Gus Lebiak to take reins at Krasdale Foods
For Gus Lebiak, New Year”™s Day will be more than turning a calendar page to another 12-month adventure. Come the first of the year, Lebiak will be taking the role of president and chief executive officer at Krasdale Foods.
The Harrison-headquartered family owned grocery distribution, merchandising and marketing services company has been in business for 112 years and operates throughout the Northeast and Florida with store banners including C-Town, Bravo, Aim, Market Fresh, Shop Smart Food Markets and Stop 1 Food Mart.
Lebiak is taking over from the retiring Steve Silver, who has been with the company since 1981 and served as its president since January 2019. Lebiak will be moving up from the role of vice president at Alpha 1 Marketing, the company”™s merchandising and marketing arm. Lebiak held his Alpha 1 position since July 2012 and his new post caps a lifetime of working in the supermarket industry.
The supermarket industry is “very, very fast paced, always changing, with always something to do and always something to look at,” Lebiak said. “From that perspective, it has always been very exciting.”
Although he initially considered a career in accounting, a chance encounter helped steer him into his career.
“I ran into a gentleman who flew on a B-17 in World War II,” he said. “He was a vice president of engineering for Grand Union. He said that someone who is managing a store is managing a multimillion-dollar business. And he was interacting with customers every day.”
Lebiak added this veteran-turned-supermarket executive had great respect for the wholesale side of the industry, referring to them as the “Marines of business” because they are on the frontlines of the distinctive challenges within this sector.
“From the store level, which is where I came from many moons ago, having that understanding really helps me because the wholesale side is a true marketing job ”“ you are a buyer dealing with all those aspects of business, picking products, thinking about pricing theory, competition and logistics,” he said. “When you talk about Covid, you really have to give your hat off not only to the grocery industry, but those folks on the frontlines who kept us eating through this.”
While Lebiak is grateful for the career that he”™s enjoyed, he said the supermarket industry is not always efficient in attracting young talent to its ranks.
“It doesn’t seem like that exciting a job, right? Young talents are thinking about wanting to work at Google or Facebook or something like that. That”™s always been a challenge. I don”™t think my industry is ever going to have that appeal that some of those other folks will have.”
Nonetheless, Lebiak believed the supermarket trade could provide great training for young people eager for an education in the marketing of consumer goods.
“There”™s no substitute for store experience to understand what goes on in retail,” he said. “My advice would be to spend a little time, even as a kid doing part time, to see how your product is sold to consumers.”
As for Lebiak, his main concern come Jan. 1 is the impact of Covid-19 on his industry, particularly with reports of a resurgence of the virus. The supermarket industry has been considered a frontline in the national fight against the virus during its initial peak and Lebiak stressed that the industry is prepared for any additional viral wave.
“I want to reassure the public that we know what we’re dealing with,” he said. “We pulled through it and I see no reason to think why we won”™t pull through it again.”