KINGSTON, R.I. – Oct. 18, 2019 – Monica Garnes ’94, president of Fry’s Food Stores in Arizona, is returning to the University of Rhode Island along with scores of fellow College of Business alumni to share their stories of growth and success with current business students.
The College of Business’ 14th Annual Career Day on Friday, Oct. 25, will be a homecoming for more than 60 alumni who will mingle and network with the more than 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students working toward business degrees. The daylong event features a keynote address, career and industry panels and a career fair.
Garnes will deliver the keynote speech on her career journey—from growing up in Ohio to climbing the ladder at The Kroger Co., one of the largest supermarket chains in the U.S.—at 8:30 a.m. in Edwards Hall, 64 Upper College Road, Kingston Campus. Garnes is president of Fry’s Food Stores, a division of Ohio-based Kroger, with 121 stores, 93 fuel centers and more than 20,000 employees in Arizona.
Garnes, who lives in Phoenix, said her talk will include three main themes that she hopes will provide students insight and inspiration:
- Be confident and open to new challenges—you never know what the future will hold and what doors will open.
- Leadership has many qualities, including being authentic, willing to be yourself and accepting failure as part of the experience.
- And adversity can bring opportunity, just trust the process.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from URI, Garnes joined Kroger in 1995 as part of the management training program. She rose through the company, serving in varied positions along the way—human resources coordinator, produce buyer, store manager, public affairs and media relations manager, district manager and produce merchandiser. She joined Fry’s in 2013 as vice president of merchandising before being promoted to Kroger’s vice president of produce and floral merchandising and procurement in 2015. She was named president of Fry’s in 2018.
Her work has garnered numerous awards and recognition, including the Fortune and Food & Wine’s 2016 Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink, AZ Business’ Most Influential Woman in Arizona, and Phoenix Business Journal’s 2019 Outstanding Women in Business. Garnes, a two-time captain of the women’s basketball team while at URI, is a sports fans and serves on such boards as the Phoenix Suns Charities, the URI College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board, the advisory council for St. Mary’s Food Bank, and Rio Salado College president’s advisory council.
After Garnes’ speech, about 60 business alumni will take part in panels at 11 a.m. in Ballentine Hall that will provide current students with direction for careers in various fields and the latest news on a wide range of industries. At 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union, panels will focus on navigating career fairs and building a resume. The Career Fair will be held from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Ballroom with about 50 companies participating, including Amica Mutual Insurance, Becton Dickinson, Centreville Bank, Dell Technologies, CVS and Pepsi Co.
The URI College of Business has served as a leader in business education, research and outreach in Rhode Island since it was founded in 1923. It was the first accredited business school in Rhode Island, and is the only program in the state with accredited programs at the undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. levels.
Business undergraduates can explore majors in accounting, entrepreneurial management, finance, general business, global business, marketing, supply chain management, textile marketing and textiles, fashion merchandising and design. Graduate students can seek an MBA in strategic innovation, general business, or a master of science in accounting, finance, textiles, fashion merchandising and design, labor relations and human resources, or a Ph.D. in business administration.