After 40 years at Associated Food Stores, Wade Judd is retiring from his role as chief information officer for the company
Wade joined AFS four decades ago as a software developer and programmer. Over the years, he progressed through a series of roles including developer, software development manager and IT director before becoming CIO.
Asked about his favorite memories, Wade did not point to a single milestone. Instead, he emphasized the people. “Having fun with the team through the different activities and projects,” he said, adding that the team and the culture are what he enjoyed most about working at AFS.
The technology landscape Wade entered bears little resemblance to today’s environment. When he began, AFS relied on mainframe computers in Salt Lake City, Pocatello, Boise, Billings and Helena. Reports were printed on green bar paper and physically delivered to team members who needed them. Not long after, Wade and former team member Larry Newton helped introduce some of the company’s first personal computers, working with 5 1/4-inch floppy disks, then 3 1/2-inch disks and eventually 10-megabyte hard drives.
From there, technology accelerated rapidly. Servers, expanding storage, networks and increasingly powerful systems transformed the business. Today, Wade notes, smartphones exceed the computing power of those early mainframes, the distribution center uses advanced automation to build pallets and artificial intelligence is beginning to assist across the organization.
The company itself evolved alongside the technology. Wade said AFS grew from a collection of independent distribution centers into a unified organization capable of accomplishing virtually anything. “The only thing that has changed is everything,” he said.
While Wade worked on many initiatives over the years, he said his greatest satisfaction came from using technology to improve processes and simplify work. He particularly enjoyed projects related to accounting, HR and payroll systems, reflecting his minor in accounting. More than any single project, he valued collaborating with the team to find solutions that made the company better. He said he believes the AFS team can accomplish anything.
As he steps into retirement, Wade is looking forward to fewer IT problems, though he joked that it may require ignoring the technology questions that come his way at home. He is most excited to spend more time with his children and grandchildren and to work on projects at the family ranch. He plans to enjoy time with the cows and horses, an environment far removed from data centers and servers.
His advice to current team members is simple. “Enjoy what you are doing,” Wade said. “If you do not, find something you do enjoy. You will never be your best if you do not enjoy what you are doing.”
Wade leaves behind a legacy of steady leadership, deep institutional knowledge and a career that mirrors the dramatic transformation of both AFS and the technology industry itself.