J.H. “Jay” Campbell Jr., who has served as president and CEO of Associated Grocers for more than 20 years, will step down at the end of the company’s fiscal year in May. Executive Vice President-Chief Operating Officer Emile Breaux will succeed him. The company announced the transition date in a statement earlier today.
The announcement was not unexpected; Associated Grocers first announced the succession plan last year, but today’s announcement established the timeline for the transition.
Though Campbell, a 40-year veteran of the company, is stepping down as chief executive, he is not retiring. Rather, he will assume a newly created role of executive chairman of the Associated Grocers board of directors.
“I’ll be working with the board on policy, governance, strategies and things of that nature,” Campbell tells Daily Report. “Directors serve in a part-time capacity because they are running their own businesses. This puts a person on the board who knows the business, has been intimately involved in the daily operations but can focus on big-picture and policy issues.”
Breaux has been with Associated Grocers since 1994 and has served in a variety of capacities. He is a New Orleans native.
Over the last 55 years of the company’s nearly 65-year existence, only three men have been president/CEO: Sam Politz, who held the position for 16 years; Hillar Moore Jr., who served for 19 years; and Campbell, who held the position for 20 years.
—Stephanie Riegel
