Meet CFIC’s 2026-2027 President Sam Walton

A lifetime of hard work and entrepreneurial thinking has defined Sam Walton’s path to becoming president of the Carolinas Food Industry Council. Though he entered the grocery industry at age 15 as a bagger for Winn-Dixie, his drive to be productive started even earlier on.

“Growing up fairly poor in the inner city of Philadelphia, I learned the value at a young age of hard work,” said Walton. “Although I had a loving family, money was in very short supply and if I wanted anything beyond the basics, I would have to work for it myself. Many times, when the snow fell and schools were closed, rather than going outside to play with my friends, my first inclination was to get the snow shovel and start knocking on doors to make some money.”

This motivation has propelled him on a career journey that has included positions within individual stores all the way from bagger to store director. At the corporate level, Walton has worked as a merchandiser, manager or director of multiple categories, and vice president, landing in his current role as vice president of business support for Alex Lee Retail.

With more than 35 years in the industry, Walton has a wealth of earned wisdom that he attributes to his education at what he calls “the School of Hard Knocks.”

“The grocery industry is unique in the fact that without a formal education, you can rise to the executive level ranks,” said Walton when reflecting on his career. “It comes down to hard work, leadership, people management, and the ability to process information and make good business decisions.”

This discernment about good business decisions not only makes the new CFIC president a successful leader, but also someone who is able to see a path forward in challenging times. Walton noted that he’s excited about the current state of the grocery industry, even given the commonly cited list of challenges including inflation, politicization, and the ever-present tension of competition.

“CFIC can help be the leader in advising retailers that otherwise operate against each other but need to come together for the common good of the industry,” said Walton. “A grocer cannot sit back when something doesn’t go their way [and] have buyer’s remorse.  To make sure that the legislators understand what we need to operate, we need all retailers being an active member in CFIC.”

Outside of being a leader in the industry, Walton and his wife Trisha are parents of three adult children and two granddaughters, and when not pursuing a passion in travelling (Florida, the Greek Isles, and Israel have been a few favorites), you can find him working the grill and searing a steak “to medium-rare perfection” or cooking up some local fish.

As for his vision as leader of the council for 2026-2027, Walton says that he wants to leave the CFIC even better than he found it at the beginning of his term.

“I would like for our council to realize and use the power that it has for the good of the industry, employees, and the consumer … we can be very powerful as a group if we are all aligned and moving in the same direct, focused direction on an issue.”