Passed away yesterday at Strong Memorial. Age 87.

If you’re not from the Rochester area and have never been in a Wegman’s supermarket, this Washington Post article (registration required) provides a little background on who this guy was and what he accomplished:

Wegman took over as president of the 90-year-old business begun by his father and uncle in 1950 and over decades introduced private-label products and laser scanning at the checkout.

He was behind the “Shoppers Club” electronic discount program and Wegmans’ “Strive for 5” program offering recipes with nutritional analyses that emphasized fresh vegetables and fruits.

He is credited with pioneering one-stop shopping, placing bakeries, imported foods and cafes into huge stores, along with photo labs, video departments and child play centers.

The 70 Wegmans emporiums in five states employ more than 35,000 people and posted sales of $3.8 billion in 2005.

The company’s employee scholarships, high-end wages and health insurance program have landed Wegmans on Fortune magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for nine straight years.

In 2005, Wegmans was ranked No. 1 on the list, leading the chairman to say, “This is the culmination of my life’s work.”

When most people think of Rochester corporations, they think of Kodak, which hasn’t exactly had a pleasant time of it over the past decade. Wegman’s, on the other hand, has flourished, growing into a local icon that rivals Kodak in many ways.

I mean, unless you’ve been to one of these stores this will sound totally ridiculous — but if you were to come from out of town to see me, a flagship Wegman’s is one of the tourist stops we’d visit.

Other bloggers’ thoughts (some of which are posted by people who had met him or worked for him) here, here, here, here, here, and here.

The man was deeply admired and even loved . . .