January 25, 2025 • 17 mins
This episode explores Donna Zambo’s, VP, Chief Marketing Officer for Allegiance Retail Services, remarkable journey in the grocery industry, highlighting her passion for food, community, and innovation. Donna shares her insights on leadership, technology, and the evolving grocery landscape.
• Donna’s early grocery experiences shaped her connection to the industry
• The impact of personal stories on professional paths
• Technology's role in enhancing the grocery shopping experience
• The importance of mentorship and women’s empowerment in grocery
• Leadership centered around empathy and team care
• Embracing innovation for a transformative retail future
Whether you're a seasoned professional or an aspiring leader, this episode is packed with insights and advice to help you navigate and thrive in the ever-evolving world of grocery retail. Be sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review, and suggest future guests whose stories and expertise you’d love to hear.
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Host: Kristin Popp
Producer: Rachael Melot
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat.
The WGA podcast, offering aunique perspective as seen
through the eyes of remarkablewomen who shape and lead in the
independent grocery industry.
Your host, Kristen Popp,president of WGA, will bring you
exclusive stories and insightsfrom the women serving our
industry, from presidents toCEOs, to entrepreneurs and
(00:24):
students.
This podcast is your source ofinformation.
Now listen, take notes andwelcome Kristen Popp.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I am your host, kristen Popp, and today I have
the opportunity to chat withDonna Zambow, vp, chief
Marketing Officer withAllegiance Retail Services.
Welcome to Grocery From yourSeat, donna, and thank you so
very much for sharing your timewith us today.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, thank you so much, Kristen, for having me.
I'm really excited to be hereand talk with you.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Donna, I gave your title, but can you introduce
yourself a little bit more, yourrole and then how you got
involved to be in the groceryindustry, specifically the
independent industry?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Sure, I would love to .
So I have been in the grocerybusiness for over 35 years now.
I started as an intern in themarket research department for
Pathmark.
Ever since then I've workedpart-time as I finished college
and then worked full-time inresearch, working for Pathmark
for over 20 years and then, whenPathmark was acquired by A&P, I
(01:27):
had moved over to Wake Fern,which is a retailer-owned
cooperative, and I had worked atWake Fern for 10 years and I
absolutely loved working formembers and for independents.
I always say I love working forMain Street rather than Wall
Street.
I've been with Allegiance forjust over six years now.
We are a retailer-ownedcooperative in the metro New
(01:49):
York area.
We have about 140 stores, about30 members or independent
owners that we support here, andmy role, my primary
responsibilities, are the IT,both in-house, our office, it
infrastructure, development,applications as well as
cybersecurity, as well assupporting our store teams and
(02:12):
our point of sale and our retailtechnology and retail
innovation.
I have oversight to also oure-commerce and also advertising,
marketing and loyalty.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
What a big role you have going on there.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
What I really love about my role because I get to
oversee marketing and IT it's acombination of left brain, right
brain, but the team that I haveoversight to is very diverse,
that we kind of push and pulleach other the IT and the
marketing team yeah, it makes itfun and it really, as I said,
it stretches both sides of mybrain every day.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I love the diversity in your responsibilities.
When we were kind of preppingfor this conversation, you
shared some inspiration on howyou got involved in the grocery
industry.
Do you mind sharing your storygrowing up?
What really inspired you?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Growing up, I grew up with a family of eight, so six
children my parents had and myfather had, you know, lost his
job.
He actually was in a fire atthe plant and was in the
hospital the entire summer withburns all over his body.
My grandparents would help ourfamily out and the way that my
grandmother, you know, showedher support and her love of our
(03:21):
family was she would go foodshopping and she would take us
food shopping.
Support and her love of ourfamily was she would go food
shopping and she would take usfood shopping.
And when she came into thehouse and would unpack the
groceries, she was so proud ofthem and would say, oh, look at
mommy, look at this meat.
And oh, look at this, doesn'tthis look wonderful?
And we would all gather aroundthe table and watch her unpack
the groceries.
They were toys and this was theway that she showed her love and
(03:42):
her support for our family.
And this was the way that sheshowed her love and her support
for our family.
And to this day, you know, if Iget in an argument with my
husband or something with mychildren, the first thing I want
to do is run to the grocerystore, buy something for them
and cook something for them, toshow my love for them.
I just think it's somethingthat's part of our day-to-day
and sometimes we take it forgranted.
You know that the grocerystores are there for us all the
(04:03):
time and a part of our community, but it's such an important
part of our lives.
Sharing food is really how youshare love with family.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And I think you call it a good point there.
When we do this in ourday-to-day, we sometimes do take
for granted the impact thatthis really does have on our
communities.
Thank you for sharing that.
So let's talk about some of thethings that you're most proud
of in your career.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I would say, having the opportunity to work in
technology and digital marketing, to be a part of the first to
launch a lot of new technologyor consumer-facing technology
for consumers.
So, you know, whether it bemobile shopping applications or
new retail innovation that helpsshoppers, those are things that
(04:47):
I get excited about becausethey are changing the way that
people shop and live.
I'm also very proud of the factthat here at Allegiance, I am
the first executive female inthis company and I'm very proud
of that.
And I also know that it comeswith a responsibility and I want
many, many more to follow.
(05:09):
And I would also say that Ithink what I'm really most proud
of are some of the team membersthat I have helped develop to
see them get promoted, to seethem advance in their careers.
I've watched so many associatesbe promoted one, two, three
times.
Of course, the associate isdoing the work, but if there was
(05:29):
anything that I was able to doto help them and support them,
proud of that because I want toreally enable folks to achieve
everything they can in theircareer, I'm very proud of that
because I want to really enablefolks to achieve everything they
can in their career, I'm veryproud of that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I couldn't agree with you more how powerful and
impactful that can be.
So you talk about technology,you talk about marketing.
Those are all very relevanttoday, but can we talk for a
minute about what excites youthe most, about the future of
the industry?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I would say there's a lot of things that excite me.
The technology that's coming atretail for consumer use smart
carts or additional AI tools forconsumers really think it's
going to transform how peopleshop in the store and it's also
making the store more relevantwith the threat of e-commerce.
(06:13):
Anything that we can bring tothe store to make the store more
exciting, remove friction forconsumers that they get excited
about coming to the store.
I think that's a good thing.
We embrace e-commerce and I'mall for e-commerce because I
think that consumers wante-commerce.
There's occasions for when youknow folks want to order online,
(06:34):
but I also think that peoplelike to go out as well and you
know, see folks at thesupermarkets and you know, see
their community and theirneighbors.
And anything from a technologystandpoint that we can bring to
the store to make it moreexciting and make it a more fun
shop is what I get excited about?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I mean the experience .
That's what sets individualsand organizations aside.
Is the experience that youprovide for the individuals
that's visiting or choosing tovisit your stores Very much
excitement around what that canlook like and how that can be
enhanced.
So, Donna, as we continue totalk about your career, who are
some of the individuals thathave had a lasting impact on you
(07:13):
, and can you share what thatimpact has been and how that's
affected you in your journeyforward?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You know there's some personal folks that have had a
big impact.
My family, my husband, is sucha strong supporter of me, he's
my biggest cheerleader and I'mnot just saying that, my
children.
I would say, first, my fatherwas the hardest working person.
You know that I ever knew andhe was also, in my mind, the
funniest.
(07:39):
And people say that you womenget their work ethic and their
sense of humor from their father, and so I hope that that was
the case for me because, again,he was the hardest working and I
would say, from a work ethicstandpoint, I think about him as
I, you know, put my full day inand then some.
So he's definitely inspired meand also not to take myself too
(08:05):
seriously and that you know,have fun and it's always good to
laugh.
From an industry standpoint,here at Allegiant the members
have had such a huge influenceand impact on me.
One particular member, noahKatz.
He is the chair of ourAdvertising and Technology
Committee and I work veryclosely with him and he has
(08:26):
probably taught me so much inthis last six or seven years
industry, the grocery, at storelevel, operations at store level
operations, loyalty technology,how it impacts the stores he's
just been really inspirationalto me.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Has any of those experiences affected how you
lead the teams that you aretoday?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Absolutely.
There's someone, simon Sinek,who I watch.
He says that leadership being aleader isn't about being in
charge, it's about taking careof those in your charge.
I think I've been fortunate tohave quite a few leaders who
lead, like you know, thatunderstand it's about taking
care of those in charge.
(09:09):
They understand the role istaking care of the people and
leading with empathy.
I try to do as much as I canand lead in that way because,
one, it's the right thing forthe team and, two, at the end of
the day, it's actually moreeffective.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Then I want to go ahead and shift gears a little
bit again, and I know thatyou've done some work to create
a women for women's group withinyour own organization.
Can you share the work thatyou've done on that?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah, I'm really excited about this.
As I said, I am the first andonly female executive from a
vice president level and, as Isaid, my mission is to promote
and develop as many associatesas possible, and I want that to
be women as well.
I had approached my presidentand asked for opportunity to
create a group and I developed abusiness plan for it and what
(10:00):
our purpose was, and also wantedto ensure that this was a
positive group, and I want tothank you, kristen, because it
was WGA that really helped metrigger this idea, to bring it
back to allegiance in this way,and I know that you have always
said for WGA that it's aboutsupporting women and that it's
(10:21):
not about negativity and it'snot negative about men, and I
really appreciate that and Ithink that it's really important
because I think that it's trueand so that's the case that I
brought forward for the Womenfor Women group that we're
different and we need differentthings, and so it doesn't mean
one way is right or another wayis wrong.
It Women group that we'redifferent and we need different
(10:42):
things, and so it doesn't meanone way is right or another way
is wrong.
It's just that we want tounderstand what we need and how
we could support each other tobe as successful as possible.
And if every woman in ourorganization is more successful
and more productive, that's thebest thing for allegiance.
That's the best thing forallegiance 1,000% guts from our
president, joe Fantosi, and youknow no-transcript, and we
(11:10):
together decide on the thingsthat we want to talk about.
One of the things we talkedabout was an idea that actually
Haley had suggested a book theCode of Confidence.
It really sparked a lot ofconversation in the last few
months.
We meet monthly and, as I said,wga has been a big inspiration
for me.
A lot of what we talk about areinspired or come directly from
(11:33):
WGA.
I encourage anyone who'sinterested.
I have a business case planthat was presented and very well
received.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Thank you for sharing that, don.
I think that the work thatyou've done there to help
initiate that and then get it upand running is just fantastic.
Both men and women have uniqueneeds and situations that they
need to be supported in that canbe very different from one
another right.
So creating the space to allowfor that to happen in those
connections I think allowseverybody to show up better
(12:03):
together to achieve greatersuccess.
I thank you for all the workthat you've done.
That goes beyond your fourwalls.
I think you'll see greatresults from that.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Thank you.
Thank you, it's exciting, Iwould say.
One of the most excitingconversations we had was one
session and the summer internand she said before she started
the job that she couldn'timagine even speaking up in a
meeting or having you know shewas very nervous and she said,
(12:32):
being part of the group andbeing part of our Women for
Women meetings, that she now hadthe confidence to go out and
speak and she learned so much.
So to see the confidence likegrow in someone who is just
starting their career, or hasn'teven started their career, was
just really inspiring too.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And I think that's a great call up what that can do
to allow them to carry theircareer was just really inspiring
too, and I think that's a greatcall out what that can do to
allow them to carry their careerjourney forward.
And then also the ability toretain that individual within
the industry and within theorganization because of the
support that you're providingthem.
Again, thank you for all ofthat work, thank you Looking
towards the future of theindustry, do you think, do you
(13:15):
see anything in the work thatyou do that you think we should
be keeping an eye on right now?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Generative AI, chatgbt and other tools like
that, I think are reallyimportant and critical,
particularly for theindependents and smaller
companies, because I think itallows us to play at a level
that is comparable to nationalplayers when it comes to mining
(13:42):
big data or development work oreven creating content.
A very low cost to really playin this field, you know, to play
with these.
Some of these tools are, youknow, either free or even the
enterprise level, for some ofthese are really the entry level
is, you know, quite attainablefor most small companies and,
(14:06):
again, it gives us tools thatput us at the same level as
national players.
If your team isn't playing inthat space, I think it's a real
missed opportunity.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Just to get your hands into.
It is key, Donna.
What is some advice that youhave for someone aspiring to
join or advance their career inthe industry?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
First, write down what your goals are.
If you don't have a formaldevelopment plan or don't have
that available for you, I wouldsay writing it down.
And for your career to advance,you have to know where you're
going.
You have to really write itdown, or put it down and put it
out there.
And don't be afraid to speak toyour supervisor, your manager,
(14:48):
your vice president, yourpresident, and say what it is
you want.
Early on in my career, I wasafraid to speak up and say what
it was that I wanted.
I thought, if I just put myhead down and worked hard and to
some degree that did help me toprogress.
But you do have to say what youwant and also, you know, come
up with a plan then to howyou're going to get there and
(15:09):
hold yourself accountable to getthere.
And then don't think you haveto do it alone.
Use your networking skills.
Relying on others is also.
I think it's a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness when
you ask for help.
So I found that that has helpedme as well.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And I think those are two great pieces of advice.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, I do encourage every single one of my team
members, when we do our reviews,to write down your goals and
write down your aspirations anddon't be afraid to do it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, I think your second piece of advice too
leaning into your network,leaning into others, and it's
okay to not know it all, andit's okay to ask questions, and
that's how we learn and grow.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Absolutely.
It only took me about 35 yearsto learn it, though.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That's right.
You can share it now andhopefully have a greater impact
on somebody else, correct?
Speaker 1 (15:58):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
So I'm going to throw you a little curveball here.
Just a question that I had towrap up our conversation today.
If you were writing a book orcreating a podcast about the
industry, what would the titlebe?
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Wow.
I would say that the future isnow and the reason why I say
that is I feel like we've beenpreparing for all of this change
, feel that the last few yearsand even the decades, we keep
thinking that this, this change,is coming right with e commerce
and technology.
But I feel like we are right onthe cusp, as I said earlier of
(16:34):
you know huge transformationalways that folks are going to
shop and the industry is goingto change.
You know we always say, well,in the future, this is going to
happen and in the future this isgoing to happen.
Well, I would just say thefuture is now and be ready.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
I think that's a great title and I think it sums
some things up pretty well, so Iappreciate that.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
No I love it.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
I love it.
It makes me think.
Donna, thank you so very muchfor sharing your time and your
thoughts with us today.
I appreciate you, your storyand your contribution to the
industry.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Thank you so much, kristen, and thank you for all
you do.
I love your podcast and reallyappreciate all that you do for
WGA and our industry.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we
thank you for listening to ourpodcast today and ask that you
subscribe, leave a five-starreview and share with a friend.
If you have a suggestion for aguest from the industry, mention
them in the comments.
Episodes are released everyother week and they are
sponsored by NGA, hosted byKristen Popp, president of WGA,
and published by
Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat.
The WGA podcast, offering aunique perspective as seen
through the eyes of remarkablewomen who shape and lead in the
independent grocery industry.
Your host, Kristen Popp,president of WGA, will bring you
exclusive stories and insightsfrom the women serving our
industry, from presidents toCEOs, to entrepreneurs and
(00:24):
students.
This podcast is your source ofinformation.
Now listen, take notes andwelcome Kristen Popp.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I am your host, kristen Popp, and today I have
the opportunity to chat withDonna Zambow, vp, chief
Marketing Officer withAllegiance Retail Services.
Welcome to Grocery From yourSeat, donna, and thank you so
very much for sharing your timewith us today.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Well, thank you so much, Kristen, for having me.
I'm really excited to be hereand talk with you.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Donna, I gave your title, but can you introduce
yourself a little bit more, yourrole and then how you got
involved to be in the groceryindustry, specifically the
independent industry?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Sure, I would love to .
So I have been in the grocerybusiness for over 35 years now.
I started as an intern in themarket research department for
Pathmark.
Ever since then I've workedpart-time as I finished college
and then worked full-time inresearch, working for Pathmark
for over 20 years and then, whenPathmark was acquired by A&P, I
(01:27):
had moved over to Wake Fern,which is a retailer-owned
cooperative, and I had worked atWake Fern for 10 years and I
absolutely loved working formembers and for independents.
I always say I love working forMain Street rather than Wall
Street.
I've been with Allegiance forjust over six years now.
We are a retailer-ownedcooperative in the metro New
(01:49):
York area.
We have about 140 stores, about30 members or independent
owners that we support here, andmy role, my primary
responsibilities, are the IT,both in-house, our office, it
infrastructure, development,applications as well as
cybersecurity, as well assupporting our store teams and
(02:12):
our point of sale and our retailtechnology and retail
innovation.
I have oversight to also oure-commerce and also advertising,
marketing and loyalty.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
What a big role you have going on there.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
What I really love about my role because I get to
oversee marketing and IT it's acombination of left brain, right
brain, but the team that I haveoversight to is very diverse,
that we kind of push and pulleach other the IT and the
marketing team yeah, it makes itfun and it really, as I said,
it stretches both sides of mybrain every day.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I love the diversity in your responsibilities.
When we were kind of preppingfor this conversation, you
shared some inspiration on howyou got involved in the grocery
industry.
Do you mind sharing your storygrowing up?
What really inspired you?
Speaker 3 (02:59):
Growing up, I grew up with a family of eight, so six
children my parents had and myfather had, you know, lost his
job.
He actually was in a fire atthe plant and was in the
hospital the entire summer withburns all over his body.
My grandparents would help ourfamily out and the way that my
grandmother, you know, showedher support and her love of our
(03:21):
family was she would go foodshopping and she would take us
food shopping.
Support and her love of ourfamily was she would go food
shopping and she would take usfood shopping.
And when she came into thehouse and would unpack the
groceries, she was so proud ofthem and would say, oh, look at
mommy, look at this meat.
And oh, look at this, doesn'tthis look wonderful?
And we would all gather aroundthe table and watch her unpack
the groceries.
They were toys and this was theway that she showed her love and
(03:42):
her support for our family.
And this was the way that sheshowed her love and her support
for our family.
And to this day, you know, if Iget in an argument with my
husband or something with mychildren, the first thing I want
to do is run to the grocerystore, buy something for them
and cook something for them, toshow my love for them.
I just think it's somethingthat's part of our day-to-day
and sometimes we take it forgranted.
You know that the grocerystores are there for us all the
(04:03):
time and a part of our community, but it's such an important
part of our lives.
Sharing food is really how youshare love with family.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
And I think you call it a good point there.
When we do this in ourday-to-day, we sometimes do take
for granted the impact thatthis really does have on our
communities.
Thank you for sharing that.
So let's talk about some of thethings that you're most proud
of in your career.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
I would say, having the opportunity to work in
technology and digital marketing, to be a part of the first to
launch a lot of new technologyor consumer-facing technology
for consumers.
So, you know, whether it bemobile shopping applications or
new retail innovation that helpsshoppers, those are things that
(04:47):
I get excited about becausethey are changing the way that
people shop and live.
I'm also very proud of the factthat here at Allegiance, I am
the first executive female inthis company and I'm very proud
of that.
And I also know that it comeswith a responsibility and I want
many, many more to follow.
(05:09):
And I would also say that Ithink what I'm really most proud
of are some of the team membersthat I have helped develop to
see them get promoted, to seethem advance in their careers.
I've watched so many associatesbe promoted one, two, three
times.
Of course, the associate isdoing the work, but if there was
(05:29):
anything that I was able to doto help them and support them,
proud of that because I want toreally enable folks to achieve
everything they can in theircareer, I'm very proud of that
because I want to really enablefolks to achieve everything they
can in their career, I'm veryproud of that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
I couldn't agree with you more how powerful and
impactful that can be.
So you talk about technology,you talk about marketing.
Those are all very relevanttoday, but can we talk for a
minute about what excites youthe most, about the future of
the industry?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
I would say there's a lot of things that excite me.
The technology that's coming atretail for consumer use smart
carts or additional AI tools forconsumers really think it's
going to transform how peopleshop in the store and it's also
making the store more relevantwith the threat of e-commerce.
(06:13):
Anything that we can bring tothe store to make the store more
exciting, remove friction forconsumers that they get excited
about coming to the store.
I think that's a good thing.
We embrace e-commerce and I'mall for e-commerce because I
think that consumers wante-commerce.
There's occasions for when youknow folks want to order online,
(06:34):
but I also think that peoplelike to go out as well and you
know, see folks at thesupermarkets and you know, see
their community and theirneighbors.
And anything from a technologystandpoint that we can bring to
the store to make it moreexciting and make it a more fun
shop is what I get excited about?
Speaker 2 (06:52):
I mean the experience .
That's what sets individualsand organizations aside.
Is the experience that youprovide for the individuals
that's visiting or choosing tovisit your stores Very much
excitement around what that canlook like and how that can be
enhanced.
So, Donna, as we continue totalk about your career, who are
some of the individuals thathave had a lasting impact on you
(07:13):
, and can you share what thatimpact has been and how that's
affected you in your journeyforward?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
You know there's some personal folks that have had a
big impact.
My family, my husband, is sucha strong supporter of me, he's
my biggest cheerleader and I'mnot just saying that, my
children.
I would say, first, my fatherwas the hardest working person.
You know that I ever knew andhe was also, in my mind, the
funniest.
(07:39):
And people say that you womenget their work ethic and their
sense of humor from their father, and so I hope that that was
the case for me because, again,he was the hardest working and I
would say, from a work ethicstandpoint, I think about him as
I, you know, put my full day inand then some.
So he's definitely inspired meand also not to take myself too
(08:05):
seriously and that you know,have fun and it's always good to
laugh.
From an industry standpoint,here at Allegiant the members
have had such a huge influenceand impact on me.
One particular member, noahKatz.
He is the chair of ourAdvertising and Technology
Committee and I work veryclosely with him and he has
(08:26):
probably taught me so much inthis last six or seven years
industry, the grocery, at storelevel, operations at store level
operations, loyalty technology,how it impacts the stores he's
just been really inspirationalto me.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
Has any of those experiences affected how you
lead the teams that you aretoday?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Absolutely.
There's someone, simon Sinek,who I watch.
He says that leadership being aleader isn't about being in
charge, it's about taking careof those in your charge.
I think I've been fortunate tohave quite a few leaders who
lead, like you know, thatunderstand it's about taking
care of those in charge.
(09:09):
They understand the role istaking care of the people and
leading with empathy.
I try to do as much as I canand lead in that way because,
one, it's the right thing forthe team and, two, at the end of
the day, it's actually moreeffective.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
Then I want to go ahead and shift gears a little
bit again, and I know thatyou've done some work to create
a women for women's group withinyour own organization.
Can you share the work thatyou've done on that?
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah, I'm really excited about this.
As I said, I am the first andonly female executive from a
vice president level and, as Isaid, my mission is to promote
and develop as many associatesas possible, and I want that to
be women as well.
I had approached my presidentand asked for opportunity to
create a group and I developed abusiness plan for it and what
(10:00):
our purpose was, and also wantedto ensure that this was a
positive group, and I want tothank you, kristen, because it
was WGA that really helped metrigger this idea, to bring it
back to allegiance in this way,and I know that you have always
said for WGA that it's aboutsupporting women and that it's
(10:21):
not about negativity and it'snot negative about men, and I
really appreciate that and Ithink that it's really important
because I think that it's trueand so that's the case that I
brought forward for the Womenfor Women group that we're
different and we need differentthings, and so it doesn't mean
one way is right or another wayis wrong.
It Women group that we'redifferent and we need different
(10:42):
things, and so it doesn't meanone way is right or another way
is wrong.
It's just that we want tounderstand what we need and how
we could support each other tobe as successful as possible.
And if every woman in ourorganization is more successful
and more productive, that's thebest thing for allegiance.
That's the best thing forallegiance 1,000% guts from our
president, joe Fantosi, and youknow no-transcript, and we
(11:10):
together decide on the thingsthat we want to talk about.
One of the things we talkedabout was an idea that actually
Haley had suggested a book theCode of Confidence.
It really sparked a lot ofconversation in the last few
months.
We meet monthly and, as I said,wga has been a big inspiration
for me.
A lot of what we talk about areinspired or come directly from
(11:33):
WGA.
I encourage anyone who'sinterested.
I have a business case planthat was presented and very well
received.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Thank you for sharing that, don.
I think that the work thatyou've done there to help
initiate that and then get it upand running is just fantastic.
Both men and women have uniqueneeds and situations that they
need to be supported in that canbe very different from one
another right.
So creating the space to allowfor that to happen in those
connections I think allowseverybody to show up better
(12:03):
together to achieve greatersuccess.
I thank you for all the workthat you've done.
That goes beyond your fourwalls.
I think you'll see greatresults from that.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Thank you.
Thank you, it's exciting, Iwould say.
One of the most excitingconversations we had was one
session and the summer internand she said before she started
the job that she couldn'timagine even speaking up in a
meeting or having you know shewas very nervous and she said,
(12:32):
being part of the group andbeing part of our Women for
Women meetings, that she now hadthe confidence to go out and
speak and she learned so much.
So to see the confidence likegrow in someone who is just
starting their career, or hasn'teven started their career, was
just really inspiring too.
Speaker 2 (12:53):
And I think that's a great call up what that can do
to allow them to carry theircareer was just really inspiring
too, and I think that's a greatcall out what that can do to
allow them to carry their careerjourney forward.
And then also the ability toretain that individual within
the industry and within theorganization because of the
support that you're providingthem.
Again, thank you for all ofthat work, thank you Looking
towards the future of theindustry, do you think, do you
(13:15):
see anything in the work thatyou do that you think we should
be keeping an eye on right now?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
Generative AI, chatgbt and other tools like
that, I think are reallyimportant and critical,
particularly for theindependents and smaller
companies, because I think itallows us to play at a level
that is comparable to nationalplayers when it comes to mining
(13:42):
big data or development work oreven creating content.
A very low cost to really playin this field, you know, to play
with these.
Some of these tools are, youknow, either free or even the
enterprise level, for some ofthese are really the entry level
is, you know, quite attainablefor most small companies and,
(14:06):
again, it gives us tools thatput us at the same level as
national players.
If your team isn't playing inthat space, I think it's a real
missed opportunity.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Just to get your hands into.
It is key, Donna.
What is some advice that youhave for someone aspiring to
join or advance their career inthe industry?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
First, write down what your goals are.
If you don't have a formaldevelopment plan or don't have
that available for you, I wouldsay writing it down.
And for your career to advance,you have to know where you're
going.
You have to really write itdown, or put it down and put it
out there.
And don't be afraid to speak toyour supervisor, your manager,
(14:48):
your vice president, yourpresident, and say what it is
you want.
Early on in my career, I wasafraid to speak up and say what
it was that I wanted.
I thought, if I just put myhead down and worked hard and to
some degree that did help me toprogress.
But you do have to say what youwant and also, you know, come
up with a plan then to howyou're going to get there and
(15:09):
hold yourself accountable to getthere.
And then don't think you haveto do it alone.
Use your networking skills.
Relying on others is also.
I think it's a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness when
you ask for help.
So I found that that has helpedme as well.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
And I think those are two great pieces of advice.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
Yeah, I do encourage every single one of my team
members, when we do our reviews,to write down your goals and
write down your aspirations anddon't be afraid to do it.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Yeah, I think your second piece of advice too
leaning into your network,leaning into others, and it's
okay to not know it all, andit's okay to ask questions, and
that's how we learn and grow.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Absolutely.
It only took me about 35 yearsto learn it, though.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
That's right.
You can share it now andhopefully have a greater impact
on somebody else, correct?
Speaker 1 (15:58):
That's right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
So I'm going to throw you a little curveball here.
Just a question that I had towrap up our conversation today.
If you were writing a book orcreating a podcast about the
industry, what would the titlebe?
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Wow.
I would say that the future isnow and the reason why I say
that is I feel like we've beenpreparing for all of this change
, feel that the last few yearsand even the decades, we keep
thinking that this, this change,is coming right with e commerce
and technology.
But I feel like we are right onthe cusp, as I said earlier of
(16:34):
you know huge transformationalways that folks are going to
shop and the industry is goingto change.
You know we always say, well,in the future, this is going to
happen and in the future this isgoing to happen.
Well, I would just say thefuture is now and be ready.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
I think that's a great title and I think it sums
some things up pretty well, so Iappreciate that.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
No I love it.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
I love it.
It makes me think.
Donna, thank you so very muchfor sharing your time and your
thoughts with us today.
I appreciate you, your storyand your contribution to the
industry.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Thank you so much, kristen, and thank you for all
you do.
I love your podcast and reallyappreciate all that you do for
WGA and our industry.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we
thank you for listening to ourpodcast today and ask that you
subscribe, leave a five-starreview and share with a friend.
If you have a suggestion for aguest from the industry, mention
them in the comments.
Episodes are released everyother week and they are
sponsored by NGA, hosted byKristen Popp, president of WGA,
and published by
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