The GIANT Company

Please join us in congratulating William Regan, who has been named chief financial officer!    “With nearly two decades of experience, Will is a proven leader with a track record of providing actionable financial guidance and expertise,” said John Ruane, president, The GIANT Company. “With his deep understanding of our business and strong partnerships across the company, I know he’ll continue to be a valuable resource as we work to deliver our strategy, drive results and position The GIANT Company for long-term growth.” 

Nourishing meals are central to holiday celebrations. To help families in need this Thanksgiving, The GIANT Company is donating 15,000 turkeys – 125,000 servings of protein – to 24 food banks and pantries. To help our charitable food partners prepare for the busy holiday season, our team members are also volunteering their time to pack hunger relief boxes and organize and restock shelves. We invite our customers to make a difference with us! Now through Nov. 28 in store, customers can donate their free turkey certificate to a local food bank and purchase reusable bags to benefit regional food banks.

On Veterans Day, we thank all who have served and sacrificed for our freedoms – and that includes our own team members. Terry Ann Bills joined The GIANT Company two years ago at the GIANT on Pauline Drive in York, Pa., starting as a part-time GIANT Direct shopper and becoming a full-time GIANT Direct facilitator, leading and managing the team, soon after. In April 2023, Terry became a store employment associate, helping new team members start off on the right foot! Before her time with us, Terry served our country, carrying on her family legacy of military service. Her paternal grandfather served in the Army during World War I, two of her uncles served in the Army during World War II, and her father served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Terry joined the Army when she was 19 years old and served during a time of conflict, taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom and was awarded the Bronze Star. She retired from the Army after 20 years of service as a First Sergeant 1SG/Master Sergeant MSG (E-8). She shared, simply, “It is a passion of mine to serve and help others.” Terry enjoys talking with veterans that shop her store, and she always leaves them with, “Thank you for your service.”  She also appreciates the connection she has with team members who are veterans, saying that “there is a distinct camaraderie that transcends the battlefield and creates connections that last a lifetime.”  Terry finds value in connecting with fellow team members and taking an active role in their personal and professional development. She recently joined the company’s SALUTE Business Resource Group, which is a group that donates and volunteers time to honor and impact veterans and their families. She says, “I am looking forward to bringing my experience to this group and collaborating on new and exciting ways that The GIANT Company can have a meaningful impact on the active duty and veteran community.” Thank you, Terry, for your service and your ongoing dedication to supporting veterans and their families.

May the beauty of Diwali fill your home with light and your heart with happiness. Happy Diwali to all who celebrate!

Congratulations to Nick Koch, head of wellbeing, for being named a 2024 #GenNext Award winner by Progressive Grocer! The annual award recognizes emerging leaders in the food and consumables industry. Nick joined The GIANT Company team in 2008 as a pharmacy intern and became a pharmacist in 2012 before being named regional pharmacy manager in 2016. Overseeing the operations of 32 pharmacies, with a strong focus on recruiting and pharmacist development, he delivered record-setting growth results. In 2022, Nick led the stand-up of the company's wellbeing team and quickly defined areas of focus and strategic priorities focused on inspiring healthy choices, improving access to wellbeing, and making healthy choices more rewarding. From a best-in-class virtual wellbeing education program hosted by the company's dietitians to collaborating with community partners to bring food as medicine solutions to communities in need, Nick enthusiastically seeks out and supports opportunities to create healthier communities for the company's more than 35,000 team members and its millions of customers. What makes Nick's success most impressive is not what he has accomplished but how he accomplishes it. Nick's dedication to collaboration, teamwork, and relationship building ensures that his team and peers win together and will for years to come. Read more about Nick's impact below and join us in thanking him for all he does to help create healthier communities! https://lnkd.in/ecY597Ax

As we continue to celebrate and recognize our pharmacy team members during #AmericanPharmacistsMonth, we’d like to introduce you Kim Hassinger Pharm D, BCACP, pharmacy manager at our Bartonsville, Pa. GIANT! Kim joined The GIANT Company in 2010 as a staff pharmacist in the Richmond, Va. area, then became a pharmacy manager at the Havertown, Pa. store before heading to her current store as pharmacy manager. She loves what she does and couldn’t give just one favorite part of her job. Kim enjoys educating patients about their health, teaching classes, giving immunizations, and mentoring future and new pharmacists and technicians. Kim chooses to work at GIANT because she likes that the grocery store setting allows her more time to work with patients. She says, “It also allows us to collaborate with dietitians to bring a more holistic approach to patient and community health.” She believes a community pharmacy isn’t just filling prescriptions; it’s about caring for patients. A specific memory that sticks out to Kim is when she had a patient who wanted to get his diabetes under control and asked her for help. During 5-to-10-minute conversations when he stopped in to pick up prescriptions, she would provide him with options, and from there, he would select a habit he was ready to change. When he received his bloodwork results that showed decreased A1C, Kim’s patient would make it a point to share his excitement with her. Interactions like these continue to fill her cup! Kim believes that American Pharmacists Month is meaningful and uplifting. She says, “It allows pharmacy teams – pharmacists and technicians – to be recognized for everything we do every day of the year. It gives a voice to different pharmacy settings and the accomplishments we’ve made as a profession – and also shows us where we can go in the future.” Thank you, Kim, and all of our pharmacy team members, for the care you provide to our customers and one another every single day!

Everyone deserves a full plate. From October 18-27, you can participate in our #FillAPlate food drive by donating non-perishable items to your local GIANT, MARTIN’S, or GIANT Heirloom Market to make sure families have food on the table. All donations are given to local food banks and pantries ahead of the busy holiday season. Most wanted items include canned fruits and vegetables, canned tuna and chicken, cereal, granola bars, and macaroni and cheese. Donation bins can be found at the front of each store near customer service.

It’s not shocking that the top #Halloween activity is handing out candy, according to the National Retail Federation. Last year, our customers went batty for our fang-tastic candy options! • Candy sold: 1 million bags at 875,000 lbs! • No. 1 seller: Reese’s Snack Size Pumpkins • Top 3 candy shapes: 🎃💀👻 In the mood to treat the neighborhood kids with something new? We now have Kit Kat Ghost Toast, Reese’s Werewolf Tracks, and M&M’s Pumpkin Pie in our stores!

Farmers do so much more than grow and harvest food. They are engrained in their communities – feeding families at their markets, in our grocery stores, and through charitable food programs. Without farmers, we couldn’t do what we do. In this video, in celebration of #NationalFarmersDay, our team members give back by picking surplus corn at Oak Grove Farms, a local farm and market just miles from our Support Office in Central Pennsylvania. Then Project SHARE makes sure this gleaned produce gets into the hands of local families who need it most. To honor our friends in agriculture on National Farmers Day, we’re donating $1,000 to 15 nonprofit, agriculture organizations to help cultivate and grow their missions and programs. Additionally, The GIANT Company team members lent a hand to hardworking farmers at volunteer events throughout the week. Recipient organizations include: America's Grow-a-Row • FarmerJawn & Friends Foundation Fund • Garden of Health Food Bank • Indiana County Conservation District • LEAF Project Inc • Living Hope Farm • Martha's Choice Marketplace & Community Farm • Maryland Food Bank • Novick Urban Farm • Project GROWS • Project SHARE • The Seed Farm • Share Food Program • Trellis for Tomorrow • York Fresh Food Farms Thank you, farmers, for everything you do as good stewards of the land to nourish families with healthy, fresh foods! 

We wish our team members and customers that observe #YomKippur a day of personal, purposeful reflection.