Food City recently announced that after ten years of dedicated service, Ross Purdy, vice president of center store operations is retiring from full-time service and assuming a role working on strategic initiatives for the company. 

“We would like to thank Ross for his commitment to our company, our associates, and our vendor community. He has been an asset to our company and the communities we serve. We wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.

Kevin Stafford who currently serves as vice president of marketing for Food City has been promoted to fill Purdy’s role as vice president of center store operations. Stafford brings 30 years of knowledge and experience to this key position, having served in numerous roles across the company, including front-end supervisor, helpdesk manager, director of front-end operations & e-commerce, and vice president of marketing. 

“Having begun his career with our company at an early age, Kevin has amassed a tremendous amount of knowledge of total store operations, as well as an exceptional rapport with other department leaders. He has been extremely instrumental in developing and managing numerous programs and initiatives vital to our success. I’m confident his experience and insight will enable us to continue to advance our center store operations for many years to come,” says Smith.

Stafford will be responsible for the oversight of all center store operations, including private label brand sales, as well as the supervision of the category management staff, space management, procurement, grocery supervisors, and coordination of the company’s consumer product goods partners. He is a graduate of Sullivan East High School and holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Milligan College. Stafford is active within the community, serving as a Sunday school teacher and working with the youth at his local church. He also serves as Board Chairman for Speedway Children’s Charities and volunteers with several other organizations, including United Way, The Salvation Army, and Bristol Chamber of Commerce. Stafford currently resides in Bristol, TN with his lovely wife, Kristie and their two children, Karson, and Kameron.

Misty Deskins, Food City director of loyalty marketing, e-commerce, and outside sales has been promoted to the role of Senior Director of Marketing. In her new role, Deskins will oversee all aspects of marketing, including traditional and creative advertising, sports marketing, loyalty marketing, and special events, as well as e-commerce and gift card/gift certificate outside sales. 

With more than 22 years of retail knowledge and experience, Deskins has served in a number of key roles for the company, including recall coordinator, assistant store operations office manager, senior manager of loyalty marketing, and director of loyalty marketing, e-commerce, and Food City gift card/gift certificate outside sales. 

“Misty’s extensive experience, including our management training program and heading up our loyalty marketing, e-commerce, and outside sales departments, in addition to the other roles she has held within the company have well prepared her to lead this dynamic team as we continue to engage our consumers, our teammates, and the communities we serve,” says Smith.

Deskins is a graduate of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology. She holds certifications from Cornell University in Retail & Brands, Executive Leadership, and Omnichannel Leadership, as well as a Certified Collaborative Marketer designation through the Promotion Optimization Institute for coursework completed at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Deskins also serves on the board of directors for Feeding Southwest Virginia.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores (Food City’s parent company) operates 164 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia, and Alabama.