Carlin family, employees
receive major IGA honor
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
A local IGA retailer, their family and staff have been recognized for their many years of dedication to customer service and brand development.
IGA officials announced March 1 that Hillside IGA owners Scott and Rena Carlin and their employees have been named the recipients of the IGA Brand Development Award, a global discretionary award granted when an IGA member — be it retailer, wholesaler or manufacturing partner — has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to IGA’s brand development. This is only the third time the award has been granted since its inception.
The family-owned and -operated business has served the grocery needs of the area for well over six decades. Scott Carlin began at the bottom, working his way to owner over the years, learning the company first-hand from his grandfather and uncles.
Photo courtesy of IGA Inc.
CARLINS HONORED — Scott and Rena Carlin, owners of IGA stores in Presque Isle, Mars Hill and Fort Fairfield, and their employees were named the recipients of the IGA Brand Development Award. With the Carlins accepting the award during a recent ceremony in Las Vegas, are: Dr. Tom Haggai, IGA Global, left; and Mark Batenic, chairman, president and CEO of IGA, right.
The Carlin family has been a staple in retailing in northern Maine since Scott’s grandfather, Win, opened the first IGA in the area more than 60 years ago along with Scott’s great uncles Clair and Ted Rideout. Carlin then worked in the stores for 20 years with Vince Bernier, his mentor, before buying them. Today the Carlins, who are strong supporters of the communities they serve, own three IGA stores in northern Maine: Hillside IGA in Fort Fairfield; Mars Hill IGA in Mars Hill; and Star City IGA in Presque Isle.
“All three of Scott and Rena Carlin’s IGA stores are the true embodiment of IGA community centers, but in this case they serve not just the people of those communities, but the Canadian citizens who cross the border to shop in these very successful IGA stores as well,” IGA CEO Mark Batenic said. “This dedicated husband-and-wife team have persevered through every retailing challenge, using IGA’s resources and community-focused image to build a strong and profitable business. IGA congratulates the Carlin family and their devoted team members for bringing the IGA brand to life with exceptional store quality, community activism and personalized attention to ‘Hometown Proud’ customer service.”
Carlin credits his staff for the stores’ success, noting that many of his employees have been with the business for many years.
“In this industry you see employees leaving independent retailers to work for chains because they get better benefits. At our stores, our managers have all been with us for at least 20 years. They started bagging groceries and now they’re running the stores. I think that longevity has a lot to do with our success,” said Scott Carlin, who in late 2011 was also named a 2012 IGA International Retailer of the Year finalist. “There’s nothing more rewarding in this job than seeing your employees succeed, and once that happens, it seems like everything else just falls into place.”
The Carlins were presented the award during a ceremony held a few weeks ago in Las Vegas.
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), founded in 1926 and headquartered in Chicago, is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $31 billion per year. The Alliance includes nearly 5,000 Hometown Proud IGA independent supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution centers and more than 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA has operations in 46 states and more than 30 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.
