Mike Strange, store manager of the Food Lion located at 330 Lebby St., Pelzer, has been named a 2022 Food Lion Divisional Store Manager of the Year.
Strange is one of just five Food Lion store managers to be named a 2022 Ralph W. Ketner Store Manager Excellence Award Division Winner!
Strange was selected for the prestigious award for enriching the lives of Food Lion’s customers, associates and the towns and cities it serves while successfully leading the business and supporting and inspiring others.
Strange is recognized for his dedication to the greater Pelzer community, embodying Food Lion’s core value of care and its commitment to nourish and enrich the lives of customers, associates and neighbors. Strange was named the Divisional Store Manager of the Year for Food Lion’s Southern Division, which includes more than 200 stores across Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
“My team and I were welcomed into Food Lion with open arms. We’ve found our sense of belonging at Food Lion, and I am very grateful to be part of the organization,” said Strange. “It is truly an honor to be recognized by my leaders and colleagues. I am very humbled by this accolade, and very proud of my store team.”
Strange joined Food Lion in 2021 to open the Food Lion in Pelzer. He leads a dedicated team of more than 80 associates that help neighbors shop for everything they need to affordably nourish their families. Strange is also passionate about making a difference in the community, and he and other associates at the store have volunteered at multiple local feeding agencies and community events in town.
“Mike is a great leader who supports his team and community with compassion and care,” said Billy Williams, Divisional Vice President, Southern Division, Food Lion. “We were excited to open the Food Lion in Pelzer and make a greater impact on our neighbors, and Mike and his team have done just that. It’s my honor to present Mike with this recognition, and I thank him for everything he does to bring Food Lion’s brand, strategy and culture to life in his store and his community.”
To recognize Strange’s commitment to his community, Food Lion will donate 5,000 meals to Faith Food Bank in Williamston, in his honor through Food Lion Feeds, the omnichannel retailer’s hunger relief initiative. The feeding agency also regularly receives food donations from Strange’s store through Food Lion Feeds’ food rescue program, in which food safe for human consumption is donated to local partner organizations to feed food-insecure neighbors.
Strange is one of five store managers named a Food Lion Divisional Store Manager of the Year and is being considered for the 2022 Ralph W. Ketner Store Manager of the Year Award, which will be announced on Feb. 17, 2023.
Food Lion is an omnichannel retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors during the moments that matter most. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. Through its ‘Count on me’ culture, Food Lion fosters a sense of belonging for all associates, promoting a diverse and inclusive environment that has supported LGBTQ+ equality for nearly two decades.
Food Lion is the only company in the country to be named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for 21 consecutive years. It also pioneered a food rescue program to support food-insecure neighbors. Through Food Lion Feeds, the retailer has donated more than 1 billion meals to individuals and families since 2014 and has committed to donate 1.5 billion meals by 2025. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.
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