Winter 2001
Volume 3, Number 2
  


Giant Food Stores and Penn State
partner for business academy
By Harry Zimbler

Reprinted from Management Developments newsletter (Vol. 3, No. 1, 2000),
courtesy of Management Development Programs and Services


The Giant–Penn State Business Academy for High Performance Management continues to have a major impact on Giant Food Stores Inc., according to Susan Eveland, manager of retail training and development for the company. Giant is a division of Ahold U.S.A., a major international food retailer.

Launched in 1998, the Business Academy for High Performance Management was designed to greatly increase the effectiveness of Giant’s store managers. The need for such a program was driven by the competition and slim profit margins in the retail food sales business. The supermarket industry is undergoing major changes and its workforce needs to have the business skills to negotiate through major challenges.

“Our goal was to improve the individual store manager’s actual performance in the store, not just his or her skills,” Jim Horton, director of management development for Ahold U.S.A., said.

The academy was custom designed by Penn State Management Development Programs and Services. Barry Metz, one of Management Development’s 15 full-time instructors, worked closely with staff from Giant and Penn State to tailor the content for the Business Academy for High Performance Management course.

“The customization process worked very, very well,” Horton noted. “The instructor and Management Development staff really made sure that the programs met our needs.”

Horton explained that his company’s decision to outsource training was based upon the relationship between Giant and Penn State that had been established and nurtured.

“In addition, the instructor brought a great deal of real-world experience to the table,” Horton said. “His practical business career, things he had actually done in business, helped him to help our business.”

Costs also were a factor in the decision to work with Management Development.

“Penn State really made it cost-effective for us,” Horton said. “We discovered it was a lot more cost-effective to build and run programs through Management Development than it was for us to add someone to our staff. The result was a tremendous cost savings and return on our investment.”

Barry Metz, instructor with Penn State Management Development Programs and Services, worked closely with staff from Giant Food Stores Inc., to tailor the content for the Giant-Penn State Business Academy for High Performance Management.

According to Erin Shannon, area contract training representative for Penn State Harrisburg, so far, four Business Academies have been conducted for Giant. Giant directors of operations and merchandising and regional vice presidents recommend assistant store managers for participation in the academy.

Feedback from academy participants has been extremely positive.

“All topics covered were excellent and will be beneficial to those who take it back to the stores and use it,” one participant said. Another commented, “I was thoroughly impressed with course material, content and presentation.”

“Our working relationship has been superb,” Metz said. “Indeed, we have developed a true partnership. In fact, we feel like we are part of the Giant family.”

Melinda Stearns, director of client development at Penn State, concurs. “We knew they were committed to excellence, and we’re proud they chose Penn State as their partner.”

  

U.Ed.OCE 01-8002/mkm/GSM