COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Former Hy-Vee Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Ric Jurgens received the Hall of Achievement Award from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

Former Hy-Vee Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Ric Jurgens received the Hall of Achievement Award from the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).

Also receiving the award, the GMA’s highest honor, was Dean Pappas, former chairman and CEO of Clement Pappas and Co., a leading supplier of private label fruit juice beverages and cranberry sauce.

"Lifetime achievement is the hallmark of the GMA Hall of Achievement Award, and by that standard, no two people are more deserving than Ric Jurgens and Dean Pappas," said GMA president and CEO Pamela Bailey. "Their business savvy, their desire to make the world a better place, and their compassion for their associates, their communities and their consumers sets them apart."

Jurgens was recognized for his work in making Hy-Vee an industry leader in health and wellness. He was named CEO at Hy-Vee in 2003 and chairman in 2006, and he retired from the food retailer on June 1, capping a 43-year career with the company.

Jurgens also served a two-year stint as chairman of the Food Marketing Institute, and he helped launch the industry’s Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and its groundbreaking front-of-package nutrition labeling initiative. He has since been asked by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to co-chair the governor’s Healthiest State Initiative, a plan to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation over the next five years.

Pappas spent 49 years with Clement Pappas and 27 years with industry associations.