T-R FILE PHOTO Jill Eilderts, right, and her husband Doug Eilderts pictured in 2020 outside of their then newly-acquired Hometown Foods grocery store in Traer. Jill was recently named ‘Retail Leader of the Year’ by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association — the first woman to ever receive the annual award.

TRAER — The Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA) is honored to recognize Jill Eilderts, owner of KFD Grocery and Hometown Foods in Waterloo and Traer, as its 2025 Hall of Fame Retail Leader of the Year. The prestigious award recognizes a retail professional for their outstanding work ethic and commitment to their company, employees and community.

“Jill is a natural leader, self-made business owner and trusted voice for independent retailers,” Michelle Hurd, IGIA president, said. “We are thrilled to recognize her accomplishments and the work she has done for both our association and the grocery industry as a whole.”

A Waterloo native, Eilderts got her start in grocery at Adams Grocery Store in 1987 after graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with a degree in elementary education. The part-time cashier position was initially intended to help supplement her substitute teaching jobs, but soon she began to grow her responsibilities with the independent retailer.

Throughout the next three decades, Eilderts took on bookkeeping, office manager, scanning coordinator, and eventually, store manager roles. In 2019, she and her husband Doug seized the opportunity to purchase the Waterloo Hometown Foods, and in 2020 they bought the Traer location.

“It’s the story of the American dream,” Eilderts reflected. “With the right circumstances and hard work, I was able to go from part-time employee to owner of the stores.”

Eilderts has built a reputation as a trusted and respected leader for independent grocers throughout her career. She is an active voice for independents within the IGIA board of directors, member programs and advocacy work.

Award recipients are selected by the IGIA Hall of Fame committee based upon peer nomination and award-specific criteria. The awards were first established in 1982 and have recognized hundreds of individuals through the decades. Eilderts is the first woman to be named the Retail Leader of the Year.

“I’m so honored to win this award. There are many deserving people out there. And being the first woman to be recognized makes it even more special to me,” Eilderts said.

IGIA members, industry professionals and supporters are invited to celebrate all the winners during the Hall of Fame dinner and award ceremony on Nov. 20 at the Sheraton in West Des Moines. More details can be found at iowagrocers.com/hall-of-fame-dinner.

2025 IGIA Hall of Fame winners

• Voss Distributing: Supplier of the Year

• Wesson Kingma, Fareway Stores, Inc.: Volunteer of the Year

• David Ring, Kwik Star: Legislative Leadership

• Donna Tweeten, Hy-Vee, Inc.: Lifetime Achievement

• Jill Eilderts, Hometown Foods: Retail Leader of the Year