On November 14, the 2020 Top Women in Store Brands were honored during the virtual WISE Annual Meeting. Presented by WISE and StoreBrands Magazine, nine outstanding women were recognized for their contributions to the store brands industry in various categories. Each year, a Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a woman respected for her career contributions to the store brands industry. This year, the award was presented to Jill Dearing, Vice President, Private Brands, C&S Wholesale Grocers.

Jill, can you tell us about your career path in store brands?

I started out in store planning, design, and merchandising. Coming out of school, my first job was with Brown Shoe Company (now Caleres). At Caleres, I learned a couple of key lessons. I learned what it meant to take my education and translate it to real work for independent retailers. I learned how to work with unique, independent owners managing both the Caleres brands and the customers’ expectations. And, I learned what it was like to be downsized, to lose my job. They were good lessons.

Then, I went to Venture stores, a mass discounter who competed in the Midwest with Walmart and Target. I went from being an individual contributor to a manager in store design and planning. The job put me in front of C-suite executives and allowed me to hone my skills interacting with them. Five years later I accepted a job with the Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. They had always been on my list of places I wanted to work! Working for Disney offered an experience in working with a difficult boss but also the opportunity to think deeply and amp up my creativity. The guests’ experiences with the brand were so important and for me; it emphasized my passion and interest in building awesome experiences for the consumer and building and protecting brands.

After 1.5 years with Disney, I moved on to Service Merchandise in Nashville, a catalog showroom displaying only one of each item available. There, I served as Vice President of Design & Store Planning and focused on transitioning the customer experience from catalog showroom to self-serve department stores.

Three years later, I accepted an offer with Save-A-Lot Food Stores who was interested in changing their store experience. Many Save-a-Lot stores were owned and operated by independent retailers; some had fantastic stores offering a great experience to their shoppers while others had stores that were tired, dirty, and needed to be refreshed. Not having worked in the food industry before, I found I enjoyed the grocery business and the growth opportunities that Save-A-Lot offered. I led various departments including design, store planning, procurement, merchandising, asset protection, marketing, and customer experience. In my last role with Save-A-Lot as VP of Marketing, my responsibilities included brand strategy, brand management, design, marketing, advertising, consumer insights, customer service, digital & social media, creative services, and communications. With a portfolio of 80 brands and thousands of items, we developed and managed brands, packaging, marketing, and advertising collateral that delivered against our promises of great prices and great value. Additionally, we built out and enhanced our digital and social assets through an improved website, a presence on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and built  a community of bloggers and vloggers who were passionate about food, cooking, saving money, and Save-A-Lot. And to understand how the Save-A-Lot brand experience came through to our shoppers, whether online or in store. My career at Save-A-Lot spanned 16 years and was an incredible experience.

I took a year off to care for my dad and did some consulting before joining C&S in early 2019. As VP of Private Brands, my role at C&S is everything private brands and is essentially running a small business inside a much larger company. It is incredibly fun and broad in responsibility. Early initiatives for me included changing language around private brands as well as refocusing our discussions and decisions to be more shopper-centric. We also changed our approach to one where decisions are much more data driven. We built tools that provide us with line-of-sight to the individual retailers we serve and their level of participation with private brands; this allows us to develop specific growth plans for their private brand business. Importantly, we are building marketing, advertising, and sales assets and tools that will help retailers grow their private brand business and build brand awareness with a growing shopper base. And we have brought in new team members who bring new thinking, retailer experience, and private brand experience. We have built significant momentum over the last two years and I am so excited about our and our customers’ growth!

How would you describe your management style?

It’s important to me to bring team members along the way. I love mentoring and understanding what motivates and excites each person on my team. I’m invested in where team members want to go in their career. If they are interested in something somewhere else in the business, I want to support them and make sure that we keep them within C&S as opposed to losing them to another company.

Have you had mentors along the way?

As I think back, I am really happy to say that throughout my career I have had good people invest in me.  Of course, some mentors had more to offer than others. There were always people who were willing to meet, to give feedback, and to share their experiences. I do think there is more conversation around the importance and benefits of mentoring and leading in business today. But work gets in the way and mentors must make and take time for their mentees. You must be committed to being a mentor.

How would you suggest someone approach a potential mentor?

First, think about what you want to learn from a mentor and then think about the leaders you know that could provide that help. Second, ask them if they would be willing to mentor and what you are interested in learning from them and the kind of feedback you are hoping to get from them. I want to remind those seeking mentors that leaders are just people too and we too were once less experienced. Years ago, I was sitting at a table of executives and as I listened to their interactions with each other and watched body language I realized they were just a bunch of people, no different than me. It was quite a revelation. So remember that and be comfortable approaching them, asking for help and input. I also think leaders can help by recognizing even if they are the friendliest, nicest person, a title can be a barrier in people’s minds. As leaders, we own crossing that barrier. We have to reach out and offer to mentor.

How did you feel about receiving the Top Women in Store Brands Award?

I am extremely humbled. There are so many women who deserve the award. I had no idea that I had been nominated and was so surprised when my colleagues shared the news of the award with me. It was such a great surprise especially coming after months of intense work to support our retailers and their shoppers during COVID.

What are you most proud of during your time with C&S?

I’m proud of the level of engagement and investment everyone is giving to private brands. I came to C&S because they recognized that private label needed to grow, and we need to think about it differently. There’s been a lot of change and support for that change. I am extremely proud of the Private Brand team who has driven that change. And I am thrilled to share that we have significantly improved the trajectory of the private brand business.

What advice would you give a young person growing their career in this industry?

When I transitioned into the food industry, I didn’t expect it to be challenging or as exciting. It is both. I think anyone coming into the industry should be open to the incredible diversity of the food and grocery business. You can work on a farm, at a manufacturer, a design house developing branding and packaging, at Nielsen or IRI analyzing data and trends, a grocery store enhancing your customers’ experience, a wholesaler selling your products and service to retailers, or a digital firm creating food and grocery apps. There is incredible opportunity inside of the business of food. Whatever your passion, there is a space and place for you in this industry. If you love food, this is the industry for you. Food brings people together. And in this industry, it brings us together around a meal that we quite literally had a hand in its making.