NJFC, Night of Distinction

The New Jersey Food Council hosted the “Night of Distinction” Reception on Wednesday March 16, at The Palace at Somerset, Somerset, New Jersey.  The event with its powerful slate of honorees drew over 500 guests to the event including prominent food industry executives.

View Photos from the Event Here

At the event, Dan Croce, President of Acme Markets and his Executive Team; Rafael Cuellar, President & CEO Cuellar Family ShopRites; Barry Schiro, President, CBA Industries, were honored with Industry Achievement Awards for their meaningful contribution to advance the mission of the Food Council, for achieving significant food business success and for their history of civic service within the New Jersey food community. Linda Doherty, President & CEO, New Jersey Food Council also was presented with the Excellence in Leadership Award recognizing her 23 years of service at the food council and her 12 years as President.

NJFC Chair, Judy Spires, CEO of Kings Food Market stated, “This distinguished class of food industry leaders was recognized for their continued achievements in the competitive NJ marketplace. We were thrilled with the outpouring of support for this event and the honorees, which is no surprise given these honorees are among the most respected leaders in the industry”.

In addition to their Industry Achievement Award, each honoree was presented with Joint Resolutions by Senator Jennifer Beck of the NJ State Legislature commemorating their industry achievement and dedication to business in the Garden State.

The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden State’s food industry trade association with almost 400 members representing over 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that supply them.

Trenton, NJ: The New Jersey Food Council will host its most prestigious event of the year, The Night of Distinction Reception, on Wednesday, March 16, at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey.  The event with its powerful slate of honorees is expected to draw more than 600 guests representing over 100 companies in our industry. The evening’s festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by an evening of excellent entertainment, delicious food and an awards ceremony for our industry colleagues.

This year, for the first time, we will have a silent auction with tickets to local sporting events, celebrity sports memorabilia, golf outings to local country clubs, and much more. All proceeds will benefit the NJFC Educational Development Scholarship Program which this year will award 13 scholarships totaling $45,000, the largest investment in the history of our foundation.

At the event, Dan Croce, President of Acme Markets; Rafael Cuellar, President & CEO of Cuellar Family ShopRite’s, Barry Schiro, President, CBA Industries; will be honored with Industry Achievement Awards for their meaningful contribution to advance the mission of the Food Council, for achieving significant food business success and for their history of civic service within the New Jersey food community. In addition, Linda Doherty; President & CEO, New Jersey Food Council will be awarded the Excellence in Leadership for her dedication to the industry and her 23 years of commitment to the New Jersey Food Council.

NJFC Chair, Judith Spires, CEO of Kings Food Markets Inc., stated “This distinguished class     of food industry leaders is being recognized for their continued achievements in the ultra-competitive NJ marketplace. We are thrilled with the outpouring of support for this event and the honorees, which is no surprise given these honorees are among the most respected leaders in the industry.  We are grateful to have the opportunity to honor them with Industry Achievement Awards at this showcase NJFC event.”

With The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden State’s food industry trade association with almost 400 members representing over 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that supply them.

The New Jersey Food Council’s Education Development Scholarship Program was created with the goal to promote future leaders, create a benefit for NJFC members and their families, and support the food industry.  Scholarships will be available for the Fall 2016 school year and the deadline to submit an application is April 15, 2016.

This year the Food Council and our members will award 15 scholarships totaling $53,000 which is the largest education investment in our history!

The available scholarships are listed below, click on the links to view the criteria and application for each.

• 3 New Jersey Food Council Scholarships – Policy – Application
  • Founders Scholarship Award – $5,000
  • Thomas Infusino Scholarship Award – $5,000
  • Student Award – $5,000

• Cuellar Family ShopRites Educational Scholarship – $2,500
  • Policy
  • Application

• Lawrence R. Inserra Memorial Scholarship – $5,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• Raymond J. Maniaci Education Scholarship – $5,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• Grace Scaduto Memorial Scholarship – $2,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• Two (2) Spires Family Scholarships – $2,000 each
  • Policy
  • Application

• Perry Sumas Educational Scholarship – $5,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• ACME Markets Educational Scholarship – $2,500
  •  Policy
  •  Application

• CBA Industries Scholarship – $5,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• QuickChek Scholarship – $2,000
  • Policy
  • Application

• Two (2) Wawa Scholarships – $2,500 each
  • Policy
  • Application

Please help us share this information within your organization and with family members who may be interested in applying for a scholarship.

The NJFC Educational Development Fund is an independent 501 3c fund with tax exempt status.  Not only can the program award scholarships but it can administer member foundations and endowment programs as well. We encourage members to consider these options to invest in the future of the New Jersey Food Council.  If you would like to discuss contributing to the endowment fund by establishing a family or company scholarship, please call Linda Doherty at (609) 392-8899. 

ACME Markets President Dan Croce and his executive team will be honored with an Industry Achievement Award at the New Jersey Food Council Annual Night of Distinction Reception on Wednesday, March 16, at The Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, New Jersey.  The event with its powerful slate of honorees draws well over 500 guests including prominent food industry executives.

This year, Dan and his ACME team transitioned nearly 40 former A&P/Pathmark stores and doubled the size of their footprint in Jersey.  Through aggressive planning, teamwork and strong leadership the stores were transitioned in less than 60 hours each and the entire project was completed in 5 weeks.  ACME now operates 84 stores in New Jersey and continues to strive for superior service while continuing to be a strong community partner in all the neighborhoods they serve.

Dan Croce is a highly-successful executive with 31 years of grocery experience, the last 11 with ACME. Dan joined ACME in 2005 as a district manager; the first ever recruited outside of ACME.  He held this position for three years before being appointed the director of operations in 2008.

Dan’s achievements within operational responsibility and his collaborative work with the operations and merchandising teams to drive top line sales and reduce operating costs led to his next appointments as vice president of Sales Support and then vice president of Operations in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Dan was promoted to Vice President of Merchandising/Marketing in 2014 and now has been promoted to President. Prior to joining ACME, Dan spent time working for SuperFresh/A&P Food Markets, where he started his grocery career in 1985.

Also being honored at the event are Rafael Cuellar, President & CEO of Cuellar Family Shoprites; Barry Schiro, President of CBA Industries; and, Linda Doherty, President & CEO of the New Jersey Food Council.  For tickets or to inquire out sponsorship opportunities you can reach out to Kori Little-Buro by phone at 609-392-8899 or by email at kburo@njfoodcouncil.com. Tickets can also be purchased at njfoodcouncilmeeting.com.

The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden State’s food industry trade association with almost 400 members representing over 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that supply them.