Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/414972
November/December 2014 49 New Logo. New Website. Visit us at NAFEM Booth 6233 Same Great Company. www.globefoodequip.com 800.347.5423 Gustafson, whose dad, Paul, runs the company along with his aunt, Norma, and uncle, Carl. Currently, there are only four grandkids involved in the busi- ness—Gustafson, his two brothers and a cousin, who works in the service depart- ment. One brother works in accounting and the other in the company's tag and bag program, where Ace Mart provides barcoding and custom-packing jobs for people with special needs. Gustafson is the oldest—but that's about all he's sure of when it comes to his future with Ace Mart. "When it's time for them to retire," he says, "I may not be the best man for the job, and I am okay with that. They want to make sure that we are a viable business now and that we continue to be, regardless of what family member is involved." Sounds like a leader to me. Humility in check, Gustafson has had his feet to the fire since officially joining Ace Mart in 2003. He's worked in sales, coordi- nated deliveries as a warehouse super- visor, managed a store location in the Houston area for five years, done bid work, spent time in key accounts and today works in purchasing. "I'm enjoy- ing my current role more than what I thought I would," he says, "I thought it would become more tedious but I have a few special projects that I've been able to run with—some of our private label stuff. I do procurement, sourcing…I've had new experiences." Namely, having the opportunity to visit Hotelex in Shanghai in addition to traveling throughout China to visit with manufacturers. "It really opened my eyes to the world of importing goods," says Gustafson. This is the side of E&S he believes dealers should get in the habit of talk- ing up if they want to attract more new talent. News & Views spoke with Gustafson about the retention issue as well as discussed the hype behind the Millennial generation. continued on page 50 Transitioning to that next phase of leadership is going to be a challenge for dealers. You've got people in their 60's still running the business without a succession plan in place and that scares me. Jonathan Gustafson