Garrett Gardner and Kylee Schultz

Two Niagara University students were awarded scholarships by the National Grocers Association Foundation to support their supermarket industry career aspirations.

Garrett Gardner, an MBA student from Tonawanda, N.Y., who obtained his bachelor’s degree in marketing with a concentration in food and consumer packaged goods from NU in May 2019, received an Asparagus Club scholarship. He works at Providence, R.I.-based UNFI.

Kylee Schultz, a senior food and CPG marketing major from Akron, N.Y., received the FMS Solutions Legacy Scholarship. She works at Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets as a service team leader. 

“The NGA Foundation is committed to preparing students for the future,” noted Matt Ott, executive director of the Arlington, Va.-based organization. “This class of scholarship recipients represent the best of the supermarket industry, and I look forward to seeing their achievements as they complete their education and ultimately transition into the workforce.”

Niagara University’s food and consumer packaged goods marketing program connects students with faculty who have real-world industry experience and gives them opportunities to participate in industry case competitions, attend trade shows, obtain industry accreditations, and network at NU's Food Marketing Center of Excellence events, preparing them for the wide spectrum of careers that are offered in the food and CPG marketing industries.

Since 1990, the NGA Foundation and its affiliates have provided more than $1 million in scholarships to students preparing for careers in the supermarket industry. For the 2019-20 academic year, $71,000 in scholarship funding was awarded to 16 students from across the United States.

The NGA Foundation is the 501(c)3 nonprofit arm of NGA which provides independent retailers with the tools to develop more effective recruiting programs, enhance retention efforts, and bolster professional and leadership development opportunities for employees.