CINCINNATI, Jan. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR) today announced the retirement of Pam Matthews, president of the Central division,
and promotions of Colleen Juergensen—currently president of the
Dillions division—to president of the Central division and Steve
Dreher—currently vice president of the Dillions division—to
president of the Dillions division.
Pam Matthews to Retire After
40 Years of Service
Matthews will retire from the company,
effective February 2, after 40 years
of service. Most recently, she's led the Central division, which
has 134 stores and more than 15,000 associates, primarily
throughout Indiana, southern
Illinois, and eastern Missouri.
"Pam's passion for our associates and the retail business has
been demonstrated throughout her successful career with Kroger,"
said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's
executive vice president and COO. "She has been an exceptional
mentor and coach to many and will leave a legacy of caring,
dedicated teams who care about each other and the customers and
communities they serve."
Matthews began her career with Kroger in 1980 as a courtesy
clerk in the Fred Meyer division. She held a variety of leadership
roles in her 25-year career with Fred Meyer before being promoted
to a director of merchandising at Kroger's corporate office in
Cincinnati. In 2006, she was
promoted to vice president of merchandising for the Central
division. Several years later, she moved to the Delta division to
serve in the same role and ultimately became the region's vice
president of operations. In 2016, she was promoted to president of
the QFC division and then became president of the Central division
in 2017.
Active in the community, Matthews serves on multiple board of
directors, including the Riley Children's Foundation and local
organizing committee for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. She previously
was a board of director member for the Julian Center, a non-profit
that empowers survivors of domestic violence.
Matthews was named a Progressive Grocer "Top Women in
Grocery," and she received the "Indiana Fever Inspirational Award,"
which was featured in Indianapolis –To Her Success.
In her retirement, Matthews and her husband, Craig, plan to
continue to reside in Indianapolis, travel, spend the cooler months
in Florida and welcome their first
grandchild in March.
Colleen Juergensen Named President of the Central
Division
Juergensen, currently president of the Dillons
division, has been named president of the Central division,
succeeding Matthews. Juergensen will oversee 134 stores and more
than 15,000 associates, primarily throughout Indiana, southern Illinois, and eastern Missouri.
"Colleen has been very successful throughout her long career
with the Kroger Family of Companies, and we know she'll continue to
serve our associates, customers and communities with excellence as
the leader of our Central division," said Mike Donnelly, Kroger's executive vice president
and COO. "Her diverse background in operations and merchandising,
joined with her passion for the community, will help us deliver our
vision to serve America through food inspiration and uplift."
Juergensen has more than 38 years of experience with the company
and began her career in 1981 as a bakery clerk in her hometown of
Great Bend, Kansas. She has served
in various leadership roles in the Dillons division, including
store leader, district manager and director of advertising. She was
promoted to vice president of operations for Dillons in 2008. She
transferred to the Smith's division as vice president of operations
in 2012 and was then named vice president of merchandising in 2015.
Juergensen was promoted to her current role as president of Dillons
in 2016.
Passionate about the community, Juergensen served on the board
of directors for United Way of Reno
County, the Hutchinson
Chamber of Commerce and Dillons Credit Union. She is an avid
supporter of all food bank locations in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, and the American Heart Association,
Big Brothers Big Sisters and Susan G.
Komen.
Juergensen has also been recognized by Progressive Grocer
as a "Top Women in Grocery" honoree and by Ingram's
magazine as one of the 50 Kansans You Should Know.
Steve Dreher Named President of the Dillons
Division
Dreher has been promoted to president of the
Dillons division, succeeding Juergensen. The Dillons division
includes 80 stores with 11,500 associates serving customers across
Kansas, southeastern Nebraska and central Missouri operating under the Dillons, Baker's
and Gerbes banners.
"We are pleased to elevate Steve to the role of division
president at Dillons," said Donnelly. "Steve has driven positive
results in his role as vice president and understands the Dillons
customer and market well. We look forward to his continuation of
achieving great results and inspiring our associates to deliver the
outstanding customer experience expected at Dillons."
Dreher began his career with the company 1985 in Hays, Kansas as a courtesy clerk. He was
promoted to assistant store leader in 1998 and soon after was
promoted to store leader. In 2003, he was promoted to division
labor specialist and then labor manager. Dreher served as a
district manager in several regions before being named to his
current role of vice president of operations in 2018.
Dreher is a Knights of Columbus
member and supporter of all food bank locations in Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri, Susan G.
Komen and United Way. He is also the executive sponsor for
the multicultural associate resource group (ARG) for the Dillons
division.
To download headshots of Matthews, Juergensen and Dreher,
visit here.
About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are
Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the
Human Spirit®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half
a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily
through a seamless shopping experience under a variety
of banner names. We are committed to creating
#ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us,
visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.