Stephen Melton likes change! In his role leading the teams that lead our manufacturing centers and cross dock he is fond of asking . . . “why.” The answers, he believes, are “telltale “of an organization’s ability to change and adapt.
He’s usually up very early each day preparing for success and asking “why,” with a good dose of quiet meditation. He is an active member of Bon Air Baptist Church participating in the music ministry in both the choir and small group ensemble. He started his career in food at the young age of 16 as a Courtesy Clerk at the Sycamore Square Ukrop’s Super Market. Food was in his blood as his immigrant Armenian Great Grandparents ran a small store in the Fan district of Richmond, Virginia. Stephen’s place at Ukrop’s was almost a given as his three brothers and one sister had all followed their dad who had worked for Ukrop’s from 1967, retiring in 1998 having been a part of tremendous growth over those years. His career path includes roles in contract manufacturing, distributer management, category and manufacturing management, and, most recently, in operations leadership with global food giant Smithfield. He has an undergraduate degree in Marketing from Virginia Commonwealth University as well as a Master’s Degree in Business Administration; holds certifications in SQF and Lean Manufacturing among others.
He spends his time relaxing by chasing his grandson, working on old cars, all things home improvement, and physical challenges like skiing and running. He and his wife Lisa live in Midlothian, having raised two awesome sons Logan and Conner.
Favorite Quote: “You can’t make people listen to you. You can’t make them execute. That might be a temporary solution for a simple task. But to implement real change, to drive people to accomplish something truly complex or difficult or dangerous—you can’t make people do those things. You have to lead them.” ― Jocko Willink, Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
Favorite Hobby/Pastime: Family, cars, working with his hands.
Why Ukrop’s? No fear.
