Campbell Oil Co./ Minuteman Food Mart
Beginning their career in the grocery industry at the age of 14 as a customer service clerk, Kathy Williams started at the ground level and worked through every department. Supported by a robust, state-of-the-art training center, she gained hands-on experience in a grocery chain renowned for excellence in guest experience and retail operations, located in upscale Northeast communities.
Her early training and experience spanned customer service, front-end operations, sales, retail operations, and guest experience. She later expanded into grocery, merchandising, cross-merchandising, product presentation, and marketing — building a strong foundation in store operations, consumer behavior, and sales-driving strategies.
After relocating to the South, she transitioned into the retail fashion industry, where they managed a store and leveraged their creativity and passion for fashion. She trained her team to drive sales through upselling techniques such as promoting the "Item of the Week" and increasing transaction totals. Weekly contests focused on team performance and guest experience helped foster a fun, high-performing environment.
More than a decade ago, they entered the convenience store industry by joining the Minuteman Food Mart division of Campbell Oil Company as a Store Manager — and never looked back. Over the past 11 years, they have held eight different roles:
- Store Manager
- Training Manager
- Training Coordinator
- District Manager
- Price Book Coordinator
- Retail Marketing Manager
- Category & Price Book Manager
- Currently, Senior Category Manager
In their current role, they oversee 22 categories and thrive on the creative aspects of merchandising, store layout design, and guest-centric retail strategy. One of the most important aspects of their work is building relationships and winning as a team.
She remains sincerely grateful for the experiences and mentorship received along the way and is excited about future growth and leadership opportunities.