Food City recently announced that Eddie Neely, senior vice president and chief financial officer for the company is retiring. 

“We would like to thank Eddie for his dedication and commitment, and the impact he has made on our company’s continued success during his tenure. We wish him all the best in this exciting new chapter of life,” says Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.

Paul Cox, who currently serves as vice president of finance has been promoted to fill Neely’s role as senior vice president and chief financial officer and will be joining the company’s board of directors. Cox brings more than 40 years of knowledge and experience to this key leadership position, having served in numerous financial roles with the company, including Senior Accountant, Internal Audit Manager, Assistant Controller, and Assistant Vice President of Finance. 

“We are very excited to see Paul advance to senior vice president and chief financial officer of our company. His rich history with Food City uniquely qualifies him to build upon Eddie’s success and help our company continue to grow and prosper well into the future,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and chief executive officer.

Cox will be responsible for the oversight and supervision of all finance-accounting and information technology services operations and personnel. He is a member of Food City’s senior staff executive leadership team and is an integral part of multiple committees within the organization and the grocery industry. Cox is also active within his local community, having served multiple terms on the Board of Directors for United Way of Southwest Virginia and Children’s Community Park Association. He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and is a Certified Public Accountant registered in the state of Tennessee. Cox and his lovely wife, Kimberly currently reside in Meadowview, Virginia. They are the proud parents of two sons, Ryan and Cole, who are both employed by Food City.

Sara Baldwin, director of finance and planning for the company has been promoted to the role of vice president of finance. She will oversee finance, treasury, and payroll operations. With 15 years of dedicated service to the company, Baldwin has a comprehensive understanding of the grocery industry as it relates to finance and administration, having previously served as financial analyst and financial planning & analysis supervisor. 

“We’re excited to have Sara assume the role of vice president of finance for our company. She is a long-term Food City teammate, having worked in our stores while in college and joined our management team at an early age. Sara has been instrumental in guiding our executive leadership team in financial analysis and decision making and will continue to be a great leader for our company,” said Smith.

Baldwin is a member of the company’s Senior Staff executive leadership team and is active within the community, serving on the Bristol Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Virginia Highlands Educational Foundation Board of Directors. She graduated East Tennessee State University, with a BBA in Economics in 2011 and received her MBA in 2014. She also received her Graduate Accounting Certificate and completed the National Grocers Association Cornell Executive Leadership Development Program in 2021. Baldwin is a Certified Public Accountant registered in the state of Tennessee and is also a Certified Management Accountant. She is certified by Food Marketing Institute as a Food Retail Leader and was named a 2020 Top Women in Grocery Rising Star by Progressive Grocer and is a member of the Tri-City Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty class of 2020. Baldwin currently resides in Bristol, VA with her husband, Jerred. They are the proud parents of two children, Bryce and Vivian. 

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.