The third generation of Schnuck Family grocers share the honor of 2009 Citizens of the Year, following in the footsteps of the late Edward J. and Donald O. Schnuck, who earned the award in 1979 and 1990, respectively.
Scott C. Schnuck, chairman and chief executive officer of Schnucks delivered the keynote acceptance address on behalf of his siblings and cousin, Stephanie Schnuck Sterkel.
He spoke to a group of civic leaders and past Citizen of the Year awardees – a group that includes St. Louis American Publisher Donald M. Suggs – on May 18 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.
Scott played on the location of the ceremony, in saying, “There is an old saying that ‘one generation plants the seeds and the next stands in the shade.’ I can see the wisdom in that because today, we are all so much better off for the contributions – the seeds – that were planted before we came along.”
He repeatedly thanked all Schnucks employees – calling them “teammates” – and customers, and marveled that the company is in its 71st year of serving St. Louis families.
“And, to think, it all started with potato salad!” he said.
The first store was started in 1939 for his grandmother’s version of German potato salad. “Mom Schnuck was Irish, the potato salad was German!” he said.
From one 1,000-ft. corner confectionery in North St. Louis, the business has grown to 106 locations with 15,000 employees – or “teammates” – who serve more than 1.5 million customers each week.
The success of the supermarkets also fueled the growth of a family real estate company, The DESCO Group (or, as the family knows it, the Don and Ed Schnuck Company).
It was established in 1993 to develop new retail shopping centers that included new Schnucks stores. It now provides corporate real estate services, development, brokerage and property management and construction management services.
DESCO employs 60 “teammates” and operates in 12 states. It offers corporate services at 174 retail, office and industrial properties totaling nearly 12 million square feet. DESCO’s affiliate company, NAI DESCO, provides real estate services to a network of 300 offices worldwide.
Among a wide range of Schnuck family investments in civic leadership, in terms of time and money, Craig has played a leadership role with the St. Louis Diversity Initiative and with the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City, and Terry and Todd work with the Urban League.
Scott said these commitments have “put us front and center in the quest to help ensure that families of all races, creeds and ethnicities have the opportunities to achieve their dreams the way my family has done.”
Schnucks also is a longtime, loyal supporter of the Black Press in St. Louis. It has advertised regularly in The St. Louis American for more than 20 years and provided a distribution point for the free weekly for more than 10 years.
“Now, I challenge all of us to work together to reinvent St. Louis. Put everything – all those positives – all that’s right with St. Louis – put that all on the table and in the hands of progressive leaders,” Scott Schnuck said, in a rousing final movement in his speech.
“Our reinvention will take courage. We, as leaders, must be fearless and forceful in tackling problems and reaching solutions to our regional issues. The fear of failure is always a difficult hurdle to overcome. But, we must persevere – we must not be satisfied with the status quo.”
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“We, as leaders, must be fearless and forceful in tackling problems and reaching solutions to our regional issues.” – Scott Schnuck
