Unified Grocers’ Summer Youth Employment Program Teaches Nine Local High School Students about Supermarket Industry
Press release:
Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, is providing nine Seattle-area high school students an opportunity to learn how the supermarket industry works while participating in the Company’s sixteenth annual Summer Youth Employment Program.

Unified’s Summer Youth Employment Program is designed to give the students an understanding of the grocery industry, teach them how corporations function, and develop job skills while working in various departments throughout the Company. During the seven-week program (June 27 through Aug. 12), the students’ activities include hands-on instructional presentations, visits to retail grocery stores, and tours of food manufacturing facilities operating in the region.

These students, seven from Chief Sealth International High School (Ryan Korling, Kathryn Purcell, Brandon Rosario, Kari Sandell, Logan Smith, Stephanie Salas and Dillon Zang), one from Aviation High School (Kizzie Foster) and one from Franklin High School (Anitda Praseutsinh) were selected for the program after completing an extensive application and interview process. A total of fifty-seven students are participating in Unified’s Summer Youth Program held at the Company’s facilities in its four regions of operation (thirty-two from the Los Angeles metropolitan area, seven from Northern California (Livermore and Stockton area), nine from Portland, Oregon and nine from Seattle, Washington).

Al Plamann, Chief Executive Officer, Unified Grocers, said, “Our Summer Youth Employment Program has continued to flourish over the years because of the valuable learning experience it provides to everyone involved. In addition to the students learning, our Company’s employees and management greatly benefit from the interaction and fresh ideas that these bright and talented students bring to our organization.”
Unified’s Summer Youth Employment Program students also have an opportunity to win scholarships to help further their education. The scholarship winners are announced at graduation ceremonies held in each region at the conclusion of the program.