Season 2: Homegrown Heroes
For the Greater Good comes home. After a first season spent inside the boardrooms of the world's top CPG companies, IGA President and CEO John Ross turns the mic toward the people who bring the grocery business to life every day: the independent retailer.
To mark IGA's 100th anniversary, this season features nine conversations with the 2026 IGA USA Retailers of the Year — store owners and operators uniquely nominated during our Centennial year for going above and beyond for their customers, their employees, and their towns. Each episode digs into what actually makes an independent grocery store thrive: the operational instincts, the community investment, the tough calls, and the stubborn optimism it takes to compete and win at the local level.
Across nine episodes, John sits down with retailers to talk about:
What's working — the merchandising, service, and operational choices driving results in their storesCommunity impact — how they show up for the neighborhoods they serve, from local partnerships to everyday customer relationshipsThe real challenges — labor, supply chain, margins, and the pressures independent grocers face todayWhat's next — how they're evolving to meet changing shopper expectations while staying true to what makes them independentSeason 2 is a celebration of the entrepreneurs at the heart of IGA's first century — and a candid look at what it really takes to run a great grocery store.
IGA CEO John Ross catches up with Jennifer and Tim Bosma, IGA USA 2026 Retailers of the Year from Fort Bragg and Mendocino, California, to talk about sustainability investments, employee empowerment, and creative community giving programs that have shaped their family store over the past 40 years.