WinCo Foods history, company profile (overview) and history video
WinCo Foods, Inc. is a supermarket chain headquartered in Boise, Idaho, United States.
WinCo Foods is a privately held, majority employee-owned company and has operating distribution centers in Woodburn (Oregon), Myrtle Creek (Oregon), Boise (Idaho), Phoenix (Arizona), Denton (Texas), and Modesto (California).
HISTORY
In 1967, WinCo Foods was founded in Boise, Idaho, as Waremart by Ralph Ward and Bud Williams.
In 1985, an employee stock ownership plan purchased a majority interest in Waremart from the Ward family, giving Waremart employees an ownership stake in the company.
In 1999, Waremart changed its name to WinCo Foods. According to the company, the name WinCo stands for Winning Company; however, the company also notes (as a “fun fact”) that it also references the first five states in which the company had stores (Washington, Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon).
With more than 20,000 employees, WinCo Foods, Inc. is considered one of the Largest Public Companies in the World, according to Forbes.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.wincofoods.com.
**Video published on YouTube by “WinCo“