational Structure

Wakefern Food Corp., a leading retailer-owned cooperative, is led by President Mike Stigers, who directs the organization’s key business functions. The company’s corporate structure encompasses several major areas, including Operations, Sales, Information Technology, and Marketing, each overseen by dedicated executives. Within Operations, Bryant Harris serves as Chief Merchandising Officer. Under Sales, Darren Caudill holds the position of Chief Sales Officer. The Information Technology function is managed by Cheryl Williams, Chief Information Officer, with John Jantson also serving in the role of Chief Information Officer within the same division. The Marketing function includes a sub-function focused on Public Relations, led by Karen Meleta, MBA, who serves as Chief Communications Officer.

Frequently Asked Questions

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What does Wakefern Food Corp.'s BizKonnect profile actually show?

An overview with industry, headquarters, employee count, and public/private status; an About section describing the business; Key Facts; an Executive Leadership Team list; and a preview of the OrgKonnect's GenAI-powered org chart built by BizKonnect.

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You get a free preview of the top-level structure and business units, generated by BizKonnect's GenAI-powered org chart engine; the full chart with reporting lines and direct contacts unlocks via "Get Free Access to Full Org Chart."

How is Wakefern Food Corp.'s organizational structure mapped on BizKonnect?

Wakefern Food Corp.'s hierarchy is broken into functional departments IT, Finance, Commercial Sales, Operations and distinct business units, with GenAI-powered interactive org charts mapping reporting lines directly up to the CXOs.

Does the page show which executive oversees which function?

Yes, functions like Finance, Sales, Operations, and Information Technology are each tied to a named executive and their title, based on Wakefern Food Corp.'s reported leadership structure.

Is executive tenure information included?

Each leader's profile shows how long they've held their role, marked "Since [year]," so you can see how recently Wakefern Food Corp.'s leadership team has changed.

How do Wakefern Food Corp.'s GenAI-powered org charts support Account-Based Marketing (ABM)?

The visual maps break down multi-person buying centers within Wakefern Food Corp., helping ABM teams identify actual budget owners, understand peer reporting relationships, and run multi-threaded outreach without getting stuck behind gatekeepers.

Are there other companies worth researching alongside Wakefern Food Corp.?

Yes, a "Similar Companies" section links to comparable organizations in the same industry, generated by GenAI industry clustering to help expand your target account lists.