SpartanNash Gears up for Grocery Innovation with First-Ever IT Training Palooza

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Sep 26, 2024, 09:19 ET

Groundbreaking event equips 300+ Associates with advanced tech knowledge to upskill and lead customer-focused innovation

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Food solutions company SpartanNash (the "Company") (Nasdaq: SPTN) hosted its first-ever IT Training Palooza this week. The three-day event brought together 300+ Associates from across the country to explore technology trends and leading innovation to reshape the grocery industry. The event demonstrates SpartanNash's leadership in leveraging technology to drive innovation across the sector, with a focus on topics such as AI, automation and cybersecurity.

More than 300 SpartanNash Associates from across the country gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan for intensive IT training in a festival format.

SpartanNash Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Information Officer Masiar Tayebi gathered with IT Associates at the IT Training Palooza kick-off event.

SpartanNash Chief Executive Officer Tony Sarsam helped kick off IT Training Palooza with an address to the 300+ Associates in attendance, followed by a food truck dinner to celebrate the company's largest-ever IT training event.

SpartanNash IT Training Palooza began with a live performance from the company's very own band, "Out of Office," comprised of musicians who work at SpartanNash's headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

"Being People First includes providing our Associates with development opportunities that allow them to gain hands-on experience with new-to-world technology that sharpens their skills around customer-centric innovation," said Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Information Officer Masiar Tayebi. "This event not only shows our investment in our Associates, but in driving the future of grocery to create a better customer experience."

The IT Training Palooza featured 50+ sessions covering topics from integrating artificial intelligence into daily coding and applying an agile delivery model to innovation, to best practices in change management and leadership and the social and ethical impacts of AI. Top tech companies such as Microsoft and Snowflake participated, offering valuable insights to support Associate learning.

Over the 3-day event, Associates logged more than 5,000 hours in an intensive and fun festival environment, making this the largest IT training event in SpartanNash history. The kick-off event included a check presentation to local organization Bravo LT, which is partnering with SpartanNash to develop the next generation of IT leaders within the West Michigan community.

This event is part of SpartanNash's continued investment in technology that elevates the customer, shopper and Associate experience. SpartanNash is also leveraging AI to predict shopper demand and reduce waste, and it is using autonomous inventory robots to provide real-time data intelligence at the shelf.

To learn more about Careers for a Better Life in IT, visit spartannash.com/it-jobs.

About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,000 strong. SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments – food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The Company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which include the Our Family^® portfolio of products. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 147 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers. For more information, visit spartannash.com.