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NOURISHING ST. LOUISANS AND THE
COMMUNITY FOR DECADES
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By Laurie Burstein
Third Generation of Schnucks to Receive Right Arm Award For
Outstanding Community Leadership
The saying goes that the whole is greater than the sum of its
parts. That certainly holds true in the case of the third generation
of six Schnuck siblings, children of Doris and the late Don
Schnuck. As individuals, Craig, Scott, Terry, Mark, Todd and
Nancy have each been extremely involved in his or her own distinctive
number of civic, business and charitable causes. Add them up,
and as a family, they have touched a great many aspects of the
St. Louis community.
Collectively, the Schnuck family has had a major impact on the
St. Louis region for the past 69 years. What began as a 1,000-square-foot
store in North St. Louis in 1939 started by grandparents, Edwin
and Anna, was incorporated by brothers Don and Ed Schnuck, and
further expanded by Don’s children. Together, they have guided
the company, into a $2.4 billion supermarket chain with 103
stores in seven states.
Not only does Schnuck Markets provide a livelihood for its 15,000
associates, company leaders also make it possible for each of
those team members to sow seeds of support and growth within
their own respective communities, and in their own ways. They
are, you could say, the company’s “right arms” when it comes
to community involvement across the region and the Midwest.
Today, Schnucks is the largest contributor to Operation Food
Search here in St. Louis and a major contributor to The Greater
St. Louis Area United Way Campaign, where the company and its
associates have annually donated more than a million dollars
for many years.
The Schnucks have each made a mark on the company and the community.
Each one has varied skills and interests, and each has been
a board member or chair, collectively serving on virtually every
major civic or non-profit organization in St. Louis including
Civic Progress, The Urban League, the St. Louis RCGA, the Saint
Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Garden, the St. Louis Sports Commission,
The Shakespeare Festival and Children’s Hospital. Their collective
reach goes far into the community.
The Six Siblings:
Who’s Who
 From
oldest to youngest, each sibling has a distinct role in the
family business. As the oldest, Craig
has been active in the family business the longest and has worked
in almost every store-level position from bagger to meat cutter
to store manager before becoming chairman and CEO in 1989, a
position he held for 17 years. Early in his career,
Craig played a large role in the introduction of in-store pharmacies
in St. Louis Schnucks stores in the 1970s. In 1995, Craig led
the company through the acquisition of National Super Markets,
which added 33 stores, bringing the company to a total of 97
stores.
Today, as chairman of the executive committee, Craig is involved
in many aspects of the business and is responsible for growth
and expansion. Currently, Schnucks serves customers in Missouri,
Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Craig says central and northern Illinois are key growth areas,
with the most recent store openings in Normal, Savoy and DeKalb,
Ill.
Of the 64 stores in St. Louis, eight are in the City of St.
Louis including the 1996 opening of a new store in North St.
Louis, as well as a newer store in South St. Louis in Carondolet
Park. When asked if Schnucks will open a store downtown, Craig
smiles and says, “We are looking at it very carefully.”
Craig’s civic accomplishments include serving as president of
Civic Progress in 2003 and 2004. His focus during those years
was on education in city schools and on the Regional Business
Diversity Initiative, the organization established to improve
diversity within St. Louis companies. Craig has also chaired
Fair St. Louis, the United Way campaign and the Salvation Army,
and is immediate past president of The Boy Scouts. He is active
on the board of BJC and is the building chairman at Washington
University.
Craig grocery shops every week and is passionate about the quality
of the stores and the associates, especially as Schnucks has
had to deal with more competition from big box chains.
“As we look at the Wal-Marts and other big competitors moving
into our markets, we have had to differentiate ourselves in
many ways,” Craig says. “We live in this community and we understand
what our customers want. We can fine-tune our stores on a store-by-store
basis and offer a much higher quality of meal preparation. The
quality of our people, level of service and variety really sets
us apart,” he says.
 Next
in line is Scott, the second oldest brother, and chairman and
CEO. Scott is responsible for the markets and the
company’s overall direction and strategy. Like all the Schnuck
brothers, Scott got his start bagging groceries in his teens
and has worked in all parts of the company.
In 2006, Scott, following in the footsteps of his father and
brother, Craig, assumed the role of chairman and CEO. In that
same year, he had the daunting task of chairing three major
organizations at the same time—The Missouri Botanical Garden,
the St. Louis RCGA and the St. Louis Sports Commission.
Apparently, thriving on the fast pace of his civic involvement,
Scott remains active in all three, and is currently the chairman
of the Sports Commission. A huge sports enthusiast and former
football player for Cornell University, Scott has been involved
in bringing the Final Four basketball tournament, NCAA Wrestling
and figure skating competitions to St. Louis in recent years.
Scott is currently chairing the 2007 Salvation Army Tree of
Lights campaign, another Schnuck family tradition. One of the
family’s proudest accomplishments is the new Doris I. Schnuck
Childrens Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden. “We (the
family), personally, donated $2 million to honor our mother
with a park that will serve children and families in our region
and beyond,” Scott says. “The garden is a great way to pay tribute
to her and her dedication to improving the lives of young people.”
Scott acknowledges that the grocery industry is changing and
that Schnucks is changing with it. The company is in the process
of expanding its offerings in food and culinary education in
order to better serve the needs of today’s customers. He explains,
“We recently launched two new concepts, “Schnucks Cooks” demonstration
stations are now open in three stores (Woods Mill, Twin Oaks
and Kirkwood) and “Meal Creations,” a new “you make it and take
it” program is active at Dardenne Prairie. We hope to expand
these offerings to customers in other stores over time.”
“We are well positioned for the future and have 69 years of
history behind us,” Scott says. “We have great locations and
are building and expanding with large and modern stores. New
amenities range from in-store coffee shops and extensive wine
offerings, to made-to-order sandwiches and soups, and organic
foods. We have stepped up efforts to cut costs and this past
year lowered prices on 10,000 items.”
Scott believes the success of the region and of his company
are intertwined. “The future of Schnucks is tied to the well-being
of the region. I love the quality of life here—it’s a great
sports town and we have a rich cultural history. We are proud
to help provide a livelihood to our 15,000 associates and are
committed to providing the best possible value and quality to
our customers.”
 Terry,
the third brother, served as chief legal counsel for the company
until 2002 when he left to pursue his interest in musical theater.
Today, Terry is an award-winning Broadway producer, now enjoying
great success with the Tony-award winning musical “Spring Awakening.”
Though Terry spends a lot of time in New York, he still calls
St. Louis home and remains active in various aspects of the
family business.
Like his brothers and sister, Terry gained experience outside
the company before coming to work in the family business. “My
Dad encouraged all of us to get experience with other companies,”
he says. “He told us to prepare yourself as if you didn’t have
the family business to fall back on.”
After 20 years as chief legal counsel at Schnucks, Terry decided
to pursue his passion in the theater and began as an investor
in the show “Thoroughly Modern Millie.” He has since produced
five plays on Broadway.
“The company is important to me and although I am not involved
in the day-to-day operation of Schnucks any longer, I still
serve on the board and participate in Advisory Board meetings
as well.”
Terry is also very involved in St. Louis civic organizations
and for the second year serves as the chair of the Shakespeare
Festival. In addition, he serves on the boards of the Muny and
the Theatre Awards Council which annually bestows the Kevin
Kline Awards.
“We are really fortunate that our family is civically involved
in the St. Louis community. With six of us, we can spread ourselves
around and touch many different organizations,” Terry says.
 The
next brother is Mark who runs the family real estate business.
The DESCO Group, an acronym for “Don and Ed Schnuck Company,”
was started in the late 1960s and incorporated in 1994 when
the brothers decided the two family businesses were distinctly
different and should be run independently. Fast forward to 2007
and The DESCO Group is the St. Louis area’s largest manager
of retail real estate and an active developer of retail and
office space in the St. Louis market and in many other states
including Arizona, Florida, Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska and
Iowa.
Mark explains, “Our family is engaged in two businesses—the
supermarket business and the real estate business.“
“While DESCO is very active in retail management and supermarket
holdings, most of our real estate business today is non-Schnucks
related. For example, we are currently developing shopping centers
in seven states,” he says.
Mark also got his start bagging groceries in his teens and worked
his way up through various positions in the company before becoming
head of DESCO.
Mark points to his company’s role in renovating the Old Post
Office as a proud accomplishment. “Through our involvement with
the RCGA and Civic Progress and as St. Louisans, we were very
interested in the revival of downtown. When I toured the building
in 2000, I knew the Old Post Office was a jewel and could anchor
the revival of the whole area.”
Today, DESCO staff members manage the building. “We are very
honored to have been a part of the redevelopment of the Old
Post Office, which is 100 percent occupied today,“ Mark comments.
Mark is also involved in many civic organizations, including
the Saint Louis Zoo where his is a commissioner and soon, chairman
of the Zoo Commission. He is also on the board of the Greater
St. Louis Community Foundation.
 Fifth
in birth order is Todd, who holds the title of president and
has been with the company for 20 years. With his
background in investment banking, Todd has direct responsibility
for overall financial coordination of the two family businesses.
At Schnucks, he oversees legal, human resources, technology
and continuous improvement. Todd partners with Scott on all
key decisions and strategies with regard to the daily operations
of the markets.
His civic involvement includes chairing the recent $125 million
campaign for the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He also spends
a lot of time with The Urban League, where he served as chairperson
for three years, and is now a board member. As treasurer for
the United Way, Todd is responsible for this year's Schnucks
campaign which has raised nearly $2 million to date. “Between
the six of us and our 15,000 associates, we really do have strength
in numbers,” Todd says. “Our reach into the community is pretty
great.”
“Our business is only as strong as the community we live in,”
Todd says. “It’s always been important for us be good employers,
bring new ideas to our customers, and be strong members of our
community.”
 As
the youngest of the six siblings, Nancy Schnuck-Diemer has also
made significant contributions to the company and community.
From 1996 to 2001 she served as director of community affairs
and oversaw all of the company’s charitable donations, providing
support to organizations across the region.
Now with two young sons, she is officially “retired” from day-to-day
involvement, but remains active in certain aspects of the family
business. “I participate in our monthly family meetings where
most of our major company decisions are made. In addition, I
am in frequent communication with my brothers, and they keep
me apprised of special initiatives and changes,” she adds.
In addition, Nancy is an avid cook with more than 100 cookbooks
in her collection, “I have great memories of cooking alongside
my mother and today, I find myself cooking for the enjoyment,”
she explains.
Today Nancy’s passion is her involvement in numerous civic and
charitable organizations, most geared toward supporting children.
She is a board member and former development chair of the St.
Louis Children’s Hospital; Nancy has also been active in the
United Way, Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis and
the Magic House, where she chaired the board last year.
“I have a real passion for children and am very devoted to organizations
where I can help children and families,” Nancy says.
Family Harmony
All six siblings say they preserve family harmony through regular
family meetings, a tradition started 20 years ago by Don Schnuck.
The Schnucks sit down together once a month for a roundtable
family meeting. Meetings are held off-site and last several
hours. All six emphasize how important these meetings really
are.
“These meetings are the single most important thing we do,”
says Todd. “We are all equal shareholders and everyone has a
say. Big decisions are made by consensus.”
“We talk a lot about family harmony at these meetings,” Nancy
says. “We also just spend time catching up on what is going
on with each family.”
“My Dad used to say family harmony is number one and business
is second,” says Mark.
“These family meetings are really sacred time,” agrees Terry.
“Anyone of us can put an item on the agenda to discuss.”
A Tradition of Service
The Schnuck family is proud to call St. Louis home and they
credit the support of the St. Louis community with their ability
to operate stores successfully in out-state markets. During
the holidays, associates at stores, warehouses and manufacturing
facilities are visited, personally, by a family member. “It’s
important for us to personally go to each location to thank
all of our associates and wish everyone a happy holiday,” says
Mark while on his way to visit Schnucks in Bettendorf, Iowa.
This dedication and commitment to community are core company
values at Schnucks and catalysts for their most recent honor.
The Right Arm Award has been presented annually since 1975 in
recognition of outstanding leadership on behalf of the St. Louis
region. Scott says he remembers when his Uncle Edward Schnuck
received the award in 1983.
“This service is part of our heritage and we are very proud
to receive the Right Arm Award as a family,” Scott says. “My
Dad would be very proud, too,” he adds.
“Our customers, associates and St. Louis have been good to us,
and we have always tried to share our success,” says Scott.
“Our grandparents, parents and my uncle instilled in us the
importance of giving back,” Nancy adds. “It’s something our
family has always done.”
The Future and Next Generation
The fourth generation is on the rise at Schnucks. Craig’s son
Brian and Scott’s son Jason are now involved in various aspects
of store operations. Like their parents, these rising stars
will gain experience in every part of the company before finding
their niches.
Craig makes a point that is echoed by all siblings, “We have
grown up here and St. Louis will always be our home. We have
all worked hard to help make the St. Louis region a great place
to live and work. Our future is bright and we plan to continue
our focus of giving back.”
Schnucks
at a Glance
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Schnucks
was founded in 1939 by Edwin and Anna Schnuck.
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In
1953, Schnucks was incorporated by Edwin and sons Donald
and Edward.
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Total
stores: 103 stores and more than 15,000 associates in seven
states: Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi
and Tennessee.
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In
St. Louis: 64 stores in the St. Louis region, including
eight in St. Louis City. The company employs 10,500 St.
Louis-area associates.
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Schnucks
is a $2.4 billion company.
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The
DESCO Group is the real estate company owned by the Schnuck
family and is the largest manager of retail real estate
in St. Louis and a developer of office and retail space
in many other states.
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