Ric Jurgens, retired chairman and CEO of Hy-Vee Inc., has been named the Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Sidney R. Rabb Award. The award is the highest honor given by FMI, given for excellence in serving the consumer, community and industry.

Jurgens accepted the award at the FMI Midwinter Executive Conference on Monday.

Jurgens, who spent 43 years at Hy-Vee, was only the third person to hold the title of CEO at the company.

“No one has been more of an industry leader in the area of health and wellness than Ric Jurgens, said FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin. “He does this by what he has instituted at Hy-Vee – with such innovations as having a dietitian in every store – but also in the very way he lives. You cannot know Ric long before you realize how committed he is to health and how much he wants those around him to focus on it.”

For more information on the award and a video of Jurgens, click here.