Celebrating Women's History Month at Giant Eagle

As we continue our celebration of Women's History Month, we're thrilled to introduce five more of our talented women leaders within Giant Eagle and GetGo. In addition to the women leaders this week, we'll also get to know Don, who's passion for building diverse, gender balanced teams makes him a strong ally and supporter of women across the organization.

. . .

Carmaletha B., Assistant Store Leader in Training

Location: #6515 Kingsdale Market District

Years of Service: 14

About Carmaletha:

In 2008, I started at Giant Eagle with a restaurant background. I was looking for something that would allow me to be home at a reasonable hour with my children. I joined the company just as Giant Eagle leadership was switching from Managers to Leaders. The timing was great because it enabled me to delegate and trust in others to help us all be more successful. What a full circle it’s been - from being a member of the first Master Trainer Class to being part of four remodels and/or Grand Openings in a row as a Team Leader, I feel privileged.

I am fond of the journey I’ve taken. I started with a traditional store before going to a Market District. I don’t know how successful I would’ve been without the background that was achieved. There is something about the culture and cohesiveness in a traditional store. It was ‘we’ and not ‘me’, and that allowed me to push harder because everyone else was doing the same. It made me stronger and taught me my limits. It was good preparation for what was soon to come. I started with the Company with the goal of becoming a Specialist, but wouldn’t you know when the opportunity presented itself, I had my eye on the next level, so here I am today training to become a Store Leader. I am learning more and more every day. I am happy to be doing it this way because many things are coming together and helping me understand expectation versus ability.

How do you practice and incorporate self-care in your life?

I believe I am different than most, I live a peaceful life naturally due to starting my day off with prayer. Incorporating self-care for me can range from being pampered at a spa to spending time with those I love. I live a very simple life. I just want happiness for everyone. If there is anything I can do to add to the happiness of someone else I try, and that makes me feel good about myself. I consider that self-care. I also absolutely love journaling and writing journals of instruction and prayer.

. . .

Amy J., Graphic Designer

Years of Service: 2.5

About Amy:

Creativity has always been my driving force; from birthday cards and finger puppets as a kid, to fashion design and photography as a teenager, to graphic design and glass etching as an adult, I’ve come to consider myself somewhat of a jane of all trades. As a graphic designer for Giant Eagle, I’ve had amazing opportunities, support, and mentorship from incredible people – all of which have propelled my career and confidence as a creative professional to exciting and vibrant horizons.

How do you practice and incorporate self-care in your life?

Regular practices of artmaking, journaling, exercise, meditation, and positive self-talk are what keep me feeling centered and sane. I listen to my body and respect her cues when I’m feeling out-of-whack. I believe developing a real, intentional relationship with oneself is a key ingredient in fostering self-love, which is necessary for true self-care.

. . .

Don C., EVP and Chief Merchant - Supermarket

Years of Service: 1

About Don:

I came to Giant Eagle from Whole Foods and Amazon, where I led the transformation of the merchandising function. Prior to that, I spent more than 14 years at Target in various merchandising roles. During my time with Target, I spent two years in Bengaluru, India building and leading Target India’s merchandising operations.

I’ve been with Giant Eagle for a little over a year now, and I believe my greatest accomplishments are being a transformative leader, developing new and best-in-class capabilities, and developing and building best-in-class teams.

How have you supported women and promoted inclusion and diversity in your life?

I had the opportunity to visit Istanbul, Turkey a number of years ago and purchased a set of handmade rugs that I believe are beautiful and stunning. The reason being is the more than 30 colors represented in the pattern. I believe the same is true with the teams and people I surround myself with. I don’t want a “single colored rug” in a team. I believe outcomes of homogonous teams are homogonous and non-differentiated ideas. To be my very best as an individual and leader, I need to surround myself with people who are different than me, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. And, to be our very best, as a team and as a company, we need diverse thinking and ideas, and that will only come with diverse people who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Women play a huge role in this perspective, and I have always tried to build my teams with good gender balance. I was lucky to work at Target because of their progressive approach to gender equality and a diverse and equitable workforce. My own leadership team at Whole Foods was 50% female and it was proud moment for me when they chose one of my female leaders as my successor.

I am hoping the pandemic opened our eyes further to the challenges I believe women experience in balancing careers and family lives, more so than men. When the pandemic hit, we entered a virtual work environment, schools became virtual, day care facilities closed, etc. and I believe women carried the bigger burden of making it all work. Through this experience, we became more compassionate, more flexible, more open to different ways of working, and I hope a better place for women and all Team Members to work, to truly be themselves. It is only when we feel we can truly be ourselves, and be fully supported in doing so, that we can bring our very best selves in all we do.

I believe the Women’s Business Resource Group is critical in helping us become even more gender balanced, diverse, and equitable at Giant Eagle. While it is important for men like me to be strong allies of the Women’s BRG, it is even more important to have strong female voices be heard, to share their experiences, to challenge the status quo, and to play a strong leadership role in shaping our future.

. . .

Melanie K., GetGo Central Operations Sr. Specialist & District Leader

Years of Service: 5

About Melanie:

I joined GetGo as a Senior Store Leader in 2017 in Verona, PA, and not long after, I had the opportunity to work on a new store opening at the Monroeville GetGo Café + Market. Then I was promoted to Executive Store Leader and operated our Baum Blvd. GetGo location.

After that, I was a Program Administrator for the East Division, and in my current role as District Leader, we have had great success with the recent openings of the Latrobe and East Wylie GetGo Café + Market locations.

How do you practice and incorporate self-care in your life?

I treat myself at Sephora occasionally and enjoy time spent with my family. I keep a journal of how I am feeling and what I am grateful for.

. . .

Melinda G., Sr. Administrator, Community Relations and Development

Years of Service: 10

About Melinda:

I joined Giant Eagle 10 years ago and have spent the span of my career in Community Relations and Development. I onboarded with the Company in 2012 and served as a member of the Community Relations team focused on special event management. Since then, I’ve held a variety of roles and positions within the team, and currently lead overall strategy and development of the department. Since 2021, I’ve taken on increasing responsibility for Giant Eagle’s Food Insecurity work and spend time on projects such as the new Mobile Market. Additionally, I’m a Committee Chair on the Women’s Business Resource Group, an advisor to the Team Member Care Fund, and can frequently be found volunteering at area Food Banks and local pantries.

How do you practice and incorporate self-care in your life?

I practice self-care by setting aside time each week for creative pursuits. Arts, crafts, and other expressive hobbies have always been a passion of mine. Whether dusting off my skills in longtime interests such as photography, or jumping into something completely new like jewelry making, I am always energized in this space. Making sure to set aside even just one hour per weekend helps me to stay both balanced and refreshed.

. . .

Kylie S., GetGo Operations Services Specialist, Internal Communications & Administration

Years of Service: 13

About Kylie:

I spent several years as a vendor merchandiser for Elite Flowers, specifically working on their account with Giant Eagle. Through that partnership, I learned so much about the Company and cultivated so many strong relationships, I decided to take a leap and officially join the family in March 2009. For the next 9 years, I served as a Floral Team Leader in many of the Market District locations throughout the Pittsburgh market. In 2018, I made the move from big box retail into the GetGo office as a Senior Administrative Secretary for the Operations Department. Through an evolution of that role and my increased responsibilities, in June 2021, I was promoted to a Specialist role in the GetGo Central Operations department, now known as Operations Services, with concentrations in administration and internal communications.

How do you practice and incorporate self-care in your life?

The most important self-care practice that I incorporate into my daily life is keeping my surroundings as peaceful and tidy as possible. Doing so makes my home a relaxing place to be, makes my work flow smoothly and efficiently, and brings me a sense of calm that I simply can’t reach when things are messy. It only takes a few minutes to put everything in its place, and it really goes far in giving me a sense of balance. And I still buy myself flowers at least once a month!