Fifty’s looking pretty fabulous for grocery giant BI-LO. Named to the Supermarket News list of top 75 retailers for 2011, the Mauldin-based company with 207 stores is stronger and better than ever.
BI-LO was founded by a former Winn-Dixie executive in 1961. Sixteen years later, Greenville area customers struggled to pronounce the name of BI-LO’s new owner, as the Dutch food distribution company Ahold made the chain part of its worldwide holdings. Ahold added to the BI-LO group with acquisitions. By the late nineties, BI-LO wasn’t just the place people shopped for food in Greenville. It was the venue they sought for music, sports, and entertainment as the company retained name sponsorship of the Upstate’s new arena – the BI-LO Center.
Under new ownership, BI-LO was unable to refinance a debt maturity during a very difficult market and the company briefly entered bankruptcy in 2009. The chain closed out those difficult years, emerging from bankruptcy protection in 2010 with a strong balance sheet and a commitment to being the best supermarket in every location where it operates.
That was then. Back to the business of low prices, the freshest products and great service is now. In fact, that philosophy was established when the company was founded in Greenville in 1961 and it has driven operations through every chapter of the company’s past. BI-LO built upon this firm foundation enhancing the brand positioning, savings without sacrifice, based on customer feedback.
Michael Byars became part of BI-LO’s history in 2009 as president and CEO when he left a position with Minyard Food Stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to join an organization he had always respected. BI-LO’s history was part of his history. He has fond memories of shopping at BI-LO in Spartanburg with his grandparents as a child. “BI-LO’s long history makes it a very unique organization,” Byars says. “BI-LO has an incredible group of people; it’s very much like a large family. I saw an opportunity to join a great organization, with a rich history and wonderful people.”
There are lots of those people. The company employs close to 17,000 associates. Thirty-five of those employees have been with the company for 40 years or more. Several have been with the company since the beginning. Ruby Albertson, a teammate in Easley, has worked with the company for 51 years. Ruby started out as a cashier and today holds the position of bookkeeper. BI-LO isn’t just a company she works for; it’s her company. “I have given BI-LO 51 years of my loyal service and tried to take care of the company like it was my own,” she says. “I have stayed with BI-LO so long because it’s a great company to work for, and I love to meet new people.”
One of Albertson’s favorite memories is of joining with other store employees to provide Christmas for some local children one year. She’s watched those children grow up, and today they’re married with children of their own.
Giving back has always been part of the company’s way of operating. The BI-LO Charity Classic is a big part of that culture of caring. In 28 years, the event – a single day, non-celebrity golf tournament that’s now the largest in the nation – has raised more than $58 million. This year, the tournament raised just over $4.9 million, with $1.2 million of that money going to 70 Upstate non-profit organizations. The focus is on impacting children, education and hunger, and advisory committees in 13 major markets ensure that funds are used efficiently.
In addition to the Charity Classic, BI-LO Charities is a major sponsor of events across the Southeast. In Greenville, the company sponsors Sippin’ Safari, a fundraiser for educational programs at the Greenville Zoo, the Komen Race for the Cure, BI-LO Charities First Tee Invitational, and other events. The boostersplus program allows shoppers to impact organizations of their choice, and more than $6 million has been donated by customers through that program since 2001. Twice each year, customers join the company in hunger relief food drives, efforts that have resulted in more than 960,000 pounds of food going to 100 food banks over the past two years. The company gives back in less obvious ways, too, such as annual scholarships through the Urban League. The culture of giving extends beyond financial support. BI-LO Teammates volunteer thousands of hours every year at hundreds of organizations throughout the BI-LO trade area.
According to Byars, giving back to the community is something BI-LO owes to founder Frank Outlaw. “He believed strongly in giving back to the communities who have supported the company so loyally, and that generosity has always been a part of BI-LO’s culture,” he says.
Mike Jennings, who works in the company’s Support Center in Mauldin, can attest to Outlaw’s founding philosophy. He joined the company during Outlaw’s tenure, a time when some of the stores still had wooden shelves. Jennings started as a bag boy and today is senior in-store execution coordinator, responsible for store layouts and equipment orders. With 45 years of service, his goal is to make it to 50 years. Then, he says, he’ll ride off on his Harley and spend more time with the grandkids, leaving the many employees he’s trained and promoted behind.
In fifty years, BI-LO has seen different ownership, different leadership, and different challenges. Yet its basic tenets haven’t changed, creating loyalty among many who’ve been part of the company’s success all along. “We have the benefit of having many long-term teammates in our ranks who play a vital role in our success,” Byars says. “I have been really proud of the passion and dedication they bring to their work each and every day. They are the reason for our success.”