N.G.A. member Jeff Brown, president and CEO of Brown's Super Stores, Inc., was the guest of honor seated in Michelle Obama's box in the House of Representatives during President Obama's State of the Union address Wednesday evening. Brown received a call last Friday from the White House Office of Urban Affairs, extending the State of the Union invitation. The White House traditionally invites distinguished Americans to sit with the first lady, and the president typically recognizes their accomplishments in the address.

President Obama spoke about the need for building more supermarkets in impoverished areas, commonly called supermarket deserts because of the absence of stores large enough to sell fresh and nutritious food. Brown has been working with the Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), a program initiated in Pennsylvania that combines state and private money that provides grants and loans for grocery-store development in areas where markets are needed. State Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia) started the initiative in conjunction with two entities: the Reinvestment Fund, a community-development financial institution; and the Food Trust, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that works to improve access to healthy, affordable food, and to educate families about nutrition.

President and CEO of the National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Tom Zaucha said, "N.G.A. applauds President Obama's decision to highlight the work Jeff Brown has done with FFFI. Local communities rely on independent community-based retailers for more than simply selling products. Jeff Brown is a shining example of giving back to his community and how independent retailers dedicate themselves to serving the interests of members of their local communities, resulting in the development of strong, lasting relationships with both customers and employees. Jeff's work with FFFI is helping by offering residents a supermarket with fresh, high-quality nutritious foods and jobs in the community. He is a prime example of N.G.A.'s Grocers Care Program, which was created to recognize the important role community-focused retailers and the grocery industry as a whole play in their communities."

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) issued the following statement from Leslie G. Sarasin, president and chief executive officer, on Jeff Brown, president and owner of Brown's Super Markets, Inc., and his invitation to be a guest at the State of the Union address.

"We are delighted President Obama recognizes Jeff Brown's hard work and commitment to provide his customers in Philadelphia fresh, affordable and nutritious food. Grocery stores provide jobs to people who live in the community and are the cornerstone of many neighborhoods and towns. Brown's stores exemplify the important role supermarkets play within a community, and retailers like Jeff understand the positive impact a grocery store has on a neighborhood and its families.

In July, Adolfo Carrion Jr., director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak and Ron Sims, deputy housing secretary, came to Philadelphia to study FFFI. They met with a group that included Brown; state Rep. Dwight Evans, a founder of FFFI; Mayor Nutter; Jeremy Nowak of the Reinvestment Fund; and Yael Lehman of the Food Trust. Since 2004, the program has brought 68 new or improved grocery stores into underserved communities, provided more than 400,000 residents with increased access to healthy food, and created or retained 3,700 jobs. The N.G.A., along with a number of other retailer and wholesaler members, is an active participant with the Food Trust, working to advance a national grant program through the USDA to help bring supermarkets with fresh and nutritious foods, and jobs to underserved neighborhoods.

At the 2010 National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Convention and Supermarket Synergy Showcase in Las Vegas, Kraft Foods, Inc. will present Jeff Brown with the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award at the N.G.A Board of Directors Dinner on Feb. 8. Kraft Foods, Inc. established the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award as a way to highlight and reward retailers that have shown the most tangible example of persistence, vision and creative entrepreneurship throughout the past year. Brown will also participate in a panel discussion during Wednesday's General Session, entitled "Marketplace Leadership and Innovation: Companies That Make a Difference," along with Joe Sheridan, executive vice president of the Wakefern Corporation; MacGregor Read, co-chief executive officer of Grocery Outlets; and Frank DiPasquale, executive vice president of the National Grocers Association. The session will be moderated by the Supermarket Guru, Phil Lempert.