Many grocery retail employees begin in entry-level roles and advance through opportunities like the Retail Management Certificate (RMC) program, an industry-driven, flexible online education supported by employer tuition assistance and scholarships that helps them grow their careers.
By: Cynthia Brazzel, Senior Director, Member Relations & Advocacy, Western Region, FMI
I hear this story a lot: “I started working at this grocery store as a part-time gig and never imagined this would be my life almost 20 years later.” Isn’t that a familiar one? Many of us ended up on a meandering journey to the career we have today. How did we get here? And why do we stay?
I talked with Kasey Flanigan-Hernandez a grocery employee with Coborn’s, Inc., from Princeton, Minnesota. Like so many, Kasey started when she was 18 years old. She was fortunate to have a co-worker who encouraged and mentored her, who herself was in a program to help develop her career. This was the Retail Management Certificate (RMC) program. This mentor encouraged Kasey to apply for the opportunity to participate in this employer-sponsored academic program. Kasey had already “gone back to school” three times and was reluctant to pursue school again but due to a work contest, she won a laptop and took that as a sign to pursue the RMC opportunity. Kasey started as a cashier, and by the time she joined the RMC, she was a senior guest services manager.
Kasey discovered the RMC to be better suited to her needs than previous school attempts, with the flexibility of an online program. Additionally, since this program was birthed by the grocery industry, there was an awareness of the reality of retail hours. Kasey said the combination of Coborn’s, Inc. pre-paying her tuition along with the bonus of the Carts to Careers scholarship from the Minnesota Grocers Association were what made the difference, affording Kasey the chance to make this shot at education stick.
Today, Kasey has advanced her career and is a Learning and Development Specialist at the Coborn’s Support Center. She reminds us that it’s never too late to find your passion, to go back to school and the importance of developing the best version of yourself. AlixPartners LLP conducted quantitative analysis (2024) that reports the impact of the program of RMC graduates as compared to non-graduates:
Stay 5 years longer with their companies.
Achieve 2x as many promotions.
Advance to store manager or higher 3x more often.
Earn, on average, 33% (or $9/hour) higher pay.
FMI has partnered with the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC) for more than 10 years, helping transform food industry employees’ lives as they hone their leadership skills through the RMC, now celebrating its 25th year. With nearly 7000 graduates, we applaud the FMI member companies who have embraced the RMC as part of their development program. Kudos to Coborn’s, Inc., Albertsons Cos., Alex Lee, Inc., Chedraui USA, DeCicco & Sons, Dorothy Lane Markets, Good Food Holdings, LLC, Heritage Grocers Group, The Kroger Company, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., Meijer, Inc., Northgate Gonzalez Market, Stater Bros. Markets, The Save Mart Companies, Sunset Foods, UNFI, Vallarta Supermarkets, and the Wakefern Food Corp. for their ongoing commitment to providing education opportunities through this industry-led program. Learn more about how to get involved in the Retail Management Certificate program here.
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