Racers Revel in Sweet Victory Courtesy of Red Button Vintage Creamery
Macey’s was a proud sponsor of the 2024 Deseret News Marathon, which took place on Pioneer Day, July 24. The Deseret News Marathon is the longest-operating marathon in Utah and consists of a full marathon, half marathon, 10K, 5K and 1K. As a sponsor, Macey’s had a booth at packet pickup and a booth at the finish line. Jessica Cronin and Brooke Douglas from the marketing team ran a successful booth during the packet pickup, promoting the Macey’s Perks program and raising awareness about Macey’s.
The sponsorship opportunity aligned with one of the core strategies for Macey’s – giving back to the community. “The sponsorship of the Deseret News Marathon is our unique way of giving back to the community and position Macey’s as a local grocery store,” said Elizabeth Barnett, senior marketing specialist for Macey’s. “It’s a small gesture of appreciation for the incredible community spirit that makes events like this possible.”
It began in the marketing department, but quickly became a One AFS project. “The success from the sponsorship wouldn’t have been possible without help from so many team members across the company.” Elizabeth said. “I’m so grateful for the culture of hard work and teamwork that our company has.”
Early in the process the team decided they wanted to give away ice cream at the finish line. This led them to team up with Boyd Irving and his Exclusive Brands team to provide Red Button Vintage Creamery ice cream.
This required a lot of planning and coordination, including working with the transportation team to deliver the ice cream and scoop station to the park early Wednesday morning. Lead Dispatcher Virginia Ladeau coordinated with drivers Jeff Herbert and Val Clontz to provide the early morning drop off.
The morning of the race, seven marketing team members distributed a whopping 41 three-gallon buckets of ice cream over the span of six hours, serving roughly 4,000 scoops to grateful race participants and supporters that endured the sweltering heat.
The race crew ordered all the food and drinks for the aid stations from AFS, and the dedicated Macey’s Market Sugar House store team (led by director Tricia Peterson) alongside Duwayne Warren, customer service manager at the Distribution Center, helped facilitate the orders.
This event highlighted Macey’s profound commitment to serving the community, as well as the phenomenal teamwork within AFS. The positive feedback heard from racers and supporters highlighted their gratitude and the value provided by the initiative.