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Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. Announces Retirement and Promotions

Company Press Release

KANSAS CITY, KS (August 27, 2014)- AWG recently announced the upcoming retirement of Mike Rand, COO for the Kansas City, Kansas based company. Mike has served the company in a variety of roles during his 34 year tenure, and recently announced he will be retiring at the end of the year.

Mike recently commented, “Seeing the Company grow from two Divisions and $1 billion in sales in 1980 to seven Divisions, 9 DC’s, and almost $9 billion in sales including VMC and Always Fresh in my time here, makes me very proud of the continuous growth pattern AWG has achieved. There have been many success stories over the years and they will continue to be written as AWG moves forward.”

Along with Mike’s retirement, AWG announced two promotions.

Effective September 7, 2014, David Smith, Senior Vice President and Division Manager of the Gulf Coast Division will be placed on special assignment reporting to Mike Rand, Chief Operating Officer. David has been in the grocery industry for many years, starting as a teen in a family-owned business. He spent 17 years with Fleming in positions ranging from Retail Development Manager to General Manager, Nashville Division.

David joined AWG in 2003 as Director of Real Estate for the Nashville Division and was promoted to Director of Member Services in 2007. In 2009 he was promoted to Vice President of Merchandising for the Memphis Division. When AWG decided to open the Gulf Coast Division, David was chosen as Senior Vice President and Division Manager and was instrumental in the successful launch of AWG’s newest division.

Also effective September 7, 2014, Bob Durand, Vice President of Merchandising for the Gulf Coast Division will be promoted to Senior Vice President and Division Manager of the Gulf Coast Division, reporting to Mike Rand.

Bob has held numerous management positions in the grocery industry beginning as a Store Manager in 1977. His work history includes time with Mega Market, Fleming, and S&C Foods. He came to AWG as a Group Sales Manager for the Nashville Division in 2008 and was promoted to Member Services Director in 2009.

In 2012, Bob was promoted to Vice President of Merchandising and worked alongside David in opening the new Gulf Coast Division.

About Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG)

Established in 1926, AWG is an 88-year old retailer-owned grocery cooperative, headquartered in Kansas City, KS. With annual sales of $8.38 billion. AWG’s existing full-line distribution centers are located in Kansas City, KS; Springfield, MO; Oklahoma City, OK; Southhaven, MS; Goodlettsville, TN; Fort Worth, TX; and Pearl River, LA. The VMC facilities are located in Ft. Scott, KS, and Memphis, TN. AWG currently has over 600 member-owners and services over 3,000 retail outlets in 31 states. For more information, visit www.awginc.com or follow @AWGCorporate on Twitter.

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