Hall of Fame 2022

HALL OF fame
With hard work and a humble
sense of pride, Steve Grolmus
built North Scott Foods from
the ground up 20 years ago. But beyond
the four walls of the store, his constant
example of servant leadership, family
values and vision for local economic
development has created positive
momentum for his entire community.
“I’m proud of what we’ve built,” Grolmus
says. “We are always looking for ways
to continuously improve how we serve
our customers and community.”
Located in Eldridge, the family-owned
and operated independent grocer
is located in the North Scott district
which is home to about 6,700 people.
It employs around 80 full and parttime
team members ranging from
high school students to long-tenured
supervisors, making it one of the
larger employers in the community.
“I think I’m tough but fair,” he says. “I
push employees to grow and always
try to give them the flexibility
they need to be successful.”
Thanks to this leadership approach,
employees work hard across the
operation and are inspired to
demonstrate friendly customer
service. They go above and beyond for
customers, offering to carry groceries
to the car and deliver groceries
directly to customers’ homes each
week. The team also coordinates
a regular grocery delivery to an
assisted living facility in the area.
“Our employees are great. They all step
up and have allowed us to gain a lot of
local support, especially during tough
times like the pandemic,” he says.
Another point of pride for Grolmus
is that you wouldn’t know the fullservice
grocery store’s building
is 20 years old. He is continually
finding ways to improve the facility
through ongoing maintenance
projects, regular floor waxing and
investing in modern amenities such
as automatic checkout options.
CONTINUING A FAMILY
GROCERY LEGACY
Grolmus’ experience in the grocery
business began when his parents moved
their family of seven to Williamsburg to
open an independent grocery store in
1973. His dad Jack managed the store’s
operations and cut meat in the early
days, and his mom JoAnn managed the
store’s bakery. Grolmus began working
at the store when he turned 14 years old
and continued until he left for college.
While studying business administration
and accounting at AIB College of
Business in Des Moines, he took a parttime
job at a small grocer in Des Moines
and would occasionally come home
to work weekends with his parents.
“When I graduated from AIB in 1984,
I had my mind set on continuing
my education in finance at Drake
University,” he shares. “But at about
the same time, my dad called with an
opportunity to manage our family’s
store in Parkview. I told him I’d try it
for a while, but I never looked back.”
He quickly learned the ropes of
managing the Parkview grocery store
while working alongside his father.
Throughout his journey in the grocery
industry, Grolmus has been incredibly
passionate about honoring his parents’
legacy of hard work and family values,
both in the small, day-to-day moments
and the overall attitude he brings.
“The grocery business is my mom and
dad’s legacy. Without them I wouldn’t
be here today,” Grolmus says.
Jack passed away in 1993. He is honored
each year through the Jack Grolmus
Memorial Scholarship administered by
the Iowa Grocers Education Foundation,
which awards scholarships to students
who are grocery industry employees
or whose parents are employed in the
grocery industry through the IGIA.
PRIORITIZING FAMILY THROUGH
DECADES OF HARD WORK
Over the years, the entire Grolmus
family has been involved in growing
the business. He and his wife Julie
worked side-by-side both at the
Parkview store and North Scott Foods,
with Julie often working nights and
him working days. All three of their
children worked at the store while
in high school and today their oldest
son Andy is the store director, their
middle daughter Ali is a nurse and their
youngest son Steve works in accounting.
“It is and always has been a family
affair,” Grolmus explains. “I have fond
memories of our youngest son and
daughter sleeping in the office while
we were working hard to get the store
off the ground. Our success wouldn’t
be possible without my wife and kids.”
Grolmus is beloved by his wife and
children – they are his biggest fans.
Over the years he has always prioritized
his family, offering endless support,
cheering them on and showing up
fully no matter the circumstance. He
was a dedicated youth sports coach
for almost 20 years, never missing a
practice or game for his kids’ variety of
activities. Today, he enjoys spending
his free time with his family and
friends, traveling and fishing, as well
as cheering on the Chicago Cubs and
attending Iowa Hawkeye football games.
LOCAL VALUES FROM
THE GROUND UP
Before North Scott Foods was
built in 2002, the community didn’t
have a grocery store and the town
was having a tough time gaining
momentum for future growth.
HALL OF FAME ISSUE 2022 19