From 1 Butcher Shop to 17 Stores: Joe Fasula's Family Legacy at Gerrity's

**🎙️ From Butcher Shop to Ten Supermarkets: Joe Fasula's Family Legacy at Gerrity's** In this episode, Joe Fasula, co-owner of Gerrity's, The Fresh Grocer, shares how a family grocery chain founded in 1895 survived his father's sudden death, a chaotic co-op conversion, and the chaos of COVID-era retail. Joe opens up about the parking lot moment that made him question everything, and how his mother stepped in from teaching to run a nine-store supermarket chain almost overnight. **✨ Key Insights You'll Learn:** - Turned down a New Jersey supermarket job after his father passed away - Watched his mother step in as CEO with no prior business management experience - Learned to solicit feedback after a manager was afraid to correct the boss's son - Joined Wakefern, the co-op behind ShopRite, and rebranded in 2022 - Lowered cost of goods seven to ten percent and passed most of it to customers - Watched one store's sales drop twenty percent mid-transition - Operates on razor thin margins of about three percent before taxes - Refused to raise egg prices above eight dollars during the 2023 shortage - Expanded into Ace Hardware, now with seven locations - Expects an 80 percent refrigeration energy savings from adding cooler doors **🌟 Joe's Key Mentors:** - **His Father:** Built the company from a small meat shop into a multi-store chain before his sudden death - **His Mother, Joyce:** Stepped in as CEO from a teaching career and still advises the business today - **Ron Gadowski:** Longtime center store supervisor who mentored him early in his career - **Mark Braddon:** Director of operations who now runs the day-to-day business alongside him 👉 Hear how a family grocery chain founded in 1895 survived a father's sudden death, a chaotic co-op conversion, and the razor-thin margins of the supermarket business. **🔗 Connect with Joe Fasula:** Website: gerritys.com 📄 Transcript Available: From 1 Butcher Shop to 17 Stores: Joe Fasula's Family Legacy at Gerrity's 📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast 🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast 📄 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: AddBack Benefits Agency - Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line Website: addbackbenefits.com