Krista Burson
MOUNT VERNON — Krista Burson, longtime Kroger employee, was awarded one of Progressive Grocer’s “Top Women in Grocery” in the store manager category.
Krista started working at Kroger in Mount Vernon in 1995 when she was still in high school. When the store moved locations, she was working as a clerk in the produce department.
She said the biggest reason she stayed and started a career with Kroger was because of the opportunity for advancement. She said that they were always looking for people to pick up hours.
In October of 2012, she started serving as a store leader. Since then, Krista has encouraged her team to be more involved in the community.
“It was a surprise” when she realized she had won the award, Krista said. “It means that as a store team, we are making an impact. It was very humbling to even be nominated.”
The Progressive Grocer “Top Women in Grocery” awards are presented to extraordinary women in the grocery business who display exceptional achievements both in and out of the office.
“It wasn’t necessarily even me,” she said, commenting on the achievements that were recognized by Progressive Grocer.
“I really empower these guys, the employees, to get involved,” Krista said. She said that she never really saw Kroger as a company doing things out in the community like the others. She said the biggest thing was empowering her employees to do more.
Some of the community involvement has been participating in Relay for Life, organizing a 5K to raise money for the police department to help with the purchase of a canine, and helping with collections for the local animal shelter. This summer, they are volunteering at the movie nights at Ariel-Foundation Park.
Krista was also praised in the Progressive Grocer for increasing associate engagement and morale. She worked diligently to increase sales, control costs, limit overtime, and beat her store’s shrink budget.
Award recipients and their achievements will be showcased in the June’s edition of Progressive Grocer. All Top Women in Grocery winners will also be recognized at a gala awards celebration Nov. 7 at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Also included is an optional daytime leadership development program which all honorees are invited to attend.
Krista said that she has not decided if she will attend the gala.
In total, 393 women were recognized across America in the three categories, senior-level executive, rising star, and store manager. Out of the 393 women, 44 of them work for Kroger Co.
