Person:Everett Dingwell (1)

About Everett Dingwell

Everett William Dingwell, Jr. was born 4 December 1931 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, the son of Everett W. Dingwell, Sr. (1905-1996) and Esther Mary Vanscoyoc (1907-2001), the oldest of five children. When he was nine, his family travelled by train to California and settled in Lakewood. Everett attended and graduated from Excelsior Union High School in Norwalk, CA with the class of 1949, and was known by his childhood name "Sparky". Everett served on the "Excelsior Life" student publication staff [Yearbook committee] during his junior and senior years and lettered on the Varsity Basketball team during his senior year at Excelsior.

Everett was married twice; first, to Sarah A. Powell prior to abt. 1952; they divorced in September 1966. [California Divorce Index, 1966-1984]. He married second, the "love of his life", Lenny Jo Kiefer on 4 November 1967 in Los Angeles County, California [California Marriage Index, 1960-1985]. They were married for nearly 50 years.

After leaving Certified in 1962 to pursue sales management positions at other food industry operations, Dingwell returned to Certified in 1968 and began a steady progression of management positions that included Executive Vice President of Marketing, President of Certified's Northern California Division and Executive Vice President. In 1989, Everett Dingwell was named President and CEO of Certified Grocers, replacing its outgoing retired CEO William "Bill" Christy. Certified later merged with other regional wholesale grocery concerns United Grocers of Portland, Oregon and Associated Grocers of Seattle, Washington to form Unified Grocers, which is recently [April 2017] being acquired by national grocery wholesale concern, Supervalu, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1990, Everett was awarded the Food and Beverage Humanitarian Award by the California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ), formerly known as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, for his leadership in the food industry and support of charitable causes. In 1994, Dingwell was named Corporate Chairman of Certified Grocers and shortly thereafter announced his plans to retire form the company in 1995. He was succeeded as CEO of Certified Grocers by Alfred A. Plamann, Certified's Chief Financial Officer.

Afterwards, Everett Dingwell helped to consult for companies in the food industry and represented some as a sales agent or broker, assisting them in building their business with Certified Grocers and other grocery concerns. By 1995, he had founded the Everett W. Dingwell Company, a specialized marketing company, based in Long Beach, California, working with his son John. AMFIBI Business Directory Dingwell passed away on 11 April 2017 at his home in Sacramento, California, at the age of 85, with his wife Lenny and children at his side. Everett was survived by his wife Lenny, sons John and Michael Dingwell, and daughter Dawn Collier; brother Donald Dingwell, sister Judy Nelson (Jim), and sister Sherry Spurlock (Jim); grandchildren Ethan (Kelly), Kyle and Emily Dingwell, and Eden, James and Mercy Collier; great-granddaughter Colby Ann Dingwell, and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his beloved granddaughter Hannah Dingwell and brother Douglas Dingwell.

1.   Los Angeles, California, United States. Los Angeles Times.

   They're Super Markets : Shopping: Independent owners counter the larger selection and glitz of big stores by offering personal service and catering to neighborhood tastes.
   April 19, 1993|JOHN R. CARROL | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
   
   There are no trendy salad bars, no upscale deli, no yuppie gourmet yogurt. But the small independent grocery market survives, offering fresh produce, quality meat and a guarantee to remember your name.
   
   Scattered throughout the San Fernando Valley, these small corner markets cling to a time before supermarkets and mini-marts when housewives in June Cleaver pearls and swirling housecoats would do the weekly shopping.
   
   Today, faced with a shrinking number of customers due to the large chain supermarkets, these markets continue to cater to their neighborhood clientele by offering personal attention and merchandise not usually available in larger stores.
   
   They may be short on glitz, but these cozy markets make up for it with customer service.
   
   "We are mostly customer service-oriented," said Alan Arzoian, owner of Handy Market in Burbank. "We try to offer our customers quality. We try to give them a fair price and try to get to know them by their first name."
   
   He has owned the neighborhood store for 22 years. His father, Harry, started in the grocery business right after World War II and the family has been in the business ever since.
   
   Eddie Younan recently took over the Paradise Ranch Market in Van Nuys from Brian Money and plans to continue to run it as a family-owned market. He and his brother, Bob, hope to attract customers by promising "better service and lowering prices on things that can be reduced, like produce."
   
   Other markets use the same strategy. Archie's Ranch Market in North Hollywood has been a fixture in the community for 27 years and now serves a mostly Latino population. Manager Don MacDonald competes with the major chains by ordering grocery items not usually available in larger stores, such as beef lips and tripe. He also is a stickler for personal attention.
   
   "We give them better service and a better variety," MacDonald said. "The customers have a name. Here, they're not just a number."
   
   Catering to the special grocery needs of his community, Roberto Rodriguze, owner of Food Bag Market in North Hollywood for 15 years, offers items from most South and Central American countries.
   
   Owners keep their costs as low as possible by doing as much work themselves as they can.
   
   Rodriguze is proud of his low-cost fresh produce. "The reason why I can keep a low overhead is that I go downtown myself and buy it and bring it out," he said. "That way I can save a lot and pass it on to my customers.'
   
   Most owners admit to a 12-hour, seven-day workweek, but few complain.
   
   "We're multi-generational here," Arzoian said. "One of my father's biggest interests is keeping his store open for his grandkids."
   
   According to Everett Dingwell, president of the Certified Growers Assn., which provides many independent stores with most of their stock, the smaller grocers fulfill a community need.
   
   "The strength of the independent grocer is to be responsive to the neighborhood: The clientele that is there in the neighborhood and their particular needs, both from a service point of view and a product point of view," Dingwell said.
   
   Reputation is built largely by word of mouth. Some markets become meeting places for the neighborhood, harking back to another era.
   
   Time seems to run slower here as the lone checker takes time to laugh with a customer she knows on sight. Butchers stand behind the meat counter waiting for special orders. Hand-painted signs announce specials and discounts. The aisles are short and narrow.
   
   Few have scanners at the check stands. Most products are hand-priced and are rung up on the register. And most everyone is greeted by name.
   
   Doris Masterani has been shopping at Handy Market for a long time. She goes to no other store.
   
   "It's friendly and has everything I want," she says, not showing any identification when she cashes a check. "Plus you know everybody. If I don't see what I want, I'll tell them and they'll even order a whole case just for me.
   
   "Now that's the kind of service you don't get everywhere."
   
   http://articles.latimes.com/1993-04-19/local/me-24829_1_customer-service

2.   U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1. (United States).

   Name: Everett Dingwell II
   Birth Date: 9 Dec 1931
   Address: 41 E Neapolitan Ln, Long Beach, CA, 90803-4025 (1992)

3.   South Dakota. Assessor. State census, 1935. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 2003).

   Name: Everett Dingwell
   Age: 3
   Birth Year: 1932
   Race (Original): White
   Gender: Male
   Race: White
   Birth Place: South Dakota
   Marital Status: Single
   Event Place: Aberdeen ward 8, Brown, South Dakota
   Post Office: Aberdeen, South Dakota
   Father's Birth Place: South Dakota
   Mother's Birth Place: Iowa
   FHL Film Number: 2369538

4.   United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T627).

   Name: Everett Dingwell
   Age: 8
   Estimated birth year: abt 1932
   Gender: Male
   Race: White
   Birthplace: South Dakota
   Marital Status: Single
   Relation to Head of House: Son
   Home in 1940: Aberdeen, Brown, South Dakota
   Street: North First
   House Number: 324
   Inferred Residence in 1935: Aberdeen, Brown, South Dakota
   Residence in 1935: Same Place
   Resident on farm in 1935: No
   Sheet Number: 2B
   Attended School or College: Yes
   Highest Grade Completed: Elementary school, 3rd grade
   Weeks Worked in 1939: 0
   Income: 0
   Income Other Sources: No
   Household Members: Name Age
   Everett W Dingwell 35
   Esther Dingwell 32
   Everett Dingwell 8
   Douglas Dingwell 3
   Judith Anne Dingwell 5/12
   Teresa Malson 18

5.   Supermarket News. (Penton).

   Supermarket News
   Certified's Dingwell to retire. (Certified Grocers of California, Everett W. Dingwell) (Brief Article)
   Article from: Supermarket News | January 31, 1994
   
   LOS ANGELES -- Everett W. Dingwell, president and chief executive officer of Certified Grocers of California here since 1990, said last week he will retire tomorrow.
   
   Alfred A. Plamann, Certified's chief financial officer, will succeed him.
   
   Dingwell, 62, will remain at Certified with the title of corporate chairman for the balance of the year. That title has been vacant since William O. Christy held it for a year in 1990 after his retirement as president and CEO.
   
   Certified is a member-owned wholesale cooperative with annual sales of approximately $2 billion.

6.   Legacy.com.

   Everett W. Dingwell II
   
   December 9, 1931 - April 11, 2017 Everett William Dingwell II passed away peacefully at his home in Sacramento on April 11, 2017 with his wife Lenny and children by his side. Everett was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, on December 9, 1931 to Everett and Esther (Van Scoyoc) Dingwell. He was the oldest of five children. When he was nine, his family traveled by train to California and settled in Lakewood. In 1949, Everett graduated from Excelsior High School, where he was known by his childhood nickname "Sparky." In 1954, Everett began his career at Certified Grocers of California, a wholesale grocery cooperative that supplies independent supermarkets. Everett's first job there was unloading boxcars on the rail docks. He soon moved to the warehouse and was promoted to general merchandise and then dry grocery buyer. In 1962, he left Certified to pursue sales management positions at other food operations. Everett married the love of his life, Lenny, in 1967. Everett returned to Certified in 1968, and advanced through a steady progression of management positions. He loved his work and always arrived at the office by 5:00 a.m. His sense of humor and talent for storytelling made him a popular public speaker. In 1988, Everett became President of Certified's Northern California division. In 1990, he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Certified Grocers. He retired in 1995, having worked at the company for 35 years. He spent the next 14 years in semi-retirement, operating the Everett W. Dingwell Co., a food brokerage he ran with his son, John Dingwell. Over five decades in the grocery business, Everett developed deep friendships with people throughout the industry and was a mentor to many. He respected people who worked hard, valued loyalty, and maintained these friendships throughout his life. Everett and Lenny's home was the center of celebrations for their family and friends. Everett loved to travel and took many trips with his family all over the world. Everett and Lenny frequently made month-long driving trips across Europe, and were most passionate about Italy. Everett, an avid reader and history buff, enjoyed exploring small towns on foot, always keeping an eye out for small, aromatic restaurants favored by locals. In 2009, Everett and Lenny moved to Sacramento to enjoy son Michael, daughter Dawn and their grandchildren. As residents of a lakeside retirement community, they made many close friends, enjoying parties and trips with their neighbors. Everett played poker twice weekly with his "buddies." He loved being a grandpa, and was always in the front row at his grandchildren's sporting events and school performances. Everett and Lenny were looking forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in November. Their love and affection for one another was extraordinary and an inspiration to all who knew them. Their love affair continued even as Everett's health began to falter early this year due to complications from COPD. Everett led a robust life throughout his 85 years. He was a model of strength, wit and wisdom for the entire family until the end. Everett is survived by his wife Lenny, sons John and Michael Dingwell, and daughter Dawn Collier; brother Donald Dingwell, sister Judy Nelson (Jim), and sister Sherry Spurlock (Jim); grandchildren Ethan (Kelly), Kyle and Emily Dingwell, and Eden, James and Mercy Collier; great-granddaughter Colby Ann Dingwell, and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his beloved granddaughter Hannah Dingwell and brother Douglas Dingwell. A private memorial service will be held in Southern California on May 13th. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association and Smile Train.
   
   
   Published in the Los Angeles Times from May 11 to May 13, 2017- http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=185367587#sthash.v9nqQATy.dpuf