Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application A gathering to celebrate her life will be held from 2-4pm on Monday at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home In lieu of flowers memorials may be to Fosters Voice the only daughter of Ricky and Regan (Seefieldt) Setser She was united in marriage to Michael Buechel on July 17 Kadie had been a CNA for several companies and worked hard to help support her family Those left to honor her memory include her husband Mike and their children Makenzi and Carter; parents Ricky and Regan Setser; brothers Brandon (Chyna) Setser Nicholas (Tamra) Blum; niece Adalynn Setser; nephew Caleb MaKenzie; father-in-law Thomas Buechel; and brother-in-law Mark Buechel  She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Wayne and Vickie Seefieldt and mother-in-law Christina Buechel.  Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Amazon.comConditions of UseAmazon Privacy Policy© 1996-2025 Amazon.com Wieting Family Funeral Home Wieting Family Funeral Home 2025 at her home in Chilton following an 18 year battle with NASH which is classified as a ‘Non-Alcoholic Liver Disease’.  She was born March 19 daughter of the late Melvin & Coral (Emery) Burg Dianne worked at Kaytee where she helped produce the food that would nourish the birds in her own back yard and those around the world Dianne enjoyed tending to her flower garden and feeding the birds in her yard.  Her family was paramount and she cherished every moment she could with her grandchildren.  When there were quiet times Dianne would take time to read cookbooks or pour over her favorite magazine “Birds & Bloom”.Survivors include her husband: David Buechel; her children: Kristin (Aaron) Baltz Emily Schneider; grandchildren: David & Henry Baltz Bridger Buechel; her siblings: Barbara Forstner Kathy (Fred) Klasen,  Doreen (Dan) Schneider; her mother-in-law: Donna Buechel; and her siblings-in-law: Kathy Burg other relatives and friends.She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings: Wayne Burg Steven Burg & Mark Burg; a nephew: Jacob Schneider; and her father-in-law: Bruno Buechel.Funeral services will be at 6:30 PM on Monday at Wieting Family Funeral Home (411 W Main St.  A time of visitation will be held at Wieting Family Funeral Home from 4:00 PM until 6:30 PM on Monday  At the time of the service and following there will be a link available above for those wishing to watch a memorial video or view photos of the flowers and gifts given to the family I remember Diane from high school as smart and kind She was a person i thought of as being nonjudgmental and extended family: I am so sorry for your loss Dianne and I were good friends in high school and I have many pleasant memories of our times together Though we only saw each other on occasion after I moved away she was always the same sweet person every time we reconnected May she rest in peace and may your memories live on indefinitely I was a childhood friend of Kristin's and remember Diane to be very kind I am sorry for your loss Kristin and family OUR PRAYERS AND THOUGHTS ARE WITH ERIC AND HIS FAMILY Sending deepest sympathy to all of Dianne's family I have many fond memories of hanging out with Dianne in jr high and high school; she was a special friend to me I enjoyed perusing the photos on this site and reliving memories in my heart I would run into her at the stores in Chilton and we would talk of old times working together I remember Dianne being so sweet and considerate our condolences to the whole family I am Corals cousin and we are in Texas so we are not near .Our prayer s sent Diane and I went to high school together and she was always so so sweet We wish to send our heartfelt sympathy to Dave,Kristin and Eric.These things are very hard to understand Glad you are all covered by love during this tough time She was such a sweet lady and always so kind when I would come to visit throughout all these years Dave eric Kristin I'm so sorry for the loss of Dianne she was a great person and will be missed I worked with her a long time ago at Kaytee Sending thoughts and prayers to the whole family It's been many years since Dianne babysat for 2 of our cildren but I can still hear her kind and gentle voice What a wonderful lady who loved her family and grandsons we are sending prayers and hugs to you all She was such a special lady and always had time to chat I worked with Dianne many years at Kay-T A very nice person also a church friend she sure will be missed Sorry for your loss to the whole Buechel family hugs sent you have my whole hearted and sincere sympathy May she rest in peace I will never forget her with her beautiful flower beds she was a great neighbor that had a heart of gold God gained an angel Sending caring thoughts to Dianne's family for your loss Lach was named to the First Team (Defense) while Buechel was tabbed as an honorable mention selection has been one of the top punters in Division II this season ranking second in the country with his 45.5 punting average the First Team All-GLIAC Defensive team selection recorded 65 punts (2,960 yards) just three punts shy of tying the all-time season record with his total yards surpassing the current record of 2,277 yards set back in 1979 His booming kicks resulted in seven touchbacks 20 inside the 20-yard line and an astounding 23 punts over 50 yards His longest punt this season went 67 yards Lach has recorded 150 punts for 6,608 yards for an average of 44.1 which ranks first in the country for Division II among active players Lach is 284 yards away from the program record held by Tony Bourdow (6,892 yards) from 1979-82 This marks the third All-America distinction this season for Lach who was a Don Hansen Division II Honorable Mention All-American a season ago including a team-leading 21.5 tackles for loss and six sacks to go with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery He was named to the All-GLIAC First Team (defense) and finished fourth in Division II and first in the GLIAC with 1.9 tackles for loss per game The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen started and published Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988 The Huskies finished 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC tying for third in the league under second-year head coach Dan Mettlach Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here  After earning undergraduate degrees in Fine Arts and Psychology from UPenn and a Master’s Degree in Film Editing from the City College of New York she successfully pursued a career in media and has produced several fencing-related films which won “Best Experimental Flim” at the Big Apple Film Festival which has been selected to multiple film festivals across the United States She continues to remain active in the sport as both a competitor and as one of the nation’s top-ranked epee referees Holly Buechel boasts an impressive résumé in the sport of fencing that includes both an individual and team New Jersey State Championship Title and All-American Honors as a competitor for the University of Pennsylvania and multiple national and international medals As a representative of the New York Athletic Club she was a three-time US National Champion and a two-time alternate to the US Olympic Team in Women’s Epee Thanks for visiting Whole Foods Market CEO Jason Buechel is getting an even bigger job Buechel will now lead Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS) for Whole Foods parent Amazon while keeping his chief executive post with the Austin-based He will report to Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington Jason has unlocked our ability to make high-quality natural and organic groceries more affordable and accessible to customers helping WFM achieve record sales growth and expand to over 535 locations,” Herrington said in a message sent to all Amazon employees Seattle-based Amazon created its WWGS organization in 2022 about two years after opening its first Amazon Fresh Grocery store and five years after the company acquired Whole Foods Amazon has made “notable progress” in its goal to “make grocery shopping simpler “We’ve taken steps to integrate our huge grocery selection across our broader logistics network and create a more seamless experience for customers “This work will continue under Jason’s leadership I am incredible energized by our momentum in grocery.” Related:Associated Grocers Inc. names David Politz president and CEO Amazon’s grocery subscription program, launched last year for Prime members, has gotten a “fantastic response” from customers, Herrington said. And the retailer’s revamped Amazon Fresh stores are receiving “great feedback,” he said Buechel started as CEO of Whole Foods in September 2022 saying at the time that Amazon and Whole Foods had been in “constant conversations” as the two companies had learned from each other over the years During his tenure with the supermarket chain The banner has achieved record sales growth under his leadership and has grown to more than 535 locations Claire Peters will continue to lead Amazon Fresh Anand Varadarajan will continue to lead all of product and technology for WWGS “This expanded responsibility gives me an opportunity to look after the collective grocery offering across Amazon Fresh Amazon Go and Grocery Partnerships,” Buechel said in a LinkedIn post “And help move forward our goal of making grocery shopping simpler Related:Upshop names Mike Sanders CEO He added: “We still have more work in front of us but I’m energized by our progress to date and excited about the continued invention that’s ahead.” Heather Lalley is the managing editor of Restaurant Business She previously served as editor in chief of Winsight Grocery Business Heather spent nearly a decade as a reporter for the daily newspaper in Spokane She is the author of "The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook." She holds a journalism degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the two-year baking and pastry program at Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago She is the mother of two and rarely passes up a chance to eat tater tots Registered in England & Wales with number 01835199 who will remain the head of the specialty banner steps into a newly created role overseeing Amazon’s entire grocery business who already oversees the vast majority of Amazon’s grocery stores as the head of Whole Foods will now be atop the Amazon Fresh traditional supermarket chain and Amazon Go fleet of convenience stores head of product and technology for the worldwide grocery stores unit Jason has unlocked our ability to make high-quality natural and organic groceries more affordable and accessible to customers,” Herrington said in a letter to Amazon employees released on Monday adding that Whole Foods has achieved “record sales growth” under Buechel Herrington added that Amazon has made “notable progress in our vision to make grocery shopping simpler and more affordable for customers” since consolidating its grocery and convenience store units into a single group in 2022 Amazon currently runs more than 500 Whole Foods locations in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. It also operates about 60 Fresh grocery stores and 16 Go locations — although it has steadily downsized that banner since 2023 Amazon disclosed last week that it would shutter its Amazon Go store in Woodland Hills Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts Grocers need to improve their merchandising with authentic relevant initiatives to connect with these shoppers who have buying power of nearly $4 trillion which is reportedly the first in the country to give consumers equal access to supermarket savings The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines Subscribe  Gift a Subscription Marian has more than 20 years of experience as an Editor covering various industries in B2B publishing She’s spent the last 10-plus years specifically working in the food industry including at John Wiley & Sons’ food quality and safety title Marian's publications have gained recognition in such editorial awards as ASBPE’S Azbee Awards the SIPAwards and Tabbies International Editorial Awards Marian lent her professional expertise in the editorial SIPAwards competition by serving as an editorial judge She joined the Progressive Grocer team as the Digital Editor in November 2020. Marian oversees the publication’s daily online editorial operations newsletter creation and social media platforms Marian earned a bachelor's degree in English/journalism from Montclair State University.  Follow her on LinkedIn.  (Please refer to Progressive Grocer's Contributing Guidelines to submit content for consideration.) Buechel has been named VP of Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS) while maintaining his current role at Whole Foods.  Buechel has been with Whole Foods since 2013 providing operational leadership over all Whole Foods physical stores and overseeing the company’s technology In a message to the company revealing Buechel's expanded role helping WFM achieve record sales growth and expand to over 535 locations.”  Since creating a single WWGS organization in 2022 Amazon has also made progress in its vision to make grocery shopping simpler “We’ve taken steps to integrate our huge grocery selection across our broader logistics network and create a more seamless experience for customers especially Prime members,” wrote Herrington I am incredibly energized by our momentum in grocery Our new Grocery Subscription is getting fantastic response from customers We continue to be focused on great selection and value at Whole Foods Market We’re getting great feedback on our new and redesigned Amazon Fresh stores where customers can shop tens of thousands of grocery items — including fresh groceries — alongside millions of Amazon.com products [RELATED: Exclusive - How Amazon’s Grocery Strategy Is Showing Up in Prime Events] In a LinkedIn post Buechel wrote: "I’m truly humbled by the opportunity to serve as the new leader of Worldwide Grocery Stores at Amazon This expanded responsibility gives me an opportunity to look after the collective grocery offering across Amazon Fresh I’ve never been more excited about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers and can’t wait to dig in further but I’m energized by our progress to date and excited about the continued invention that’s ahead." Buechel will join the Amazon’s Stores Leadership Team Claire Peters will continue in her role leading Amazon Fresh and Anand Varadarajan will continue to lead all product and technology for WWGS Both will report to Buechel moving forward Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A historic train depot in Louisville that once served people as a busy passenger facility and produced as a distribution point is getting revitalized.  Sadie Iovenko would spend weekend mornings counting and watching trains with her grandfather.  “I think it’s really almost romantic to imagine all of the people here over time all of the things that they would’ve been doing .. this was a really busy place where there even would’ve been three people working third shift," said Iovenko makes it really important because it’s a place where people spent a lot of time."  purchased the historic landmark last summer for just $1 her family and others did a full gut of the building.  “We’ve really done our best to bring this building back to glory making it safe for the community," Iovenko said Built around the 1900s, the depot is made of shiplap which Iovenko said would’ve been taken from a real ship She said it was a Southern Railroad station that was saved in the 1950s and '60s Many people worked together to move the depot to its current location in 1989 “It’s a very historic building that’s full of the determination and grit of people from Louisville and it’s really a testament to those people," Iovenko said including wood planks on the new walls that were part of the depot's original walls people who were passing through the depot would use wooden board as a message board to other people dip it in coal ash and write messages or words on the wood boards There are several examples of this across the depot including a message from a person with the name Geo E There is also a hand-drawn face of a person on one of the wooden boards “They’re very delicate but very important because they really show how important this building was to all types of people in the community," Iovenko said.  Development plans for the property include a community garden and rental plots have a picnic and watch trains," she said.  The depot is always free to the public and is open daily from 8 a.m College: 2023: Academic All-GLIAC… All-GLIAC Honorable Mention… Played and started in all 10 games… Finished 26th in the nation with five solo tackles per game… Finished fifth in the GLIAC averaging 7.6 total tackles per game… finished second on the team with 76 total tackles (51 solo 25 assisted).. Finished the season 16th nationally and first in the GLIAC with two blocked kicks… Recorded a game-high 11 total tackles vs Davenport on Sept 30… Recorded a pick-six for 22 yards at Northern Michigan on Oct Appeared in all 11 games for the Huskies.. Recorded one solo tackle and assisted on five.. High School: Led state in receiving yards as a senior with 1,222 yards...2019 All-State and First Team All-Conference...Class President...Conference Championship in 2019.. Personal: Birthday is January 22...Parents are Kari and Tom...Two siblings There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting Wieting Family Funeral Home My condolences to all of Lloyd’s family in his passing. He was a great man and I knew him as the rock that was the foundation for the Jerry Schneider Band. He commanded a lot of respect in the polka world for his playing. I especially wish comfort for Ken and Travis as the father and my student who really supported Chilton Bands. God bless you and keep you. Sorry to hear of Lloyds passing--my condolences to the family. I knew Lloyd from his Farm & Home days and as a fellow radio ham. Rest in peace my friend--73--W9VZU As a fellow Marine, Lloyd and I shared stories of the Corps. Lloyd with his HAM radio helped my wife and I communicate when I was stationed in Okinawa during Vietnam War and my wife was home in Chilton. He and his dad also played in my grandpa Tony Groeschl's band in the day. A very special man and a hard worker and great Marine. God rest and peace be with you Lloyd. Our condolences to the family. To the Buechels you have our sympathies, my husband's Mom Bernice propson was a buechel and cousin, it was interesting during our wedding to find out double related thru the Behnkes I was a behnke, Lloyd and Doreen did alot, they are composing poems and music in heaven. With sympathies to the behnkes also, God Bless, Darlene (Behnke) and Mark Propson My sympathy to all of Lloyd's family. I worked beside Lloyd for almost 15 years at Farm & Home. He was a great mentor and we sure shared many laughs together. I never knew anyone that loved hot humid weather more than him! He loved his time spent in Hawaii and planes and aviation were very dear to him. May he rest in peace. Our sympathy to the Buechel Family. I have many fond memories of Loyd both in school, band, dances etc. RIP my friend May the LORD bring comfort to Lloyd's family during this difficult time. I met Lloyd in 1987 when I came to manage the Farm and Home store in Chilton. He was our assistant manager and was so well versed in the hardware business and made so many customers happy with the assistance he gave them. May he rest in Glory. Gary, so sorry to hear of your father’s passing. We will remember him in our prayers. It was my pleasure to have known and worked with Lloyd for 15 years at the Chilton Housing Authority. He was meticulous in his work and greatly appreciated by the residents and staff. Deepest sympathies to the family.RIP "Lloydy" Knew Lloyd for over 40 years. He helped me get into Amateur Radio. Also got me into airplanes. Took me several times to EAA Airventure. Convinced me to become a member. I will miss our afternoon talks. 73 Dick KA9OJN So sorry to hear of Lloyd’s passing. He was instrumental in my decision to play the drums while growing up. A lot of good times were had in the Chilton City Band with Lloyd. He was always the gentleman, and he always treated me with respect despite my young age! Godspeed Lloyd, heaven must have needed a good drummer! A shelter-in-place order has been lifted in the Buechel neighborhood after Louisville Metro Police responded to reports of a suspicious device on Bardstown Road Monday. LMPD spokesperson Matthew Sanders said MetroSafe received a call at 7:36 a.m. Monday on reports of a "suspicious package" in the parking lot of a business in the 4500 block of Bardstown Road. The caller said a suitcase left unattended had an "antenna and wires coming out of it" and when Sixth Division officers arrived, LMPD's bomb squad was called in. Sanders said the bomb squad determined the suitcase was not a bomb and an "all clear" was issued at around 10:30 a.m. Residents were asked to remain inside their homes and businesses while the investigation was conducted. Sanders said the investigation remains open. This story has been updated to add video.  Jason Buechel, Chief Executive, Whole Foods Market weather patterns are becoming unpredictable fires and storms are becoming more frequent and severe as evidenced by the recent hurricanes that ravaged Florida and Asheville Crops that once thrived are now at risk of failing and standard farming practices no longer meet the food-security challenges we face As climate change continues to cause increasingly destructive natural disasters we must ask: what does this mean for the future of our food system where established methods of farming are no longer sustainable Just as climate has an impact on agriculture The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that agriculture accounts for about 22% of global greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions GHG emissions through technology and alternative energy sources better livestock management and climate-smart farming practices—including organic and regenerative agriculture—can set us on the right trajectory Hickory Nut Gap—run by a fourth-generation farmer poultry and pigs—was hit hard by Hurricane Helene resulting in damaged infrastructure and the loss of animals’ lives The Ager family runs not only one of the few family farms remaining in the area but also practises regenerative agriculture They view it as a series of interconnected relationships between the land where everyone flourishes from the ground up—literally They demonstrate how we can protect the entire ecosystem worms and other micro-organisms that form a vital part of the soil’s biodiversity Climate-smart farming results in better welfare of herded cattle increased profitability for farmers and healthier food options for consumers so they can feel good about what they’re putting on the table for their families these practices can also result in carbon actually being pulled from the air and stored in the earth It is essential we educate and inspire more producers to adopt sustainable farming methods and create a ripple effect of change throughout the industry The good news is that we know young consumers are helping drive demand, placing an emphasis on sustainability in their grocery products. A study with YouGov found 70% of Gen Z support climate-smart agricultural practices over half are willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products and over half prefer brands that prioritise lower environmental impacts or locally sourced foods Our food system depends on our ability not only to survive in a changing climate but to thrive supplier or retailer that will protect our food systems for future generations We need stakeholders across our industry at the table working together to build solutions and we need consumers willing to vote with their dollars for products farmed this way Climate-smart agriculture  will not solve this challenge alone; however it is essential for building resilience in how we withstand the unpredictability of a changing planet and for creating a broader movement that helps protect our food system in the long term Asheville was once known as a “climate haven” but as we know from the way our food system is interconnected farmers and agricultural leaders to look at how we can help adopt climate-smart farming on a broader scale so we can be prepared for what lies ahead and continue to feed future generations Jason Buechel serves as chief executive at Whole Foods Market providing operational leadership for Whole Foods Market’s over 500 locations across the United States Mr Buechel is a champion of Whole Foods Market’s culture and values and is committed to increasing access to local high-quality food for the communities it serves Mr Buechel joined the company in 2013 as global vice-president and chief information officer where he was responsible for all aspects of information technology and digital innovation as well as ushering in large-scale IT initiatives that played a critical role in the growth of the business Mr Buechel served as the managing director/partner within Accenture’s retail operations practice where he worked with leading retailers on strategic business and technology transformation Views or opinions expressed are those of the author and any individuals cited and do not necessarily reflect those of Economist Impact or any other member of The Economist Group Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInLOUISVILLE (WAVE) - A man is dead after a shooting in Louisville’s Buechel neighborhood Friday evening according to the Louisville Metro Police Department Officers responded to a report of a shooting near Bardstown Road and Fegenbush Lane around 5:30 p.m. they found 25-year old Taylor Mudd who had been shot inside of a vehicle Mudd was given first-aid before being taken to UofL Hospital where he died from his injuries LMPD’s Homicide Unit is handling the ongoing investigation Detectives are working to learn what led up to the shooting and what a possible motive could be There are no known suspects at this time. Anyone with information is asked to Anyone with information is asked to call the anonymous tip line at 502-574-LMPD (5673) or use the LMPD Crime Tip Portal He is a  recognized expert on retail technology and is well versed in all things tech Dan’s “Retail Insights” technology column was recognized by the prestigious Eddie & Ozzie Awards He has been quoted and interviewed by a variety of publications and news sites including CNBC, and has served as a moderator and session host at numerous industry events.  Follow Dan on LinkedIn. CEO of Whole Foods and VP of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores The CEO of Whole Foods Market is taking on a much wider role at Amazon.  will take on an expanded role leading Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores while maintaining his current role Buechel will joining the Amazon stores leadership team and report to Herrington Buechel took the reins as chief executive of Whole Foods from founder John Mackey in September 2022 He joined Whole Foods as executive VP and CIO in 2013 after serving 13 years as managing director and partner of Accenture and was promoted to COO of Whole Foods in 2019.  Buechel will now oversee Amazon's Fresh supermarkets Go cashierless stores and online grocery service "I’m truly humbled by the opportunity to serve as the new leader of worldwide grocery stores at Amazon," Buechel said in a LinkedIn post "This expanded responsibility gives me an opportunity to look after the collective grocery offering across Amazon Fresh Amazon Go and grocery partnerships — and help move forward our goal of making grocery shopping simpler During his time as COO of Whole Foods, Buechel oversaw technology, supply chain and distribution, store real estate and design, and HR functions as the organic grocer achieved record sales growth and expanded to more than 555 locations Whole Foods also recently unveiled its new retail concept aimed at providing a smaller store with convenience for fast-paced urban shoppers while paving the way for Whole Foods to expand in dense Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores will report to Buechel in his new role "Jason will be a fantastic leader to take the team forward and deliver on the solid 2025 plans the team has built," Herrington said in the memo, which was posted on an Amazon corporate blog "Claire will continue in her role leading Amazon Fresh and Anand will continue to lead all of product and technology for WWGS I’m thankful for their support through this transition." Amazon expanded the footprint of its Amazon Fresh high-tech grocery store concept during 2024, even as it replaced "Just Walk Out" frictionless checkout technology with other high-tech shopping features like Dash cart smart carts and Amazon One palm-based payment The company has also been scaling back its Amazon Go checkout-free convenience concept [READ MORE: Amazon reportedly closing Amazon Go store] Whole Foods Market is ramping up its store expansion in a big way, CEO Jason Buechel told attendees at the National Retail Federation’s NRF 2023 Retail’s Big Show in New York City The Amazon-owned specialty grocer currently has dozens of stores in its development pipeline but aims to boost that through an aggressive plan for annual openings who spoke at Manhattan’s Jacob Javits Center in a keynote chat with Nick Handrinos leader for retail and consumer products at Deloitte “We are so bullish on our potential to continue to add stores,” said Buechel 1 after serving as chief operating officer of the Austin “We currently have about 50 stores in our pipeline We're looking to grow that to at least a hundred we want to be opening 30 or more stores a year it’s the ability to serve more customers.” Whole Foods plans to expand its footprint into new markets and grow its presence in its current market areas “There are two ways by which we’re going to do that [expansion]. One is we’re going to go to new markets. Next month, we’re opening our very first store in Montana, in Bozeman,” he said the Bozeman location will bring the chain into its 44th state “Here in New York is a great example of where we expanded existing markets. Last Wednesday [Jan. 11], we opened our One Wall Street store this is like a flagship experience,” Buechel said sits in the city’s Financial District and reflects the Art Deco history of the landmark building Whole Foods now has 18 stores in New York City including 14 in Manhattan and four in Brooklyn Nick Handrinos of Deloitte (left) interviewed Whole Foods' Jason Buechel (right) in a keynote discussion on Monday afternoon “One of the things that I love is the original elevator doors are up against the wall behind the south checkout,” Buechel explained which is just off of our produce department and throughout the store are just amazing experiences for customers to engage.” Whole Foods also is experimenting with various concepts on the brick-and-mortar front “The other part that’s so exciting about our growth is we’re looking at new formats on top of it but we’ve got a couple of examples that we’ve already done,” Buechel told Deloitte’s Handrinos where we’re looking at ways of creating a more curated selection We’ve really focused on areas like how we can bring more sustainability to the customer taking plastic out of the water bottle aisle—so doing things that we believe customers are really looking for,” Buechel explained and we can see how they respond and use that as sort of a test slide We’re looking at a number of other concepts as well which today either are physical stores you may not be able to get the real estate we’re looking for or ultimately new ways that we can serve customers and how we might lay out a store the size and shape Buechel shared Whole Foods’ new strategic plan dubbed “Growing with Purpose,” with employees in its first quarterly town hall meeting of 2023 last week including 513 in the United States (43 states and the District of Columbia) 14 in Canada and seven in the United Kingdom Handrinos noted that Whole Foods has done an excellent job in maintaining its better-for-you value proposition with consumers especially in an unstable economic environment “Our customer really cares about quality standards and the differentiation that we bring to market,” Buechel said and I think one of the things that we do really well is we offer programs that simplify that,” he added “I look at value from a customer side of things It’s the price and the value we’re helping bring to the customer it’s the homework that we’re doing and the work that we’re doing throughout the entire supply chain that they can feel good about what they're buying.” Russell Redman is executive editor at Winsight Grocery Business. A veteran business editor and reporter, he has been covering the retail industry for more than 20 years, primarily in the food, drug and mass channel. His 30-plus years in journalism, for both print and digital, also includes significant technology and financial coverage.twitter.com/GroceryBizGuy Buechel’s promotion follows the November 2024 departure of his former boss Tony Hoggett, who left Amazon to take on the COO role at food delivery startup Wonder Buechel will report directly to Worldwide Amazon Stores CEO Doug Herrington. Claire Peters will both continue in their current roles and will now report to Buechel and Anand leads all product and technology efforts for WWGS Amazon has struggled to find its footing in grocery since its 2017 $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods although Whole Foods itself has continued to perform strongly. In 2022 Since that transition the company has made a number of efforts to streamline and evolve its grocery business “Since creating a single WW Grocery Stores organization in 2022 we have made notable progress in our vision to make grocery shopping simpler faster and more affordable for customers,” said Herrington This work will continue under Jason’s leadership I am incredibly energized by our momentum in grocery.” View the Retail Trendcaster Webinar Series on-demand to uncover key 2025 retail trends from AI and personalization to social commerce and actionable takeaways to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market Get access to exclusive content including newsletters with experts analyzing holiday sales and forecasting trends View the full lineup of the Retail Trendcaster video series for insights on consumer spending and more—helping you focus on what truly matters in 2025 Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information Whole Foods CEO Jason Buechel discusses how the grocery chain is approaching sustainability The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2024 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live vice president and division manager for Defense Enclave Services at Leidos and finalist in the DoD Executive of the Year he talks about his primary focus areas going forward What are your primary focus areas going forward and why are those so important to the mission Our goal is to help the Defense Information Systems Agency realize the objective of the Defense Enclave Services program which is to consolidate the Fourth Estate Defense Agencies and Field Activities (DAFAs) on a common IT infrastructure we can empower the defense agencies to operate more efficiently and scalable network infrastructure so they are mission ready The breakthrough capabilities delivered by DoDNet enable users to remain focused on their primary mission to protect and connect the warfighter while being agile and adaptable in today’s complex and evolving environment We expect to have approximately 100,000 users migrated to the new network by the end of 2025 and a total of 370,000 users and workstations when fully implemented What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps In both my professional career and experience as a college athlete I have never shied away from a challenge and have always been willing to step up when an opportunity presents itself I learned early on about the importance of having a strong work ethic and always being prepared My best career advice is to not be afraid to take on a challenge or tackle a difficult problem and to give your full effort in everything you do Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know I was a four-time All-Ivy Champion for track and field at Brown University and still hold the school record for the Steeplechase which is a 3000-meter race that combines running with navigating various obstacles I am also a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan Retail technology news and views for omnichannel retailers Jason Buechel has been appointed to serve as the new leader of Worldwide Grocery Stores at Amazon while maintaining his current role as CEO at Whole Foods Market (WFM) "This expanded responsibility gives me an opportunity to look after the collective grocery offering across Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Go and Grocery Partnerships - and help move forward our goal of making grocery shopping simpler and more affordable for customers," he says "I’ve never been more excited about the work Amazon is doing to improve the grocery shopping experience for customers Having a team of amazing leaders like Claire Peters and Anand Varadarajan will only help propel this effort I’m grateful for their partnership and everything they do for our teams and customers." He adds: "Customers are increasingly turning to Amazon for their grocery and everyday essential needs because of our unmatched selection and convenient shopping options - be it fast delivery but I’m energised by our progress to date and excited about the continued invention that’s ahead." In a LinkedIn post, Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive said: "The move reflects Amazon’s ongoing efforts to integrate elements of its homegrown grocery operations with Whole Foods while also attempting to maintain the unique identity of the upscale chain (Amazon acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in 2017).” "I support having Buechel lead the grocery business He has done a great job leading Whole Foods and his experience will help Amazon make better decisions related to their grocery business Buechel is taking charge at an important time for the company.” “The failure of Albertsons and Kroger to merge provides it an opportunity to aggressively take market share and Kroger’s bloated operations have significantly increased costs and complexity He added: "Target will likely partner with Lidl and possibly open a warehouse club similar to Costco.  Costco will overtake Kroger by the end of 2025 to become the second largest grocery retailer behind Walmart.” “Amazon plans on opening a ‘Supercenter’ - should they The grocery market is much different in 2025 than it was in 2024 Buechel has an opportunity to design a new grocery strategy that will significantly accelerate the company’s growth." Grocery retail was a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.” “But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.” and all those who attended November's gathering.  Sign up with your email address to receive the daily RTIH newsletter straight to your inbox We respect your privacy and will not pass your email address on to third parties we will occasionally send you promotional messages on behalf of our advertisers or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Paxton Media Ltd.