WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — As senior vice president of business transformation, Lindsay Knoop is driving forward the largest transformational project in Hy-Vee history.

In 2023, Knoop was tapped to lead the planning and execution of Hy-Vee’s new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The system will combine hundreds of Hy-Vee’s existing business applications into one integrated system to streamline and optimize the company’s operations.

The end result will require process changes across Hy-Vee’s finance, supply chain and retail operations, which will lead to greater efficiencies across the company. It’s a massive undertaking for the $13 billion grocery retailer, which operates more than 550 retail business units across eight Midwestern states and employs more than 75,000 employees.

“The implementation of ERP will give us access to more data, which will, in return, allow us to make more informed decisions across multiple areas of the company,” says Knoop.

Lindsay Knoop

Knoop’s previous leadership roles in Hy-Vee’s auditing, accounting and administration departments over her more than 20-year career make her the ideal leader for the project. Her extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the company will be critical in guiding the design of the system and future processes of the company. The core team working on ERP includes individuals from all areas of the company, including IT, data, retail operations, supply chain and more.

According to Knoop, the ERP system will be rolled out over the next several years in a three-phase process. Knoop and her team are currently focused on the first phase, which will advance the company’s financial processes.

“This first phase is really setting the foundation for many of the future operational changes that will come later in the project,” says Knoop. “We’re currently focused on ensuring that the decisions we make now will serve the current needs of the company and support Hy-Vee’s growth for the future.”

Knoop and her team designed the ERP system to efficiently and effectively adapt to Hy-Vee’s evolving business model, which can include anything from new store openings to store remodels to new-format launches, and more.

Several of Hy-Vee’s subsidiaries will also be integrated into the ERP platform, including Hy-Vee’s Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits stores, as well as Perishable Distributors of Iowa (PDI) — a subsidiary that delivers fresh, frozen and prepared foods to all of Hy-Vee’s retail stores.

“ERP will advance our capabilities as a retailer and transform our operations so we can become faster, smarter and stronger,” says Knoop.