ROUSES_Fall2023_Magazine

donny rouse CEO, 3rd Generation

Photo by Channing Candies

The Home Team

Our partnership with the New Orleans Saints goes well beyond being the official grocer. Last year we established a new program, Tackle Hunger, in partnership with the Saints, to supply our food banks and food pantries across Louisiana, Missis sippi and Alabama. Thanks to your generous donations, we have already donated half a million meals to help feed and support our neighbors in need. I look forward to the good that Tackle Hunger will bring to our communities for years to come. Mrs. Benson shared her philosophies on community and leadership for this issue of our magazine. I hope her words resonate with you as they did with us. At the core of Mrs. Benson’s leadership of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans is her belief in the power of hiring the best people for the job, and investing in their success; we wholeheartedly share this philosophy at Rouses Markets. Our commitment to excellence starts with the people we recruit and hire — we draft high in the first round. Part of our investment in our team is education and training, which is ongoing. Like the Saints, we give our team everything they need to succeed on the field — or, in our case, in the field, and in the future. Like Mrs. Benson, I feel a profound sense of responsibility to the Gulf Coast, and to making my family and community proud. Whether it’s through community initiatives, charitable contributions, or simply being the first to lend a helping hand after a storm or natural disaster, we’re always ready to help. The Saints make us proud to live on the Gulf Coast. I hope we inspire the same feeling in you.

Q You took over the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans under incred ibly difficult circumstances after the death of your husband. How did you navigate this transition period? A “It was certainly a very difficult time for me and our organization, but I was blessed to have the strength of my faith and a staff that is so committed to doing what is best for our team and community. Resilience is something that is part of our DNA in our region and, together, we were able to move forward. My husband always said, ‘Tough times don’t last, but tough people do’ — and we all try to live by those words.” A Q&A with Gayle Benson , Owner of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans

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ROUSES FALL 2023