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PHOTO GALLERY: Pattison Food Group celebrates Darrell Jones’ nearly 50-year career

At an event in Vancouver this week, the outgoing president was honoured for his ‘bold’, ‘visionary’ leadership
darrell jones retirement 2025
Darrell Jones and the Pattison Food Group executive committee.

From an afterschool gig as a bag boy at Overwaitea Foods to president of a growing grocery operation that today employs some 30,000 team members, Darrell Jones has achieved much in his 49 years as a grocer. On Tuesday night (Jan. 29), business partners, suppliers, team members, family and friends turned up at Vancouver’s Westin Bayshore hotel to celebrate Jones as he winds up his distinguished career. 

“As most of you know, Darrell never does anything quietly and he slid into the leadership of Save-On-Foods (in 2012) with a very large bang. He pulled the team together and started talking about BHAG—he had a ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’ and he challenged everyone to get on board. The goal was to double the size of the company,” Jamie Nelson, current chief operating officer who has been tapped to succeed Jones as president of Pattison Food Group on March 1, told guests.

Under Jones’ leadership, Save-On-Foods embarked on a path of unprecedented growth for the company. In the first five years of his presidency at Save-On-Foods the company opened 37 stores. 

READ: Darrell Jones on how Save-On-Foods is always working to be the best in the West

In 2021, he was named president of the newly-formed Pattison Food Group—which in addition to Save-On-Foods includes Buy-Low Foods, PriceSmart, Quality Foods and others—and growth continued as well as a foray into the United States with the acquisition of Roth’s Fresh Markets in Oregon. 

“Over his 49 years in the grocery business, Darrell has been recognised with numerous awards, a bold but humble leader, he credits all the team members for this recognition, but the fact is he led a world-class team through an incredible period of growth. Even when times were tough his visionary leadership was extraordinary,” said Brenda Kirk, Pattison Food Group’s senior vice-president of specialty business, one of the emcees for the evening.

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Among the awards Jones has nabbed over the years: Jim Pattison Group’s President of the Year (2015) The Golden Pencil Award (2017), Ernst & Young’s Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year (2021), RCC’s Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), and CFIG’s Spirit of the Independent Award (2023) and last year was named Canadian Business Leader of the Year, by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 

During the evening Jones was also lauded for his long-running community partnerships that have made a “life-changing” impact on Western Canadians. Chief among them, his efforts to help children through his work on the board of BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and Save-On-Foods “historic” $50 million pledge to that organization. 

At the end of the evening Jones took the stage, delivering heartfelt remarks. 

“I have said it many times and I will say it again tonight, it’s all about the people,” said Jones. “Being the president of one of the largest private companies in Western Canada has never been something I’ve taken for granted. I consider myself very, very fortunate to have been given the chance to lead this amazing group of people as their president for the past 13 years.”

During his speech Jones was quick to credit past Save-On-Foods leaders for contributing to the company’s success and helping it reach 110 years. And he ended his remarks with a shoutout to his successor. “It’s a privilege to pass the reins of this incredible company to Jamie. We have worked together side-by-side for the past 13 years and he has played a significant role in setting the vision and direction as well as leading the major integration projects in this company,” said Jones. “I have so much faith in you and your ability to run this company and make it even more successful.”

Click through the gallery below to see photos from the event. Photography courtesy Pattison Food Group.

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