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Gary Smith has a distinguished career in grocery marketing, merchandising and retail operations spanning more than 40 years. Prior to founding Encore Associates, Gary served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Safeway where he was credited with the development and implementation of many of Safeway’s industry-leading merchandising and marketing programs company’s premium private label Safeway SELECT brands. He was also responsible for the rollout of Safeway’s first computer-assisted forward buying system and the consolidation of Safeway’s corporate advertising, pharmacy merchandising, buying and pricing functions into a single corporate group. In 1998 Gary accepted The Private Label Manufacturers Associations Retailer of the Year for his role in the development of the Safeway SELECT brand and private label merchandising strategy. Gary is a member of the Board of Directors at Treehouse Foods, The Winery Exchange and a member of the Advisory Boards of the Western Association of Food Chains,Niman Ranch, Inc. and Special Cases, Inc. | 