Last updated on February 6th, 2023 at 05:20 pm
People matter at H-E-B. They are at the heart of every decision made and everything the company does. And its partners (employees) are an integral part of H-E-B’s success.
In addition to the stores, H-E-B partners work in many other locations and serve in many roles. Its partners are the secret to the company’s success, said Juan-Carlos Rück, H-E-B EVP of North West Food Drug.
“The purpose that our partners have, the people that they are…we love them,” he said. “We know that they’re special and that they really are the difference.”
Rück noted that more than 85 percent of the partners in the Frisco and Plano stores were new to H-E-B, but through the onboarding process and getting to know the store leadership, a store culture was created.
“That’s where the saying ‘My H-E-B’ comes from. When we do our job right, people don’t say, ‘I’m going to the store’ or ‘I’m going to the grocery store,’ they’ll say, ‘I’m going to my H-E-B.’ They literally feel possessive about their H-E-B. And that is primarily a testament to our partners,” Rück said.
To further cultivate a local culture at its stores, H-E-B becomes familiar with the community and studies what products make customers feel like the store was designed with them in mind.
All of that comes together, and that’s what makes shopping at H-E-B a unique experience for our customers,” Rück said.
“Each and every day, we are focused on earning their loyalty and their business, and our partners do a great job of that.”
Scott Mitchell, chief merchant for the company, said the partners are the reason H-E-B is being named The Shelby Report of the Southwest’s Innovator of the Year. “It’s truly all about our Partners,” he said, noting that at the bottom of the company’s “bold promise” it states that each and every person counts.
“We’re certainly proud of the products that we sell, we’re proud of the stores and the design. We’re proud of all those things,” Mitchell said. “But none of that happens without our partners.
“Everything that our customers experience, it all comes down to the work that our partners do.”
To view the full Innovator of the Year section by The Shelby Report, click here.
