NGA Names Former UNFI Exec Mike Ridenour Chief Collaboration Officer

The National Grocers Association has named Mike Ridenour, most recently vice president of industry relations at United Natural Foods, Inc., as its chief collaboration officer and senior vice president, the trade group announced Monday.

In the newly created role, Ridenour will lead NGA's efforts to build relationships with food manufacturers and other grocery industry partners. He will also look for opportunities to link the trade group's members with CPG companies.

Ridenour brings deep industry ties to the position. Before joining UNFI, he held industry relations roles at Kraft Heinz and the former Kraft Foods Group, where he started his career as a sales representative. He also previously served on NGA's board of directors.

"Throughout his 40-year career, he has built trusted relationships across the grocery ecosystem and has a unique ability to bring organizations together around shared goals," NGA President and CEO Greg Ferrara said in a statement announcing the appointment. "His experience, credibility, and collaborative leadership style will help NGA strengthen industry engagement, create new opportunities for our members and partners, and advance our mission of advancing the $353 billion independent supermarket industry."

The hire comes as NGA works to raise the profile of the independent grocery sector. In May, the organization released an economic impact analysis showing that independent grocers account for more than 38% of the U.S. food retail sector's annual sales. The same analysis found that independent grocers grew their collective sales by almost 40% between 2020 and 2024, according to NGA.

The appointment signals that NGA intends to keep deepening ties between consumer packaged goods companies and the independent grocers who now represent more than a third of U.S. food retail sales.