Last updated on October 25th, 2019 at 02:00 pm
Springfield, Massachusetts-based Big Y Foods’ board of directors has appointed Eric A. Swensen as VP of fresh foods, Michael R. Cormier as senior director of center store and Christian P. D’Amour as a district sales and merchandising mentor for the company.
Swensen began his career with Big Y in 1985 as a part time service clerk in their Southwick supermarket. While there, he moved on to clerk in grocery and then frozen foods and dairy until being promoted to full time grocery night crew in 1987. From there, he held the positions of night crew manager and grocery manager by 1992.
By 1997, he was appointed to store manager, a position he held in Big Y’s in Mansfield, Connecticut, as well as Palmer, Worcester, East Longmeadow and Springfield, Massachusetts, stores. In 2006, he was selected as a sales and merchandising assistant for one of the chain’s districts which included 14 stores as part of Big Y’s operations team. By 2006, he was appointed manager of space management as he was responsible for all shelf space allocations for the entire chain. In 2009, Swensen was appointed director of frozen and dairy. In 2012, he became senior director of center store and in 2014, VP of center store.
Cormier has worked in the grocery business throughout New England and New York for over 23 years after working in both his family’s restaurant and construction businesses and also serving in the military. In 2001, he became store manager for Adams Hometown Markets in their West Hartford store before becoming grocery category sales manager and then director of retail sales for their 35 markets. Cormier then moved from retailer to wholesaler positions through his appointment as grocery category sales manager for Bozzuto’s Inc. wholesale distributor from Connecticut serving retailers in New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2016, he was appointed senior director of customer development for C & S Wholesale Grocers of Keene, New Hampshire, the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S. until his appointment at Big Y.
D’Amour has been appointed the sales and merchandising mentor for Big Y’s supermarket district within Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties of Massachusetts. In his role, D’Amour is responsible for all sales, merchandising and store team development across all departments for these 13 supermarket locations. In addition, he will continue to oversee the operations of the company’s Table & Vine, fine wine, spirits, beer and specialty foods flagship in West Springfield.
D’Amour began his career at Big Y at the age of 14 as a service clerk in their Longmeadow supermarket. After graduating from college, he was a sales and marketing representative for an insurance company based in Providence, before re-joining Big Y as a store director trainee in 2014. In 2017, he was appointed store director back in Wilbraham before being named store director of the Table & Vine flagship location. He is also the grandson of Big Y’s co-founder, Gerald E. D’Amour and son of president and CEO, Charles L. D’Amour.
