"Enabling [these] payments can make a profound impact on reducing food insecurity and connecting people to groceries and the essential items they need,” said Fuad Hannon, VP of new verticals. Learn more here.

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri, June 6, 2023 – Rob Ballowe has been announced as general manager of the Hiland Dairy, Springfield, Missouri, plant. In his new role, Ballowe will oversee all Hiland Dairy operations and activities in Springfield.

With a wealth of experience in the dairy industry, Ballowe has served as a district sales manager for Hiland Dairy since 2017. He started as a route delivery driver at Meyer's Dairy in Lansing, Kansas, and then joined Zarda Dairy in Kansas City, which later became Hiland Dairy. Ballowe prioritizes customer support and satisfaction.

“Rob’s energetic approach to all he does will ensure a seamless transition and positively impact team members and our processes,” said Rick Beaman, president of Hiland Dairy. “We look forward to having Rob as an integral part of our leadership team in Springfield.”

Overland Park, KS, [June 5, 2023] – Storewise, a leading provider of retail automation software for independent grocers, announced the acquisition of MarginMAX, a software company that enables independent grocers to manage direct store delivery (DSD) and wholesaler items through a suite of cloud-based applications, including a vendor portal, pricing engine, and receiving application. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

MarginMAX’s software platform more than doubles Storewise's visibility into store operations through DSD item coverage and the vendor portal that already includes over 600 registered vendors. As a result, more items are captured and analyzed within the Storewise platform, generating greater results and profitability. As part of the Storewise platform, independent grocers will gain the capability to optimize pricing, movement, and margins for every item in the store.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome MarginMAX to Storewise,” said Christopher Greco, President and CEO of Storewise. “The acquisition underscores our commitment to equip independent grocers with a simple, unified software platform to optimize their operations. MarginMAX perfectly complements our platform, enabling independent grocers to manage both DSD and wholesaler items. The MarginMax team also brings greater wholesale and retail operator know-how to Storewise.”

The addition of MarginMAX further strengthens Storewise’s position as the leading platform for independent grocers. The combined platform not only enhances the capabilities of the existing pricing, risk, and sales reporting solution, but also allows customers to automate discount configuration and price optimization with more wholesalers and DSD vendors. This will further drive simplicity for grocers by giving them a singular location to manage all their items across all their stores.

“MarginMAX and Storewise have a common goal of empowering independent grocers, which makes this combination a perfect match,” said Steve Miller, CEO of MarginMAX. “We are eager to integrate our expertise in vendor management into Storewise’s platform and look forward to bringing even more value to our customers in the independent grocery sector.”

MarginMAX is Storewise’s first acquisition since Nexa Equity, an application software and fintech-focused private equity firm, invested in the company. The MarginMAX management team will join Storewise. Christopher Greco and the Storewise management will lead the combined entity.

Vlad Besprozvany, Founder and Managing Partner of Nexa Equity, said, “This strategic combination furthers Storewise’s mission to develop a unified, end-to-end platform for independent grocers. We foresee this as the first of many strategic initiatives to empower independent grocers with enhanced technology.” Joey Maloney, Principal at Nexa Equity, added, “We are delighted to support Storewise in the acquisition of MarginMAX. We firmly believe that the combination will drive significant value for our customers by streamlining operations and improving profitability.” 

Effective May 30, 2023, the Missouri WIC program put a temporary moratorium on fines related to fresh produce mapping. The moratorium will remain in effect until the Missouri WIC program publishes the Fresh Produce WIC Mapping Training for Retailers. We will notify retailers when the training is posted on the Missouri WIC-Retailer website. Our goal is to have this training posted by October 1, 2023. The Missouri WIC program encourages retailers to contact them with any questions so they can assist with the mapping of fresh produce. Please contact them at MOWICVendorgroup@health.mo.gov or 573-751-6204

Our partner and friend at the federal level, NGA, is working on a multi pronged approach to allow independents to accept healthy benefit cards funded by insurance companies.

Raise your voice in sharing how this issue is impacting your business and the individuals in you communities. This letter will be sent to the healthy benefit card stakeholders including health insurance companies, payment processors, and point-of-sale system providers. Additionally, NGA continues to work with the White House and Congress to try to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible. Assist in this fight and please sign on to the letter below.

Click here to sign now.

The Missouri Grocers Association offers a huge congratulations to the Balls Food Stores family on 100 years of service to their local communities and dedication to the grocery industry! Balls Food Stores has been serving Kansas City, Kansas, for 100 years and will host special anniversary events throughout the year to mark the occasion.

Join BUY MO with the BUY MO Day at the Capitol on April 19th!

The USDA Food and Nutrition Service is trialing contactless SNAP payments in Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri and Oklahoma that will allow users to pay via their mobile devices as opposed to using their physical SNAP cards. "We want to ensure SNAP leverages the latest technology to improve access to benefits, reduce fraud, and provide a better overall experience for the families we serve," said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Full Story: Progressive Grocer