There are grocery lists, and then there are grocery leadership lists. Progressive Grocer magazine — a national publication — has chosen Rosemary Babyak of the Blue Bell Giant among its 2022 Top Women in Grocery.

The publication began the recognition program 16 years ago to recognize the integral role women play across all segments of the North American food retail and grocery industries. It is now the longest-running program to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of women at all levels of the industry.

Females employed in all sectors of the grocery business (retailer, wholesaler, supplier, and solution provider) were nominated for above-and-beyond achievements in categories that included senior-level executives and store managers.

Babyak’s honor came from her exemplary work as a store manager.

According to her nomination, Babyak’s notable leadership skills were evident in the following instances:

• Coordinating levels of Giant management in a food-pantry restock project
• Responding compassionately in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida (Babyak comforted shoppers stranded at her store and later donated countless bins of food)
• Surpassing expected financial performance and retention rate benchmarks

Babyak was one of only 73 honorees across the nation, a distinction she shared with only three other store managers in the state.

The full list of Progressive Grocer’s 2022 Top Women in Grocery is here.