Page 23 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People

Preface

Impact. United is a well-known and well-respected
member of the communities it calls home, and its

stores serve more than one million guests each week.
For some guests, the journey is familiar—one their
parents, their grandparents, and their great-grandpar-

ents made. For others, it is a new and refreshing
approach to shopping for food and related products.
Regardless, the result is the same—raving fans and
loyal shoppers.
What makes the experience so unforgettable? While

most companies these days rely on cutting costs to sur-
vive, we are sustained by a culture-driven, people-cen-
xxi
tered approach to business. As Matt Bumstead, =

co-president and great-grandson of the company’s
founder, puts it, “Our family takes how people are
treated personally.” From the newest recruit to the
team’s veteran players, our people connect what they
do to who they are in a manner that has earned them

national recognition. Our team members recognize per-
sonal relationships are their business—the fact that they
sell bananas, bread, and milk is seen as incidental.

Additionally, United has established itself as a phil-
anthropic entity that models the best of solid corpo-
rate citizenry in the communities where it has planted
stores. In fact, United’s team members once donated