Jason Pride is the vice president of meat and seafood operations for Hy-Vee stores. He has worked for the company for 32 years, and has more than 30 years in the meat industry.
Jason oversees meat and seafood activities for Hy-Vee’s 245 locations in eight states. He has raised the bar for getting pork in front of consumers and into their shopping carts, continually seeking new opportunities and creative ways to merchandise pork. He shows genuine excitement for linking retailers with producers and packers, and is always looking to inspire, fire up and involve his meat managers. Hy-Vee staff has even created “go-to recipes” that encourage customers to stock up on premium pork.
In October 2018, Hy-Vee launched a rebranding campaign for its pork products. Now labeled as Hy-Vee Midwest Pork, the store regularly promotes fresh-sourced, high-quality pork from 450 Midwestern family farms in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Jason also is passionate about pork education and incorporates pork facts, provided by the Iowa Pork Producers Association or National Pork Board, into efforts that grow demand and sales across the chain. On Hy-Vee’s website, in-house butchers identify pork cuts and recommend cooking methods. In January 2020, Hy-Vee teamed up with pork producers to advertise “Pork’s Great 8” cuts to coincide with healthy New Year’s resolutions. Specials center around pork’s leanest cuts—especially tenderloin, which is as lean as a skinless chicken breast and certified as heart-healthy by the American Heart Association. Tenderloin was featured in in-store cooking demonstrations companywide.
Jason is from Maryville, Mo., and attended Northwest Missouri State University. He started with Hy-Vee as a part-time courtesy clerk before moving to the meat department in 1991. He became a meat specialist in 1992, promoted to market manager at a store in Lincoln, Neb., in 1996, and selected to the executive staff as a meat supervisor for the western district in 2004. In addition, he was named food service supervisor—west region, west central district—in 2012; assistant vice president of meat and seafood operations in 2015; and group vice president of meat and seafood in February 2017. He landed in his current role in July 2017.
Jason and his wife, Cheri, live in Grimes and have three children: Mariah, Trent and Tyler.