Jun 10, 2015
JUNE 10, 2015 – CHICAGO – Food Marketing Institute (FMI) today presented the Robert B. Wegman Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence to Russell T. Lund (Tres), III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Lund Food Holdings Inc., which operates the Lunds & Byerlys grocery stores in the Minneapolis/St. Paul market place. Lund’s retail strategies extend from creative assortment to successfully merging two formats under one company.
“I had the distinct honor of visiting Tres in his community during the company’s 75th anniversary, and I witnessed Tres’ passion for food and how his associates sincerely share his vision,” FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin remarked about her recent visit to Minneapolis. “Tres’ appreciation of the in-store experience is evident in every detail he offers for his customers – featuring local to global tastes and chef-inspired fare; he literally reinvented the neighborhood market.”
Lund has grown alongside his company, beginning his career nearly 40 years ago as a part-time carryout employee. In 1991, he took the helm of the company, and seven years later, he strengthened the flagship he runs today through both acquisition and innovation. Experimenting with formats that focused on culinary and locally sourced options, Lund created a niche that shoppers crave both in store and virtually via its engaging social media channels.
Kevin Davis, president and CEO of Bristol Farms, last year’s Wegman Award winner, commented, “Tres put together two cultures and steered them with one set of principles that starts with people. He’s done a phenomenal job of keeping the company growing and directionally creative with new formats and new applications of product mix and services that have made his company a leader – not only in his trade area but nationally.”
Lund inspired a subculture and greater loyalty when the company celebrated its 75th anniversary via a social media campaign, ultimately curating more than 800 stories of experiences among store employees, partners and customers who all personalized and helped to tell the company’s history. With each story submitted, Lunds & Byerlys donated $7.50 to Second Harvest and garnered more than $6,000 in charitable donations.
Sarasin continued, “Tres is a model of the entrepreneurial spirit within the food retail industry. He has pride of authorship, ownership and a deep respect for the noble enterprise we all serve in the food retail industry.”
Lund serves on the board of directors for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA), the AgriBeef Company (Boise, Idaho), the Minnesota Business Partnership and MPSC, Inc. (Hudson, Wisconsin).
“I had the distinct honor of visiting Tres in his community during the company’s 75th anniversary, and I witnessed Tres’ passion for food and how his associates sincerely share his vision,” FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin remarked about her recent visit to Minneapolis. “Tres’ appreciation of the in-store experience is evident in every detail he offers for his customers – featuring local to global tastes and chef-inspired fare; he literally reinvented the neighborhood market.”
Lund has grown alongside his company, beginning his career nearly 40 years ago as a part-time carryout employee. In 1991, he took the helm of the company, and seven years later, he strengthened the flagship he runs today through both acquisition and innovation. Experimenting with formats that focused on culinary and locally sourced options, Lund created a niche that shoppers crave both in store and virtually via its engaging social media channels.
Kevin Davis, president and CEO of Bristol Farms, last year’s Wegman Award winner, commented, “Tres put together two cultures and steered them with one set of principles that starts with people. He’s done a phenomenal job of keeping the company growing and directionally creative with new formats and new applications of product mix and services that have made his company a leader – not only in his trade area but nationally.”
Lund inspired a subculture and greater loyalty when the company celebrated its 75th anniversary via a social media campaign, ultimately curating more than 800 stories of experiences among store employees, partners and customers who all personalized and helped to tell the company’s history. With each story submitted, Lunds & Byerlys donated $7.50 to Second Harvest and garnered more than $6,000 in charitable donations.
Sarasin continued, “Tres is a model of the entrepreneurial spirit within the food retail industry. He has pride of authorship, ownership and a deep respect for the noble enterprise we all serve in the food retail industry.”
Lund serves on the board of directors for the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA), the AgriBeef Company (Boise, Idaho), the Minnesota Business Partnership and MPSC, Inc. (Hudson, Wisconsin).
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