Grocery distributor/retailer SpartanNash had its employees top of mind when it reopened its newly renovated corporate headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Making its debut in an official ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday, the upgraded Grand Rapids Service Center (GRSC) reflects the company’s “people first” culture, SpartanNash noted. The remodeling project resulted in open spaces for collaboration, a vibrant color palette, more use of natural and LED lighting, and agile workspaces with stylish furniture and technology.
“This beautiful new space is a great example of SpartanNash’s commitment to our associates,” President and CEO Tony Sarsam said in a statement. “By offering bright, collaborative spaces for our teams to work together after years apart, we can celebrate a fresh start with an environment where people feel empowered to create winning work and innovative solutions. By putting our associates’ experience at the forefront of this redesign, we’re doubling down on SpartanNash’s most important investment: our people.”
Hundreds of SpartanNash employees work out of the GRSC at 850 76th St. SW in Grand Rapids. In 2020, the center’s staff shifted to working from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the reopening, employees will be returning to a “refreshed” office space that reflects the company’s people-driven culture — with an emphasis on “we have fun,” SpartanNash said. The GRSC now houses a Starbucks, an expanded café, and various entertainment spaces, including games.
“We have a mantra, what we call ‘people first,’ that is a guidepost for us as we, in all of our behaviors, we engage with our folks. Our associates are the most important constituents in our business. ‘People first’ reminds us of that, and that’s always our first play,” Sarsam told Supermarket News in an interview earlier this year. “Our team has been heroic,” he added, “and we want to make sure we salute that and thank them early and often.”
SpartanNash predecessor Spartan Stores first established a presence in Grand Rapids in 1918 and has continued to expand and reinvest in the community, the company said. The current corporate HQ, first built in 1976, is adjacent to the Grand Rapids Distribution Center, the company’s largest distribution center. In 2013, Spartan Stores merged with fellow distributor Nash Finch to form SpartanNash.
“Our history in West Michigan traces back more than 100 years, and it has been an honor to continue to deepen our roots and grow as a part of this community as we redefine what the new SpartanNash looks like when we move toward the future,” Sarsam stated.
Through its core food wholesaling business, SpartanNash distributes to all 50 states, supplying 148 corporate-run supermarkets in nine Midwestern states — which constitute its retail business unit — and over 2,100 independent grocery retailers nationwide. The company, with about 17,500 employees, also distributes to 160 military commissaries and over 400 exchanges in the United States and internationally.
SpartanNash-owned stores operate in Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin under the banners D&W Fresh Market, Dan’s Supermarket, Family Fare, Family Fresh Market, Forest Hills Foods, Martin’s Super Markets, No Frills Supermarkets, SunMart, Supermercado Nuestra Familia and VG’s Grocery.
