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Letter from the Editor by Marcy Nathan

Heavy is the head that wears the shopping cart crown.

As anyone who has ever ridden in one of the big Mardi Gras parades will tell you, it feels like the closest you will ever get to being famous. But riding on a float surrounded by a sea of people holding signs and screaming your name is nothing compared to walking the floor of a grocery store convention wearing a shopping cart crown and sash. Earlier this year, I was honored as the 2024 Woman of the Year in Grocery by the Women Grocers of America (WGA) organization at the National Grocers Association Show (NGA) in Las Vegas. NGA represents the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the indepen dent sector of the food distribution industry. It is the only trade association exclusively focused on representing the independent sector of the food industry. The Woman of the Year award has been given annually since 1996 to a female working in the grocery industry who displays strong leadership, a passion for the industry, and a commitment to her community. I am honored to have my name added to the list.

The NGA show doesn’t seem at first like the place to laissez les bons temps Rouses , but my team made these elaborate shopping cart crowns for us to wear. (The sash and stickers with my face on them were a complete surprise.) And artist Sandi deMeo hand painted @MarcyMakesGroceries shoes for me. Sandi customizes several players’ cleats for CONGRATS! marcy nathan CREATIVE DIRECTOR ROUSES MARKETS 4 ROUSES SUMMER 2024