[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 19]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 25807-25808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING JACK C. SMITH ON THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOOD CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RICK BOUCHER

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2005

  Mr. BOUCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of my 
constituents. On November 17, 2005, Jack Curtis Smith, founder of K-VA-
T Food Stores, Inc., will mark his 50th year in the grocery business in 
southwest Virginia, and I would like to take this occasion to recognize 
his many contributions to my Congressional District. K-VA-T Food 
Stores, Inc. is an important asset in southwest Virginia, eastern 
Kentucky, and northeast Tennessee, employing more than 11,000 residents 
and honoring a strong commitment of service to the region.
  Jack C. Smith returned to his hometown of Grundy, Virginia, in 1954 
after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, 
and serving in the U.S. Navy for 10 years. While standing in a lengthy 
line at Grundy's only grocery store, Jack Smith decided that his 
hometown needed a larger, more convenient supermarket with an emphasis 
on customer service. Earl Smith, Jack's uncle, Ernest Smith, Jack's 
cousin, and Curtis Smith, Jack's father, shared the vision that Jack 
could meet this need. These four local businessmen formed a partnership 
and began work with the Piggly Wiggly Corporation to construct a new, 
state-of-the-art grocery store, and on November 17, 1955, Jack Smith 
and his partners opened the Piggly Wiggly supermarket in the town of 
Grundy.
  After experiencing great success with his Grundy store, Jack Smith 
acquired grocery stores in eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia, and 
east Tennessee from grocery chains such as White Stores, Food City, 
Winn Dixie, and Piggly Wiggly. Retaining the Food City name, Smith 
remodeled and modernized the stores, adding features such as wide 
aisles, larger selection of products and computerized check-out 
systems, designed to provide the customers greater accessibility to the 
products and to facilitate an easier shopping experience. Smith soon 
created K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., as the organization under which his 
supermarkets would operate. K-VA-T is an acronym for Kentucky, 
Virginia, and Tennessee, the States in which his grocery stores are 
located.
  The work begun 50 years ago by Jack C. Smith has borne fruit. Today 
K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc., operates nearly 100 Food City stores. K-VA-T 
has grown to become the largest employer in the Tri-Cities region of 
Tennessee and Virginia and the fifth largest employer in the 
Commonwealth of Virginia. Despite its development as a large retail 
grocery chain, the headquarters of K-VA-T as well as its distribution 
facility remain in southwest Virginia near the location of its first 
supermarket.

[[Page 25808]]

  Most importantly, K-VA-T has adopted a policy of improving the lives 
of the residents in the communities it serves. The company is 16 
percent employee owned. Jack Smith once stated, ``The ultimate 
objective of K-VA-T Food Stores is to fulfill its ongoing commitment to 
planned growth. My wish is that the public, our corporate officers, 
associates and patrons can find their lives enriched because of this 
company's existence and its efforts. But first, and foremost, let us 
remember that the friendship of those we serve is the foundation of our 
progress.'' For 50 years, Jack Smith has been making investments in the 
communities his stores serve in cities such as Knoxville, Tennessee, as 
well as small, rural towns such as Grundy, Virginia.
  K-VA-T supports local farmers and produce vendors by selling locally 
grown produce in its stores. Through the Apples for Students program, 
K-VA-T has provided over $9.2 million in computers and computer 
equipment to over 700 schools. The company regularly participates in 
local food drives and provides assistance to chapters of the Second 
Harvest food bank network. Semi-annually, K-VA-T sponsors Food City 
Family Race Night, which occurs during the week before the NASCAR races 
the company sponsors. Food City Family Race Night draws over 40,000 
race fans, and the proceeds from the event are contributed to local 
charities. These are just a few of the many ways K-VA-T supports its 
communities.
  The outstanding work of Jack C. Smith and K-VA-T Food Stores has 
improved the quality of life of thousands of citizens in my 
Congressional District in southwest Virginia as well as throughout 
eastern Kentucky and northeast Tennessee. The affects of his dedication 
to shaping the communities in this region will be lasting. I applaud 
the efforts of Jack C. Smith, and it is with great pleasure that I 
congratulate him on 50 years in the grocery business.

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