A strategic and agile leader, Ms. Michel specializes in rapidly transforming declining, troubled, and unfocused organizations into market/category leaders by modifying product mix, updating store design, and incorporating emerging trends such as fresh and organic, locally sourced, natural ingredients, and traceability. A foodie at heart, Ms. Michel combines this unique perspective on retail with extensive customer focus and natural business acumen to create a sustainable platform for growth based on loyal customer relationships and higher per-visit purchases.
After establishing herself as a turnaround and business transformation expert, Ms. Michel was recruited to the Chief Executive Officer position by the Natural Markets Food Group. Capitalizing on a diverse skill set as well as past successes, Ms. Michel defined and successfully executed an aggressive roadmap of business consolidation/liquidation that streamlined and focused the company on its two most profitable and promising brands. Just two years later, this strategy resulted in a 30% increase in sales and a 60% jump in profit. Combined with new store openings and internal programs that optimized operations processes while reducing costs, the National Markets Food Group is now poised for sustained and profitable growth.
Prior to joining the Natural Markets Food Group, Ms. Michel held positions of increasing authority with multiple industry-leading companies, including Sears Holdings Corporation, Giant Food of Landover, Roundy’s, and 7-Eleven. After her early successes, Ms. Michel was tapped to foster innovation, lead product development, change customer perception, and develop internal processes, functions, and teams that also reduced operating expenses. Her key achievements during this time included
- introducing branded products and packing for “grab and go” at 7-Eleven
- designing and opening new locations for Roundy’s that supported the transition from a wholesale organization with franchise operations to a wholly owned retail food organization
- ending a six-year trend of negative sales/profits for Giant Food of Landover
- focusing Sears Holding Grocery, and Pharmacy operations on profitable departments, while lowering the cost of goods through negotiations with major third-party partners.
Ms. Michel gained broad exposure to the retail grocery business immediately out of college, recruited first by the Kroger Company as Store Manager and quickly receiving a promotion to Produce Buyer and Chief produce merchant positions. After learning the basics of store success for 10-plus years, Ms. Michel moved to higher-profile positions with the H.E. Butt Grocery Company, including District Manager, Vice President of Operations, and Vice President of Sales, ultimately serving as Group Vice President over the $4 billion Drugstore Division, where she was a key coordinator in transitioning the company from a traditional grocery store to a food and general merchandise destination, doubling sales during her tenure via a revised store structure, new operating processes, and unique product offerings.
Ms. Michel holds a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior from the University of Texas and a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Louisville. Constantly striving to expand her abilities as a manager and explore current business trends, Ms. Michel completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard.
