Food distribution
10 UNFI merchandising leaders
These ten current and former UNFI merchandising leaders have held chief merchandising officer, vice president, senior director and director roles in merchandising and category management at the distributor. A reader can learn how merchandising leaders work at UNFI from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
01—10Brian Audette
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President Merchandising and Category Management · UNFI
Former Senior Vice President Merchandising and Category Management at UNFI (2020–2022), former Chief Retail Merchandising Officer (2022–2024) and former Chief Conventional Merchandising Officer (2025). They also served as Interim CEO UNFI Retail in 2023. Their profile describes a 35-year career across UNFI, SUPERVALU and Cub in wholesale and retail.
Dan Magnuson
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Grocery, Frozen Food, Dairy Merchandising · UNFI
Vice President Grocery, Frozen Food, Dairy Merchandising at UNFI since November 2017, based in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Their SUPERVALU roles include Sr. Director- Grocery, Frozen Food, Dairy Merchandising West Region (from 2014) and Director of Independent Merchandising (2011–2012).
Dion Evans
LinkedInExperience: Chief Merchandising Officer - Retail · UNFI
Chief Merchandising Officer - Retail at UNFI since November 2025, based in Minneapolis. They were SVP, General Manager - General Merchandise at BJ's Wholesale Club (2022–2025), and at Target they were Vice President of Planning - Hardlines (2017–2022) and Director of Merchandising - Candy (2011–2016).
Eric Hendry
LinkedInExperience: Senior Director- National Merchandising · UNFI
Senior Director- National Merchandising at UNFI since March 2025, a Director-level role based in San Pedro, California. Their profile also lists Senior Director of Grocery- West Region at UNFI from 2016. Before UNFI they were Director of Food Service at Haggen, Inc. (2015) and Regional Supervisor at Gelsons Markets (2010–2015).
John McMahon
LinkedInExperience: Director - Category Management · UNFI
Director - Category Management at UNFI since August 2021, where their profile says they have focused on national merchandising strategies across multiple regions and on UNFI Fresh's growth. Earlier at UNFI they were Senior Manager - Category Merchandising (2019–2021) and Manager - Category Merchandising (2018–2019).
Mariaritta "Ria" Gray, MBA
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Retail Merchandising · UNFI
Former Vice President Retail Merchandising at UNFI (2022–2025), and Vice President of Retail Engagement, Center Store there since 2025, a role their profile says covers business strategy for sales, margin and vendor alignment in Center Store. Earlier at UNFI they were Vice President of Sales (2021–2022) and Senior Director, Sales (2020–2021).
Randy King
LinkedInExperience: Vice President National Category Merchandising-Food · UNFI
Vice President National Category Merchandising-Food at UNFI since March 2025, after serving as Vice President Merchandising-East Region at UNFI (2019–2025). At SUPERVALU they were President Retail-Sales, Merchandising & Marketing (2018–2019) and President Retail West-Sales, Merchandising, & Marketing (2017–2018).
Richard Toledo
LinkedInExperience: Chief Conventional Merchandising Officer · UNFI
Chief Conventional Merchandising Officer at UNFI since February 2026, a role in which their profile says they lead overarching category strategy. They were Vice President Business Partnerships & Negotiations, Commercial Analytics and Supplier Performance at Target (2021–2026) and Sr Director II, Omnichannel Merchandising Home, Apparel, Hardlines Tech, Entertainment, Office at Sam's Club (2019–2021).
Sue Zastrow
LinkedInExperience: Director Deli Wholesale Merchandising · UNFI
Director Deli Wholesale Merchandising at UNFI since April 2019. Their profile describes thirty five years of experience in grocery retail, including the development of category strategies and vendor negotiations. Their listed roles also include Director Bakery Deli Central Region at SUPERVALU (from 2017) and Category Manager - Deli at Cub (1996–2009).
Todd Schilling
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of Merchandising- Central Region · UNFI
Vice President of Merchandising- Central Region at UNFI since January 2025. Earlier at UNFI they were Vice President of Merchandising, Brands+ (2024–2025), Senior Director of Brands + Merchandising (2020–2024) and Director of Margin Management (2018–2020). They were Director of Vendor Collaboration at Best Buy (2005–2012).
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's category and region to your question, since leaders of grocery, frozen, deli and national programs know different parts of the business. Check whether their role covered wholesale or retail merchandising and whether it is current or past, because those views answer different questions.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01How is merchandising organized at a large grocery wholesaler across national and regional teams?
- 02How do category management leaders at a distributor work with the independent and chain retailers they supply?
- 03What does a category merchandising leader at a food distributor spend most of their time on?
Reaching UNFI merchandising leaders
How can I contact one of these UNFI merchandising leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 1 company: UNFI, based on profile data retrieved on October 10, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach UNFI merchandising leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. It includes Instant Expert's 20% fee, so an offer that pays the person $100 costs you $125. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
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Can an AI agent ask one of these UNFI merchandising leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot and may describe past or present roles. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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