Iowa’s Grocery Industry Lost One of its Greatest

We lost a great friend of the grocery industry two weeks ago. Bob Hand, former CEO of Dahl’s Foods, passed away on August 12. Bob was a former Iowa Grocers Association chairman, Retailer of the Year in 1992 and chairman of the National Grocers Association in 1992. He retired from Dahl’s in 1992, but came back for a time in an interim capacity as CEO in 2001 for Dahl’s.

“A great guy” was the best way I could describe Bob. I had the good fortune of going on the Iowa Grocers Association Board of Directors when Bob was an officer on the IGA board, and I learned a lot as an impressionable 30-year-old just by watching him. As I shared with Bob’s family at the visitation, he had a way of telling you something without directly telling you something. His daughter smiled when I said that and said that reminded her of how he parented! It is an art of handling people that few have, but was one of the things that made Bob successful in life.

I always found Bob down to earth, and he usually left you with a smile on your face. Bob was respected and liked by his competitors, who I believe liked how he was a “straight shooter” whose word was his bond.

During Bob’s stint as chairman of the National Grocers Association, he had the opportunity to give then President George H. Bush a tour of the trade show floor at the NGA convention in Orlando. For those who can remember, President Bush was amazed at how scanners worked, even though they had been on the market for at least a decade. The press picked up on it, portraying President Bush as “out of touch” with “regular” Americans since he didn’t go to the grocery store and know about scanning technology.

Personally, I learned a lot from Bob just by watching how he handled situations, particularly when the IGA and Iowa Food Industry Association were getting ready to merge in the early 1990s. Bob’s counsel and advice was spot on and are a huge part of the successful foundation the IGIA is built upon. He will be missed!

News clips of interest as I clean off my desk …

Congratulations to John’s Grocery of Iowa City, which was voted the “Best Place to Buy Wine” by the Corridor Business Journal. By the way, John’s Grocery has been in business since 1848, only two years after Iowa became a state, and the state’s original Capitol was built a few blocks away! … In the same issue, Hy-Vee was voted the “Best Caterer” by the Corridor Business Journal. … If you see Pat Ohlerking, the Hy-Vee store director in Charles City, you may not recognize him! As an incentive to help raise funds for charity, Pat told his staff he would let them shave his head if they raised $1,000. Well, you guessed it, his staff raised $1,800 and Pat now has a “cool” summer ‘do!