Marshall County Post

2A —Marshall County Post, Thursday, April 11, 2024 Brooks and Lisa Davis By Dennis Sied Daily Journal S ince opening the fi rst Brooks Grocery in Iuka, Mississippi in 2010, Brooks and Lisa Davis have had one unwaver- ing mission: providing a customer-friendly, fam- ily oriented store o ff ering quality food and grocer- ies at fair prices, from the “Made Right Here” foods to the plethora of locally- made products. The Davises have two other locations – one in Chapel Hill, Tennes- see, opened in 2020 and in Tupelo, Mississippi, opened in 2021 – and if anything, the Davises are even more committed to what they do and how they do it. Their notable service to their customers, em- ployees and communi- ties has been recognized by The Shelby Report, a grocery and food indus- try publication, which awarded Brooks Grocery an Exceptional Indepen- dents Award. “They picked a group of retailers across the country and honored us with the award, and it’s very humbling. I never expected to win this award,” said Brooks Da- vis. Shelby Publishing’s second annual Excep- tional Independents Awards went to 141 re- cipients across the coun- try. It is a select group, as there are more than 21,000 independent gro- cery stores nationwide. Lisa Davis said they were noti fi ed earlier this year that Brooks had been nominated for the award. “We didn’t know any- thing about it,” she said, adding they were sur- prised to hear the store not only had been nomi- nated, but had also won. As it is, they were on hand to receive their award at the National Grocers Association meeting during a recep- tion at the Caesars Fo- rum Convention Center in Las Vegas earlier this month. “We accepted the award, but really, stand- ing up there with us were all the associates,” Brooks Davis said. “We have the best customers and the best employees, and when you have that, you should expect to win it.” The recipients of the Exceptional Inde- pendents Awards were largely retailers, though they varied in size from single-store operators to regional chains. Shelby Vice Presi- dent and Publisher Mag- gie Kaeppel said inde- pendent grocers are the backbone of the indus- try and are essential to their communities. The awards program was Shelby’s way of shining a light on these businesses that “continue to help feed our communities,” she said. The Shelby Report Exceptional Indepen- dents Awards program was set up to help rec- ognize independents for their contributions to communities and lead- ing the way in care for customers. Quali fi cations for the award include an independent or regional grocer’s investment in their stores or compa- nies, commitment to sup- porting neighborhood charities and community involvement and invest- ment in their employees’ training and advance- ment. “It’s not about us but about our people and the people we can help,” Brooks Davis said. “Ob- viously we can’t help ev- ery organization because there are a lot of them, but we help as many as we possibly can. It’s part of giving it back and pay- ing it forward, which is very important to us.” The Davises said all three stores are blessed by the communities they serve. All told, the stores employ 175 people, and the Davises give them the credit for helping them earn such a stellar repu- tation. “As humbling as it was to win the award, I know why, and it’s the employees and the cus- tomers,” Brooks Davis said. “We couldn’t do any of this without them.” Brooks Grocery among elite group of grocery store winners Casey Derryberry, who works at the Lewisburg Post Office, is this week’s friendly face of the week. –Photo by Patty Blackburn Friendly Face of the Week A pool Tournament was held at Marshall County Senior Citizens on March 22, 2024. Seniors from surrounding counties were invited. Winners were Kent Woods, first prize; Kevin Edmonds, second prize; Miller Williams third prize; and Freddie George, fourth prize. If you are 55 years old or older and interested in participating in future pool tournaments, please call the Senior Center at 359-1808 for more information. Pool Tournament Winners