May 10, 2010
ARLINGTON, VA — May 10, 2010 — Food Marketing Institute (FMI) announced the election of two new vice chairmen and five new members of its Board of Directors today.

     “These new leaders bring to FMI great vision, talent, creativity and utmost dedication to the industry. They exemplify the many ways we serve our customers, communities and, ultimately, America. They make FMI’s leadership more diverse, running companies large, mid-sized and small, including retailers and wholesalers, and many of their businesses are family-owned,” said FMI President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie G. Sarasin.

New Vice Chairmen

     Elected as FMI vice chairman of independent retailers and wholesalers is David Ball, president and CEO of Ball’s Price Chopper/Hen House Markets, Kansas City, KS. In addition, Ball continues to serve as chairman of FMI’s Independent Operator Advisory Board. Ball is the third-generation leader of the family company founded in 1923. The business currently has 29 stores and is known for its large assortment of natural, organic and locally grown foods, along with its emphasis on customer service.

     Elected as FMI vice chairman of finance is Steven A. Burd, chairman, president and CEO of Safeway Inc, based in Pleasanton, CA. Burd is an active public policy advocate, focusing on organized retail crime, healthcare costs, health and wellness, sustainability, and cancer research and prevention. For these efforts, he received FMI’s Glen P. Woodard, Jr., Public Affairs Award in 2007. Safeway is among the world’s largest food retailers, operating more than 1,700 food and drug stores in North America.

New Members of FMI’s Board of Directors


  • Jim Donald is currently the president and CEO of Haggen, Inc., headquartered in Bellingham, WA, with 33 stores in the Northwest. Donald joined the company last year after leading the Starbucks Corp. from 2002 to 2008, first as president of Starbucks North America and then as president and CEO of Starbucks from 2005 to 2008. During his tenure, Starbucks grew to more than 15,000 stores in 43 countries. Donald was named one of the top 25 CEOs in the world in 2006 by The Best Practice Institute.

  • Dennis Eidson, president and chief executive officer of Spartan Stores, a grocery wholesaler and retailer based in Grand Rapids, MI. The company supplies nearly 350 independent grocers and operates 96 retail food stores. Eidson has more than 30 years of industry experience, including serving as chief executive officer of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company’s Midwest region.

  • Joey Hays, owner and president of five supermarkets under the Food Rite banner, based in Dyer, TN. He founded the company in 1981.

  • Tom Heinen, president and COO of Heinen’s Fine Foods, Inc., based in Cleveland, OH, with 17 stores in the northwestern part of the state. His father, Joe, built Cleveland’s first supermarket in 1933. Tom joined the family business in 1978 and pioneered company efforts to develop an in-store bakery and service deli. In 1994, he became president, sharing this position with his twin brother, John.

  • Steve Junqueiro,, president of Save Mart Supermarkets, Modesto, CA, operating 250 stores in California and Nevada. He has been active in the industry for more than three decades, focusing extensively on produce. He served as the Produce Marketing Association’s chairman of the board in 2005. The Packer honored Junqueiro as the 2002 Produce Marketer of the year, and Produce Merchandising as the 2000 Retailer of the Year.