As sales manager of natural, organic, and specialty goods for Jewel-Osco, let’s just say that Jim Seidler gets to work with some of the more unique products in Jewel-Osco stores. But Seidler’s greatest joy is getting to work with some of the more unique vendors and suppliers that are partnered with Jewel. “I have a responsibility to manage our supplier diversity program,” says Seidler. “[It’s] a pretty unique opportunity in that I get to work with a lot of local and minority-owned businesses to really create an environment of quality variety goods that are supplied by folks that are a part of our communities.”
“We think it’s important that we represent diverse products in our stores because of the fact that the communities that we [serve] have a diverse clientele,” Seidler continues. Being able to visualize where a brand wants to go is the first step, and Jewel works hard to help that brand reach its potential.
Seidler is especially enthused at the prospect of helping to grow a small business owner’s dream. “I think that when they understand what they can do [as] a business, they can really get themselves to that next level. Some of the smaller businesses are just getting started and its kind of fun to see some go from the beginning to what they can be as they [grow]. It’s a different approach-and it has a more ‘home’ feel for us.” -todd williams
