Leon Hy-Vee Employee Earns Company's Highest Honor
August 24, 2018 | News & Press Releases
LEON, Iowa (Aug. 24, 2018) — If Gene Fry wanted to run for mayor of Leon, Iowa, he’s already got a petition going in his favor. Fry’s friendliness and dedication to his customers at the Leon Hy-Vee store is so legendary, his customers collected 80 signatures on a petition to support his nomination for Hy-Vee’s Legendary Customer Service Award.
The petition worked, as this afternoon fellow employees, family members, customers and Hy-Vee executives gathered at the Hy-Vee in Leon to surprise Fry with the Legendary Customer Service Award. The award recognizes exemplary achievement in providing service that exceeds customers’ expectations. Only nine winners are selected each year from among more than 80,000 Hy-Vee employees across eight states.
Candidates are nominated for the Legendary Customer Service Award by their co-workers, and winners are selected by a panel of Hy-Vee’s top officers. Nominations are evaluated on the employee’s overall contributions to the company in nine areas: passion for customer service, attitude, initiative, teamwork, problem-solving skills, dedication to Hy-Vee fundamentals, communication skills, professional image and self-confidence.
“Legendary customer service is simply a way of life for [Gene],” John Griesenbrock, regional vice president for Hy-Vee’s south central region, said. “Whether he is stocking shelves, helping customers carry groceries to cars, or giving directions to people from out of town, Gene consistently interacts with others in a friendly and helpful manner. Gene wholeheartedly embraces Hy-Vee’s fundamentals, which include being helpful, friendly, honest, respectful and dedicated.”
“In my 37 years with the company, I have seen very few that would even come close to what Gene does in the customer service area of our business,” Leon Hy-Vee Store Director Tony Brown said. “He lends a hand everywhere and anywhere he’s needed, and he is one of the most honest and friendly people I have ever met.”
Fry’s commitment to service has already earned him legendary status – at least with the customers who wrote in support of his nomination. “Winterset has John Wayne. Boone has Mamie Eisenhower. Waterloo has the Sullivan Brothers, and Leon has Gene Fry,” customer Sheila Graham wrote in Fry’s nomination.
“Gene is the epitome of the ‘helpful smile in every aisle’,” customers Junior and Karen Jennings wrote. “We have known Gene for many years and he has never changed. His smile, his helpfulness, his kindness and his work ethic are exemplary.”
Hy-Vee’s Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker said Fry demonstrates exactly the type of commitment to customers that Hy-Vee leaders had in mind when the Legendary Customer Service Award was established in 2006.
“Gene lives out the things Hy-Vee stands for in everything he does — helpful, honest and respectful service to our customers. Over and over, nominators called out his dedication to the community and the people who live in it and how it shows in his hard work,” Edeker said. “This award honors the best of the best from among our Hy-Vee family, and Gene is most deserving of this recognition.”
Fry and the other 2018 recipients of the Legendary Customer Service Award will be inducted into Hy-Vee’s Customer Service Hall of Fame and receive a coveted Legendary Customer Service name badge and a custom-designed ring to commemorate the honor. They will be guests of honor at the Hy-Vee service award dinner in October, which honors employees for longevity of service. They will also be recognized at Hy-Vee’s annual stockholders’ meeting in December. And finally, their photos will be prominently featured on the side of Hy-Vee trucks, showcasing their helpful smiles to millions of travelers across the Midwest.
Attached is a photo of recipient Gene Fry (middle) with regional vice president John Griesenbrock (right) and Leon Hy-Vee store director Tony Brown (left).
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About Hy-Vee, Inc.
Hy-Vee Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 245 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $10 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 5 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 80,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.