As the National Watermelon Association prepares for the departure of longtime Executive Director Bob Morrissey, it also looks forward to embarking on a new chapter with a new leader.

George Szczepanski joined the NWA in January and will officially take the helm of the association during its 108th annual convention Feb. 22-26 in Asheville, NC. While Szczepanski is new to the watermelon industry, he has already amassed a wealth of experience in produce.

In its most basic form, a supermarket is intended to provide food to the community it serves. A good supermarket sells affordable food to that community. Food Lion goes a step further, as the Salisbury, NC-based organization is committed to helping feed its neighbors that are experiencing food insecurity.

The longest journey starts with a single step. Similar reasoning could be used for Food Lion’s journey.

For, who could have guessed that the single Food Town grocery store opened in 1957 in Salisbury, NC, by brothers Brown and Ralph Ketner, along with Wilson Smith would become the 1,100 plus store supermarket chain Food Lion? Especially since the trio had to raise funds to open that first store by sifting through the phone book cold-calling local citizens offering low-dollar investments.

A footprint of more than 1,100 stores across 10 states can make it difficult to develop a company-wide local produce program — yet Food Lion is finding a way.

“We call it ‘Local Goodness’ and that is across all our stores,” said Chris Dove, vice president of produce category, merchandising and pricing. “Produce is the hub, and it is year-round, depending on the products and a specific store.”

Like so many others, Chris Dove, Food Lion’s vice president of produce category, merchandising and pricing, began his supermarket career in high school.

He started as a part-time produce clerk at his local Food Lion in Rock Hill, SC. Dove spent the next 14 years climbing the retail ladder, fulfilling multiple roles with Food Lion.

There are not too many things people can truly count on these days. Food Lion makes every effort to be one of those things to its shoppers. So much so that it is embedded in its strategy — “Easy, Fresh & Affordable. You can count on Food Lion… Every day!”

The strategy drives every element of the company’s business, from the services offered to merchandising and marketing. It is more than a promise, it’s an approach that sums up how they help provide affordable groceries to the communities it serves.