Where is our hometown grocer?

I read in the Sunday (5-29-2011) Daily Sentinel Biz Buzz column –- with much dismay, about Kroger’s decision to replace Grand Junction-based Flying Fish Sushi with Los Angeles-based Fuji Foods in 14 of its City Market stores in Western Colorado, costing Flying Fish and our community more than 20 jobs.

What wasn’t mentioned in Biz Buzz is that Flying Fish is one of nearly 30 local companies’ products cut or on the block to be cut from City Markets in Western Colorado within the past year. This is more than sad. (But don’t worry, our sacred Palisade Peaches and Olathe Sweet Corn are in far too high demand beyond our local markets to get the Kroger axe. Yep, famous all the way to Cincinnati, whew, thank goodness.)

With the final phases of corporate consolidation to Kroger’s Cincinnati headquarters, the local Grand Junction and regional Denver City Market administrative offices continue to phase-out staff without replacements -- familiar names and faces who have been engaged in the community for 30 years and more.

Local nonprofits must now submit their community support requests not to the local City Market office, but to the Kroger HQ in Cincinnati. Cincinnati, as in Ohio, the state, way over there. And Grand Valley Magazine, by the way, would have to sign on with the national distributor in order to remain in the 16 stores we are cleared to sell in. A move that is cost-prohibitive for a small regional magazine.

Maybe the Kroger folks forgot that City Market was started in the Grand Valley. Many of its long-time employees hired personally by Joe Prinster, who built on his father’s small grocery business expanding the brand into a regional network of hometown City Market stores across Western Colorado; stores that sought out local products primarily because It just makes sense.

As a business owner, I can certainly understand the need to be efficient and profitable, while meeting growing customer demand. I get that. And perhaps they’re right in Cincinnati that when it comes down to it most consumers really don’t care where their goods and produce come from as long as they are cheap and uniform.

There may be a lot of people who feel that way -- for whatever reason, and that's their business. But there are also a lot who do care. As I read on in the Biz Buzz, alone at the kitchen table with a now soggy bowl of cereal, I cheered out loud that Community Hospital, Fisher's Market and Premium Natural Meats, Wild West Steaks and Seafood, Albertsons, and Family Food Town have all contracted with Flying Fish to make sushi for them.

That's local business supporting local business. That's collaboration; that's economic development in action; that's how its done in Western Colorado.

I am so looking forward to our local farmers markets opening -- this year, more than ever it seems. Hope to see you there!

The last issue of GV Magazine

Not a day has gone by in the past few weeks that someone hasn't said to me about one thing or another, "Yep, I'm taking things to the next level." Interesting how that phrase can mean so many different things to so many different people, but essentially what all their "next levels" do have in common is that they are levels involving changes: in their businesses, their educational pursuits, their lives.

Since launching our first issue 32 months ago, we have continued to expand not only the magazine's readership and advertising partnerships, but a growing client project base through our custom publishing division as well. GV Custom Publishing Company's products and services include high-quality specialty publications, market research, and campaign design. The growing demand for magazine-style coverage in a multi-media format as well as for GV Custom products and services has presented the company with some unique opportunities that can only be communicated at this time as, "Yep, it's time to take things to the next level."

The mission of the GV brand to celebrate the dynamic life, landscape, and people of the greater Grand Valley is made possible because of everyone who shares that same love of Western Colorado. And it is clearly time to take that celebration to the next level, from simply recognizing that there is so much to celebrate each and every day -- something we can all certainly do -- to GV Custom Publishing Company creating new specialty media that incorporate new technologies in ever-evolving ways.

On behalf of the entire GV family, I thank you for your support, partnership, and encouragement, but most of all for your friendship. We look forward to seeing you on the trail.