Oklahoma City-based HAC Inc., which operates 80 stores under eight banners, has selected Price Mabry as its new director of produce and floral.
"Price’s deep Oklahoma roots and AWG experience combined with his passion for supporting our store teams, driving sales and supplier partnerships will accelerate our commitment to our customers to provide the freshest, highest quality produce and floral at a fair price," Rob Easley, vice president of merchandising and marketing for HAC, said in a letter announcing Mabry's addition.
Mabry comes to HAC from Associated Wholesale Grocers, where he has been produce sales manager for the Gulf Coast division for the last four years.
One of the banners operated by HAC, United Supermarkets, is where Mabry started his produce career as a 16-year-old back in 2003.
He later joined Albertsons, in 2009, holding roles including produce manager and produce supervisor. In 2015, he joined AWG as a produce merchandiser, a position he held for one year before becoming produce sales manager.
“I’m a store guy, I’ve always been a store guy, hands-on, filling bananas, changing out displays, putting up ad signage, that’s just where I come from,” Mabry said. “Thankfully I had the opportunity with AWG to really get an understanding of the procurement and how everything actually works as far as buying from the different growing regions, loading trucks, filling trucks out, really being first to season, really seeing that and living it the last four years.
"Now I have an opportunity to take the two worlds and go back to really where it all started, kind of a coming-home story," Mabry said.
HAC operates stores under the Homeland, United Supermarkets, Country Mart, Super Save, Super Save Cost Plus, Piggly Wiggly, Food World and Cash Saver banners. Mabry sees the opportunity for the stores to have unique identities and value propositions even though some elements will be similar for each.
For example, while a given supplier’s whole program might not be the right fit for each banner, a piece of the program will be, Mabry said. It might make sense for one set of stores to carry a brand’s head lettuce, cauliflower, romaine hearts and other mainstream items, while other stores could also offer the red leaf lettuce, anise and endive along with those more traditional stock-keeping units. The process begins, Mabry said, with asking each store’s produce manager how he can help that person be successful.
Celebrating the work happening in the stores is another opportunity Mabry is anticipating.
“We’ve got so many produce managers doing exciting things in these four walls,” Mabry said. “We need to get it out there.”
Mabry’s last day with AWG was Dec. 31, and his first day with HAC is Jan. 4.
Rob Ybarra, director of produce for Thibodaux, La.-based Rouses Markets, who has worked closely with Mabry over the last year, praises his work ethic as “off the charts.”
“I haven’t met too many people like him,” Ybarra said. “He puts in the hours. You know the old saying, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get’? That’s Price Mabry.”
Ybarra also commended Mabry on his continuing pursuit of the latest and greatest in produce, always on the hunt for the next new variety or opportunity.
“He’s going to do some amazing things,” Ybarra said. “I really believe Homeland got the steal of the draft in Price Mabry. I really do.”