Lee’s Marketplace maintains connection with USU students
Lee’s Grocery Store has been a mainstay in Logan for the past six years. With a strong history with the university and a tie with the community, Lee Badger and his grocery stores are growing to fit the needs of the valley.
Lee Badger, an alumnus from Utah State University with a degree in business and owner of the Lee’s grocery stores said, “I love this valley and the school in it. I knew I wanted to settle and raise my family here. I feel I have a lot I can offer to the community and this is one way I can do it.”
Twenty-five years ago, after a move from Nevada, Badger purchased a small store in Smithfield called Jack and Lee’s. Lee’s Grocery store began and the rest is history.
“We started out with that store in Smithfield and then built a new one in 1996. In 1999, after numerous surveys and studies, we built a store in Logan. We really wanted to get into that market,” Lee said.
Lee’s operates as an affiliate with the Associated Foods Stores. Along with other grocery stores throughout the West, including Macey’s, Harmons and Quality Thriftway, they receive their foodstuffs from a distribution warehouse.
Lee Badger sits on the board of directors for the co-op.
“We (the Associated Foods board) need to stick together. With increasing competition coming from the building of stores such as Wal-Mart, we need to help keep competition in the valley and throughout the West,” he said.
In addition, Lee’s is also a member with the National Grocers Association.
In connection with their affiliation to Associated Foods, they receive support for most of their services. Employee training and store development is just a part of what they get.
Amber Norton, a USU student going into business information systems, said, “I’ve been working at Lee’s for a little more than six and a half years and I love it. I started out as a bagger in Smithfield and then moved down to the new store in Logan. I didn’t expect to be working for long here, but I’ve always been treated well and given numerous opportunities for advancement.”
There are numerous other examples of this throughout the store. Badger has a great opportunity to provide excellent service to his customers.
“Because we’re in a university town, I always get highly qualified people to work for me. Store managers from throughout Utah will call me and tell me how great their employees are and if I might have a position for them,” he said.
Lee’s grocery is very connected to the community. They recently hosted a local Boy Scout troop, Troop 1, and allowed them to sell popcorn and drinks outside the store to raise money for a scouting trip.
Badger is also well connected with the community. Some of the groups he belongs to include the Lions Club, the National Grocers Association, the Boy Scouts and the Utah State University Alumni Association.
He has been asked numerous times to speak to business classes at the university about his experiences and understanding of business concepts. He also helps out with the USU chapter of the Collegiate Republicans and prints the sports schedules on all of his grocery sacks so the local community can get involved.
Recently, he was asked to speak at the Logan LDS Institute about his life experiences. He told of being very sick while going to school at USU and his struggles with it.
Regardless of so many successes in his business, Lee expressed some concern.
“Our biggest problem right now is fighting the perceptions of the public. With a new Wal-Mart coming in, many people get this idea that the local grocery store is going to be very expensive. That just isn’t the case. Our prices are more reasonable and competitive than what most consumers will find going to the large box stores,” he said.
That perception hasn’t hampered his efforts though. Currently, Lee’s is expanding its Smithfield store to roughly 47,000 square feet. They are renovating just about everything in the store to make it more pleasing to the public.
These changes include a more extensive pharmacy, a better produce setup and selection and a more convenient floor plan.
Badger had just one piece of advice for Utah State students.
He said, “Just do what you love. It’s really not about the money. That can only last for a little while. The real joy comes from doing what one really enjoys. Don’t give up on school. Going and finishing gives you an opportunity to do whatever you want.”
-nebutler@cc.usu.edu