New London native joins the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame

DES MOINES — New London native Jason Wagner has been named to the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame. Wagner, vice president of operations at D & Foods, a Hy-Vee subsidiary, was named Hy-Vee’s Subsidiary Officer of the Year at the company’s annual stockholders meeting in December.

Mitch Streit, vice president of Hy-Vee and president of D & Foods, cited Wagner’s industry expertise and focus on quality as key reasons for him being named to the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame.

“Jason has complete mastery and understanding of all areas involved in the production of safe, quality food,” said Streit. “He has an in-depth understanding of FDA, USDA, SQF and OSHA regulations and sets the tone to always be beyond compliance. He is a strong student of lean manufacturing and is always focused on creating a more efficient method of production that still delivers the highest quality. He is constantly focused on taking cost out of the system to deliver better value to stores.”

The New London Community might recall Wagner’s career began in Walgren’s Market where his smiling face greeted customers in the meat department.

His start in New London served him well as he began his Hy-Vee career in 2013 as a meat manager at the West Lincoln Way Hy-Vee in Ames. Later that year, he transferred to the North Hy-Vee in Rochester, Minnesota, as meat manager. In 2015, he took on the same role to help open the Circle Drive Rochester Hy-Vee.

In 2016, Wagner transferred to Hy-Vee’s subsidiary, D & Foods, as the director of meat operations. In 2018, he was promoted to assistant vice president of operations. Wagner was promoted to his current position as vice president of operations in 2019.

Wagner was first inducted into the Hy-Vee Hall of Fame in 2019 when he won the Spirit of Hy-Vee Award. He also was the recipient of Hy-Vee’s 2022 Subsidiary Outstanding Achievement Award.

Wagner graduated of New London High School in 2022 and furthered his education at Southeastern Community College in West Burlington, where he received his associate degree in organizational leadership. Wagner is married to the former Megan Rappenecker and they have one daughter, Neva.

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Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 550 business units across eight Midwestern states with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 5 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 3 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 75,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.