Hy-Vee names new chairman and CEO

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Randy Edeker, has been named chairman and CEO of Hy-Vee. Edeker will be only the fourth person in the company's 82-year history to be elected to this position. He will succeed Ric Jurgens, who is retiring June 1 following a 43-year caeer with the company.



Edeker most recently served as President and Chief Operating Officer, and will now hold the offices of chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee.



"I have been truly blessed to be allowed to assume this role, leading the most incredible group of dedicated, hard-working people," Edeker said. "I am both honored and humbled to follow in the footsteps of Hy-Vee's great leaders, including the man who has caringly mentored me for the past eight years, Ric Jurgens.



"We will remain diligent in upholding the core values our founders set forth for us and delivering great service, great value and a helpful smile."





Edeker, a 30-year veteran of Hy-Vee, has held positions at every level of the company during his career. He joined Hy-Vee as a part-time employee at the Chariton store and quickly moved up through the ranks, working at retail stores in four states before getting his first store director assignment at Columbus, NE in 1993. After just a year at the helm there, he was selected by his peers for induction to the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame as "Store Manager of the Year" – the first of his three Hall of Fame awards.



In 1995 Edeker was promoted to Hy-Vee's corporate staff, serving as a director of operations overseeing stores in two different geographic regions. In 2004 he was elected VP marketing for the company; he moved up to SVP retail operations in 2006, and in 2008 he became EVP, COO. Stockholders elected Edeker to succeed Jurgens as president of Hy-Vee in 2009.