Superior Grocers had a big night in early May, as the Southern California grocery chain was the featured retailer at an Illuminators networking dinner in Fullerton. It was an important evening for the grocer, marking the first time it had presented its company to CPG companies.
Mimi Song, Superior’s chair and CEO, credits her chain’s success to its “visionary leadership.”
“The last 33 years in my Superior experience, I’ve made many mistakes,” she said. “I have many regrets. But one thing I did best, something I never will regret, is the team I chose.”
A native of Korea, Song immigrated to the U.S. in 1977 and founded Superior Grocers in 1981 with one store. It since has grown to 42 stores, employing nearly 5,000 people. The company plans to open two stores in this year’s third quarter, one in Pomona and another in Gardena.
Read more about Superior Grocers’ presentation last month in the July print edition of The Shelby Report of the West, available next week.
In the feature photo at top: Superior Grocers’ executive staff and senior management, from left: Dale Nakata, Larry Ahlstrom, Harry Karasawa, Raul Lopez, Eddie Whalen, Javier Rios, Joe Cooney, Debbie Romero, Oscar Romero, Mimi Song, Will Macias, Phil Lawrence, Eddie Martinez, Brenda Sarti, David Iizuka, Michael Sin, Brad Maehara, Janice Song, Michael Jukam and Aldoh Rodriguez. (Find more photos from the Illuminators dinner here.)
