Written & edited by Carol Jackson.(with assistance from Bob Shadduck & Melissa Shadduck Schaefer)

Designed by Tammy Erickson

Produced & printed by Great Rivers Printing

Photo/Artwork Credits: Carol Jackson, Jerry’s Corporate Office; the Paulsen Family; Jerry’s corporate archives

SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER NUMBER 55

erry Paulsen, whose name-sake grocery store is a decades-old institution in Edina, passed away on April 5, 2013 at his home inEdina.

The Early Years…From humble beginnings, Jerry was born nearly 90 years ago inMinneapolis, MN to parents Kitty (Damuth) and Arnold Paulsen. He graduated from South High School in 1941 and was awarded a scholarship to the Minneapolis School of Business. He met Shirley AnnLund at a local roller rink and became engaged on New Year’s Eve. Theirplans, including his education, were interrupted by WWII where heserved in the U.S. Army, fighting in Belgium and Germany with the 69thInfantry Division. Within a few months of returning from the war hemarried Shirley on June 15, 1946.

He got a job with Swift selling meats and trained as a butcher, workingpart-time at Grandview Market in Edina while earning a business degreefrom the University of Minnesota. He became the neighborhood butcher,the kind who greeted his customers by name and cut their steaks andpork chops to order. When Grandview Market went out of business hebought the operation in 1950 and opened a general grocery store acrossVernon Avenue, near the site of the current Jerry’s Foods store and corporate offices.

After mixed success operating chain stores (including Humpty Dumptyand Jerry’s Lucky Dollar), Jerry purchased the “Kroger” building downthe hill in 1967 and moved the supermarket operation. Today, the corporate headquarters at 5101 Vernon Avenue South in Edina isanchored by the Jerry’s Foods store on the south end and Jerry’s Do It

Best Hardware and Jerry’s Printing on the north end.

Jerry built his reputation as having the best meat in town, and becamethe first in the region to mass merchandise Aged USDA Prime Beef, the“specialty of the house.” Jerry was a visionary. As times and attitudes of consumers changed, he always managed to stay ahead of the times.Back in the 70’s he saw a need for “value added” products and marketed a line called “Culinary Convenience” and low-fat, well-trimmed meats and called it “Diet-Lean.” His creative ideas werebefore the health-conscious craze and value-added products became thenorm. In a 1985 StarTrib interview, he said, “Meat is still a great love,but now I’m very much involved in the total picture. I began working ina grocery store as a means of support, and I just stuck with it…Iworked afternoons until I got my degree at the university.Merchandising the meat, putting some variety in the meat case, thatwas a challenge.”

One of the mainstays of the operation is still Jerry’s sausage products.Jerry’s own recipes continue to be made today by our sausage plant,Minnesota Meat Masters, at Annandale, MN. These outstanding products include breakfast sausage, Polish sausage, old fashionedwieners, Swedish potato ring, Swedish meat balls, Milwaukee andcooked brats. Jerry’s still manufacturers sausage products for Jerry’s andCub stores, the old-fashioned way with natural casings in a USDA-supervised plant.

The Operation Grows…The 70’s and 80’s brought more growth and the stores joined

J5101 Vernon Ave. So. | Edina, MN • 55436

Cont’d on Page 2

Page 1

Jerry Paulsen arranging meat in Jerry’s Lucky Dollar (1950’s).

A Man with a Dream…May 1, 1923 – April 5, 2013

In Loving Memory…Jerry Paulsen

THANK YOUTHANK YOU – THANK YOU

The flag in front of Jerry’s Edina headquarters was lowered to half-staffin memory of Jerry.

Remembering Jerry Continued…pictures of palm trees and the ocean, we have pictures of Zach in theJerry's store at Sanibel! We have also visited your store there and feelat home. As Zach's parents we will be forever grateful for giving Zacha place to work and a place where he feels useful. Again, please passalong our condolences to Jerry's family.”

DAN CARRIGAN (Jerry’s corporate produce/floral director)“1983 – Sanibel opening. We were open about a week and Jerrywalked into the backroom and asked why I was carrying Florida celery. I told him I could buy it locally and I could make 35% profit onthis item. He told me that Florida celery was more bitter and to paythe extra price to get California celery in the store. He also had mefor about six years go up to the farm on Friday mornings to spray theapple trees. When I first came into the office and went to the farm toplay golf with the artificial turf greens. Jim Fournier and I opened upour mouths about putting in grass greens. The next fall we endedhelping the farm crew put in rock/drainage for grass greens. JimFournier and I actually seeded the four main greens with a handspreader.”

LORI DeMARIO (Ironwood, MI – retired Jerry’s corporate office receptionist & Jerry's Edina demo person)

“Jerry was such a magnificent man. I enjoyed everything about himand especially admired his grit. He did so many wonderful things inhis remarkable life. I’ll never forget all the catalogs he’d receive in themail. He would bring them to me with little sticky notes marked withthings he wanted me to order for him. What I don’t ever miss is sending back all the things he didn’t want, especially the huge itemswhen I would have to figure out how to pack them. One of the thingsthat has stuck with me was when John got sick. He came in early onemorning, about 7 am, and as I was making coffee, he sat down on mychair and grabbed my hand and said, ‘Anything you need be sure andtell us and we’ll do our darnedest to help. We are with you, standingbehind you.’ It was the most touching thing anyone could have eversaid or did.”

GRANDCHILDREN (from comments made at service, April 10, 2013)“He gave me not only his opinion of the grocery and retail businessbut also of my fashion choices…The grandkids knew well it wasGrandpa’s chair and not to sit in it nor to touch the controls on hisremote…We couldn’t drive the golf carts on the farm until it driedoff…or drive too fast…He was personally responsible for the successof QVC. He owned every kitchen gadget they sold…He loved electronic gadgets but never knew how to use them."

Supervalu’s ad program in 1980. Among Jerry’s more inspired ideaswas to open a Jerry’s Foods store on Sanibel. Many Edina customers, including Jerry’s family, vacationed on Sanibel Island and theirdemand for Jerry’s quality fresh meats and foods led him to spendyears overcoming local resistance to build a store. The result was a beautiful shopping center including a lush courtyard complete withtropical birds, local shops and galleries and, of course, a Jerry’s Foodsstore and restaurant. In the 30 years since Jerry’s of Sanibel opened ithas become an anchor of the community, providing critical supportduring recovery efforts for Hurricane Charlie. The restaurant is oftenranked as “the local favorite.”

Jerry’s Grandview Heights Edina complex is the flagship of our operation. Jerry’s Foods-Edina expanded to the Grandview HeightsShopping Center in 1988 following major remodeling of the Edinacomplex. JPs restaurant was added as well as five floors includingmore shops, business office space and expansion of Jerry’s corporateoffices.

From his lifelong love of high quality meats and foods today Jerry’sEnterprises, Inc. has now grown to the expansive corporation thatconsists of 37 grocery stores, five hardware stores and various othercommercial and real estate interests.

He Supported the Community…Jerry was a low-profile leader. He preferred to stay out of the limelight and yet he supported numerous community events over theyears. He was recognized as Edina’s Businessman of the Year in 1983by the Edina Chamber of Commerce for his extraordinary businesssuccess and outstanding contributions to the Edina community. In2007 the Outstanding Grocer Award was presented to him by theMinnesota Grocer’s Association. This award recognizes an outstanding industry leader and is chosen by his/her peers for theiraccomplishments as a grocer in Minnesota. Additionally, they mustdisplay a strong commitment to their community and be involved inthe MGA.

Jerry believed “An investment in our communities is an investment inpeople.” He has shared a rich but private history of philanthropy. Hiskindness has benefited local food shelves, schools and churches.Jerry’s company-wide participation in the United Way has spanned 32years with contributions totaling nearly $2.3 million. He was alsoactive for many years with the Zurah Shrine, Edina Rotary andSalvation Army. In later years he spent much of his time in the summer at his hobby farm on Clearwater Lake near Annandale, MN,where he enjoyed playing tennis with his family, golfing, walking, andtending to his extensive flower beds and gardens, of which he wasmost proud. He spent many winters at his home on Sanibel Island, FLand enjoyed walking the beach and golfing.

He Knew Food…Jerry knew food. No matter where he was, Jerry enjoyed and appreciated all aspects of food and its preparation. He knew qualityfood and could taste differences in flavors. He was the ultimate

“foodie” and had a collection of thousands of cookbooks and files ofrecipes, and it seemed as if he owned at least one of every kitchengadget ever invented. It wasn’t enough to sell the best food – he alsoloved to cook it and eat it. It was fun to see what he would be interested in next. He talked about Emeril and what Emeril would dolong before Emeril became a household name. In recent years onewould find him in the middle of the afternoon with the Food Channelblaring on his office TV as he listened intently to the discussion ofthe next food trend.

He Loved His Family…Above and beyond all of his other interests, Jerry was most happywhen he was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and he took great pride in their accomplishments. He is survived by his wife of almost 66 years,Shirley; daughters – Charlotte (Robert) Shadduck of Annandale, MN,LuAnn (Brian) Cornell of Minnetonka, MN, and Cheryl (Peter) Sullivanof Edina, MN; grandchildren – Melissa (Jonathan) Schaefer, Kristin(Marc) Fahey, Amy (Jim) Miller, Adam (Aubrey) Cornell, Sarah (Joel)Ihrie, Allison (Ted) Bickel, Brett Cornell, Kelly Sullivan, Monica (fiancéMax Hintz) Sullivan, and Michael Sullivan; nine great-grandchildren;nephews Kenneth (Diane) Lund and Jerry Brunskill, and niece VictoriaBrunskill; his beloved companion, Charlie; and over 3,500 members ofthe current Jerry’s Foods' family as well as our retirees. Preceding himin death were his parents and sister, June Brunskill.

Two family members hold key positions within the company – son-in-law Bob Shadduck is corporate president and granddaughter, MelissaShadduck Schaefer is corporate project manager.

Service was held on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at Mt. Olivet LutheranChurch, Minneapolis, MN.

His Dream Lives On…Jerry first put on his long white butcher’s coat in 1947. He was apresence in the store, continuing to wear the butcher’s coat as hewalked through Jerry’s Foods in Edina as CEO. “For being a man incharge of a large corporation, Jerry was just Jerry to his customers(and employees),” wrote Marci Matson, Edina Historical SocietyExecutive Director. “They would find him sitting in the coffee shop orpicking up a few items for the dishes he loved to cook at home.There’s something so hometown about drinking coffee with the localgrocery store owner. I know his many customers will miss the manwho has made his mark on Edina.”

Jerry had a calling, a vocation. He was a man with a dream...a hardworker…a provider of a good living for thousands of employees… agiver of heroic, selfless service to our country. He loved and alwaysmade time for his family as well as the Jerry’s family…and, learnedearly on from difficulties in his home life. He was a man of faith.

Thank you, Jerry. Rest in Peace...Rest in Peace.

Front Page Continued...

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Remembering Jerry Continued…RICK ALLEN (Prescott WI – Jerry’s Printing & Great Rivers Printingmgr.)“We are so sad to hear of Jerry’s passing. He has been a mentor tome for over 37 years and his trust and generosity created the environment for Jerry’s Printing and Great Rivers Printing to growand flourish and for Val and me, in turn, to nurture and grow ourhome and family. This cannot go without sincere thanks to yourwhole family – Jerry will always remain with us in memory.”

MARY & JOSHUA (Minnetonka MN); VI KLABUNDE (Jerry’s & Cub-WSPdeli mgr. & Jerry’s-Edina deli)“My mother-in-law, Vi Klabunde worked for Jerry for over 20 years atJerry’s West St. Paul and Cub. She always spoke highly of Jerry andsaid he was a wonderful person to work for.”

PHIL (Cub-Bloomington frozen/dairy & Jerry’s-Edina) & DODIE JOHNSON (Edina MN – former Jerry’s-Edina cashier)“Jerry was a pleasure to work for and a man who gave a lot to thecommunity. We remember with great fondness the way you (Shirley)and Jerry were there for us when we lost our daughter in 1988 and how much you did for us.”

JOHN ERHARD (Jerry’s corporate meat director)“You treated my family like gold. You were genuinely concernedabout us and especially our daughter when she was ill. I enjoyed ourconversations and your creative ideas in the meat and sausage industry. I am so grateful to work for your great company. Your innovative meat and sausage ideas will live on forever! Rest in peaceBoss.”

MIKE HELMBRECHT (Ft. Myers FL – retired Jerry’s & Cub MN and FL)“Jerry was a wonderful mentor, a great boss and a good friend…”

MIKE THORNTON (RBC Wealth Management) “I worked with Jerry since 1989. He was firm and absolutely fair in allhis business dealings. I will miss him greatly.”

NANCY HOVEY (Cub-Knollwood store director)“I can’t express enough the opportunities Jerry has given to me andothers. Allowing for women to become Store Directors was certainlyone of those opportunities that have meant so much to me. I amnow one of Jerry’s girls or guys, as Jerry would like to say!”

ED ANDERSON (Cub-Lake St. store director)“I remember when I was the Director of Transportation (OK TruckDriver) for Jerry’s and our fleet consisted of a 1958 Internationalsemi-tractor and three trailers. After the ’58 blew up Jerry OK’d thepurchase of a brand new 1972 Mack semi-tractor. After about amonth of driving the shiny green Mack, I was backing up to pick up atrailer when the Mack slid under the trailer and smashed a hole inthe cab of the truck. I remember thinking that Jerry would probablyfire me! When I got up the nerve to tell him about the incident Jerryjust shrugged and said, ‘Well I knew it wouldn’t be new forever.’ Itwas that incident that taught me that Jerry ‘s bark was bigger thanhis bite.”

SHARON MAIDMENT (Jerry’s corporate office manager) “I remember sitting in the cafe at Jerry's Foods in Edina where he

hired me to work in the office doing accounts payables and payrollway back in 1975. He was very successful in the grocery businessand I have appreciated working for him all these years...My thoughts,prayers and deepest sympathy goes out to all of his family at thistime. He will be deeply missed not only by his family but all of theJerry's Foods family as well.”

LINDA JACKSON (Cub-Elk River CSM)“This is where it all began! Thank you Jerry for giving me a place tocall home...Cub Foods Elk River, MN."

MURIEL PETERSON (retired Jerry’s demo person and floral)“Jerry LOVED pizza and pizza demos were his very favorite. When I

was demoing for Jerry’s in Edina many years ago, Jerry would comedown from his office upstairs and stop at my demo table and say,‘What are you doing today, Dolly? Give me a few of those and bringthem up to my office or save them under the counter for me and I’llpick them up later.’ He loved ‘nibbly’s’ of all kinds. When I was sampling Jerry’s cooked corned beef and we would make Jerry’sgrilled corned beef & coleslaw sandwiches (‘Rachels’) he would lovethem also. In fact he was always pleased to see his own productsdemoed – Jerry’s Swedish meat balls and potato ring sausage, oldfashioned wieners and Polish sausage, etc. He never was real keenthough when we were demoing some healthy snack.”

CAROL JACKSON (Jerry’s corporate mgr.-home economics/consumerservices)“Jerry loved ice cream and loved to talk about how much butterfat

was in the ice cream especially in quizzing the sales reps when theytried to sell him on a new product for the store. Of course, the higher the butterfat, the better. I remember when he would have icecream vendors cornered because they couldn’t explain the amount ofbutterfat and overrun in their products. By the time they were finished selling (or not selling) him the product they were muchmore educated than when they first shook his hand. He often hadme doing research for specific instructions or a recipe for a newgadget he had purchased, or for nutritional information on a newproduct he had picked up. I remember the time he asked me to calculate the calories and fat in our apple fritters (back before thedays of nutrition software). I did the research and gave it to him andthat evening at a retirement party his comment was, ‘Boy, you sureknow how to ruin my day.’ ”

JIM HANSON (Pan-O-Gold Baking Company)“When I visited Jerry as recently as a month ago, he spent about

four minutes chewing me out. I asked him if he was ‘done now’ towhich he replied that he was and we had a wonderful visit. Jerry’swas always good to me and I appreciated it.”

JIM VALENTINE (Grantsburg, WI – retired Kemp’s)“I remember having breakfast in the Edina store 30 years ago. I had

eggs, and Jerry's pork links. Jerry came by and sat down across fromme. He reached over with a fork and took a piece of sausage, hechewed on it a minute, and then shouted, ‘Get that Sherbanenko uphere.’ Sherbanenko came up and Jerry chewed him out for someingredient he found missing from the flavor. Jerry knew his meatsand formulas. Jerry's pork links are the best on the market. I enjoythem today, buying a couple of packages at the Hudson, Woodbury,or North Branch stores… Mmmmmmmm.”

DIANE & STEVE ARENSON, parents of ZACHARY ARENSON (Jerry’s-Eden Prairie carry-out)“Dear Family of Jerry, We just wanted to pass along our condolenceson the loss of Jerry. We have been meaning to thank Jerry, his familyand the company for a long time and we are sorry we waited untilJerry's passing to do so. Our son Zachary Arenson has worked atJerry's Foods in Eden Prairie for over 10 years. He never misses a dayand loves coming to work. What is special about Zachary is that hehas Autism. The job has taught him so much about how to be socially appropriate, how to be responsible and gives him a sense ofself-worth. We commend your company for being open to hiringpeople with disabilities and as your store managers can probably tellyou, Zach has been a great employee. By the way, Zach saved hismoney that he earned at Jerry's and went down to watch the MNTwins at Spring Training a few years ago. While many people take

Thank You from Shirley Paulsen & the Entire Paulsen Family…On behalf of Shirley Paulsen and the entire Paulsen family, we would like to thank everyone especially the Jerry’s family for their

expression of condolences and concern with the passing of our husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

A special thanks to Jerry’s Foods-Edina for the catering and floral arrangements, and Jerry’s Printing for the photo poster boards and the programs, and to Carol Jackson for her help and dedication in commemorating his life and service.

Jerry dedicated his life to serving people.

We will honor his legacy of service as we move into the future.

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Remembering Jerry…DAVID GERDES (retired Jerry’s vice president of human resources)“To paraphrase Charles Dickens, Jerry was ‘The Founder of the Feast.’He loved all of his employees. He created jobs for people to buy ahome, to go to college, to realize their dreams. He had an unbelievable knack for choosing good people to surround himselfand his company, and was especially proud of his beloved granddaughter, Melissa. Jerry taught us the ethics of hard work, discipline, and frugality. We also had a lot of fun. One day whileroasting coffee he almost burned his office and deck down. Anothertime as George St. Germain and I were sitting in the old break room,Jerry came through and proudly declared that ‘Slimfast was thegreatest thing in the world with three scoops of ice cream.’ (Jerrywas always on a diet.)"

STEVE SUMMERS (Jerry’s corporate director of retail operations, along-time employee & family friend – from comments made at Apr.10th service)“When first going to work for Jerry’s it was not long before I discovered the emphasis on family in our company. Not only didJerry employ members of his and Shirley’s family, but it seemed thathis philosophy was that if one family member was a good employee,why not hire the guy’s brother, his sisters and maybe even his mother. For a brief period of time myself, all five of my siblings andmy mom worked for Jerry’s. Even my kids all spent time in our company to help pay for their college education. Similar family stories have been repeated over and over again throughout ourorganization; whether a stepping stone through college, or a longtime career, numerous families have benefitted. Today Jerry’s provides great jobs to great people from Florida to Wisconsin andMinnesota for some 3,400 people and their families. There arenumerous associates who have teens, 20 even 30 to 40 years withJerry’s. I’d guess it’s all about family.

“I have fond memories of Jerry, at the Edina store in his daily uniform. His long white, crisp and clean meat coat made him lookmore like a doctor than a butcher. Customers and employees alikecould see him coming or easily find him in the store because of it.You may have seen his picture in his meat coat...Like any good entrepreneur, he worked long hours, six and seven days a week.What a great example of how hard work can pay off.

“Jerry taught us all the value of the dollar. I recall one sign posted inthe store's backroom that stated: ‘Break a 55 cent bottle of syrupand we have to sell $55 worth of groceries to make up for it.’ Thiswas an early lesson on the razor thin profits of the grocery business.He once organized a pumpkin picking party on a Sunday afternoonfor a number of store management, their spouses, and their kids. Hewas always thinking. What a great way to have a party and also clearhis fields of pumpkins to be sold in the stores at the same time. Freelabor and a party all in one. He even found a way to sell the green,un-ripened pumpkins that we had attempted to discard out the van’sback door on our way home. His sister June would paint them to sellin the stores. This became a good Halloween item for years to come.

“Jerry was often way ahead of his time when it came to innovation infood and its preparation. He used to provide us with articles andideas from the many grocery and food magazines which he scouredregularly. We often ordered new products before they became com-mon in the market and were taught the importance of new items inthis ever changing business. Who would have thought you could runan entire ad around Vidalia onions or sell a product called a honeydipper to a whole bunch of your customers? Jerry did. It was only afew weeks ago he was informing us we were missing the boat onmeatball sales and that we needed to spend a couple hundred thou-sand dollars on a meatball machine.

“Jerry loved gadgets, especially when they pertained to food. I oftenthought he stayed in the hardware business, so he could have easyaccess to the latest tool, gadget or lawnmower. He tried many formsof retail throughout the years – butcher shops, dress shops, kids andmen’s clothing stores, print shops, a car dealership, flower markets,hardware and grocery stores and now liquor stores. Some failed butmost flourished. He was the consummate retailer.

“Jerry shared his success not only with his own family, but also withhis Jerry’s Foods family. He sponsored a number of trips over theyears to places like Alaska, Hawaii and even to Europe. His holdingson Sanibel Island, Florida have enabled many associates to experience this island paradise. One of the first trips to Sanibel, Jerrydecided our group of store managers, department supervisors and afew of his Sanibel friends should go deep sea fishing. We got to thepier early in the morning and piled onto the boat to head out to sea.As we pulled away we looked back to the pier to see Jerry standingon it waving good-bye. When we yelled back to him ‘Aren’t you coming?’ he replied, ‘No Way.’ He apparently had a bad experienceat sea while in the service, years past. When we arrived back at themarina later that day Jerry found that about 12 of the 15 of us, wereeither sea sick or feeling quite queasy. He got a kick out of the factthat he had wisely elected to stay back on dry land that day.

“Years back I had the opportunity to fish in Alaska with our group.Being the rookie on the trip, it was decided that I would fish withJerry my first day out. Learning how to fish silver salmon in anAlaskan river was one thing, but spending the entire day in a boat inthe wilderness with the CEO of the company was quite another. Asthe morning moved on, we caught zero fish and when Jerry cast hisreel right off his rod into the water, I was not looking forward to theafternoon. We talked about life in general and didn’t discuss much atall about business and found we weren’t too concerned about thelack of fish. Jerry stated he was just there to enjoy the wildernessand watch me fish. When I did finally hook a fish, Jerry got his lineback in the water and was able to catch one too. The day was complete, and a fond memory was etched in our minds for good.

“Jerry loved sports, especially baseball, football and golf. As many ofyou know, he had his farm on Clearwater Lake in Annandale, trans-formed into a golf course. This was the site for a number of years,where six or eight times a summer, we would get together for ameeting and host an important vendor guest. For Jerry it wasn’tabout the meeting or even the golf (though he loved to play). It wasabout getting his boys and girls together, to stay in touch with eachof them and the various vendors. He always seemed to recharge afterthese events and it was a great time for us all to interact with him aswell.

“We have recently begun a process to rebrand Jerry’s Foods. You mayhave noticed our new logo on our Edina store. This process willensure that Jerry’s name and what it represents will live long into thefuture.”

RON LIEN (Ft Myers FL – former employee Jerry’s Foods-Edina) &husband of PAT LIEN (Jerry’s-Sanibel deli mgr,)“This great man was everything to me also, and I understand thismore as the years go by. He gave me a job that paid for my education. I met my wife of 37-yrs while working for him. Pat is stillthere, in a career of some 40-yrs. Jerry showed me that hard workand discipline “does” pay off. He raised a wonderful family. I’m tryingto do the same. Jerry was an incredible role model if you wanted tosucceed in life. He had the wisdom to choose Bob Shadduck as hissuccessor. Bob took the ball and ran with it, and everyone kept theirjobs and has 401-k’s as well. Jerry could have just sold-off and“adiosed”…but he didn’t. Goodbye Jerry! Goodbye Boss! I will neverforget you. Thank you for everything you gave me!”

His Life in Pictures…

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The Operation Grows… His Dream Lives On…

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The Operation Grows… His Dream Lives On…

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Remembering Jerry…DAVID GERDES (retired Jerry’s vice president of human resources)“To paraphrase Charles Dickens, Jerry was ‘The Founder of the Feast.’He loved all of his employees. He created jobs for people to buy ahome, to go to college, to realize their dreams. He had an unbelievable knack for choosing good people to surround himselfand his company, and was especially proud of his beloved granddaughter, Melissa. Jerry taught us the ethics of hard work, discipline, and frugality. We also had a lot of fun. One day whileroasting coffee he almost burned his office and deck down. Anothertime as George St. Germain and I were sitting in the old break room,Jerry came through and proudly declared that ‘Slimfast was thegreatest thing in the world with three scoops of ice cream.’ (Jerrywas always on a diet.)"

STEVE SUMMERS (Jerry’s corporate director of retail operations, along-time employee & family friend – from comments made at Apr.10th service)“When first going to work for Jerry’s it was not long before I discovered the emphasis on family in our company. Not only didJerry employ members of his and Shirley’s family, but it seemed thathis philosophy was that if one family member was a good employee,why not hire the guy’s brother, his sisters and maybe even his mother. For a brief period of time myself, all five of my siblings andmy mom worked for Jerry’s. Even my kids all spent time in our company to help pay for their college education. Similar family stories have been repeated over and over again throughout ourorganization; whether a stepping stone through college, or a longtime career, numerous families have benefitted. Today Jerry’s provides great jobs to great people from Florida to Wisconsin andMinnesota for some 3,400 people and their families. There arenumerous associates who have teens, 20 even 30 to 40 years withJerry’s. I’d guess it’s all about family.

“I have fond memories of Jerry, at the Edina store in his daily uniform. His long white, crisp and clean meat coat made him lookmore like a doctor than a butcher. Customers and employees alikecould see him coming or easily find him in the store because of it.You may have seen his picture in his meat coat...Like any good entrepreneur, he worked long hours, six and seven days a week.What a great example of how hard work can pay off.

“Jerry taught us all the value of the dollar. I recall one sign posted inthe store's backroom that stated: ‘Break a 55 cent bottle of syrupand we have to sell $55 worth of groceries to make up for it.’ Thiswas an early lesson on the razor thin profits of the grocery business.He once organized a pumpkin picking party on a Sunday afternoonfor a number of store management, their spouses, and their kids. Hewas always thinking. What a great way to have a party and also clearhis fields of pumpkins to be sold in the stores at the same time. Freelabor and a party all in one. He even found a way to sell the green,un-ripened pumpkins that we had attempted to discard out the van’sback door on our way home. His sister June would paint them to sellin the stores. This became a good Halloween item for years to come.

“Jerry was often way ahead of his time when it came to innovation infood and its preparation. He used to provide us with articles andideas from the many grocery and food magazines which he scouredregularly. We often ordered new products before they became com-mon in the market and were taught the importance of new items inthis ever changing business. Who would have thought you could runan entire ad around Vidalia onions or sell a product called a honeydipper to a whole bunch of your customers? Jerry did. It was only afew weeks ago he was informing us we were missing the boat onmeatball sales and that we needed to spend a couple hundred thou-sand dollars on a meatball machine.

“Jerry loved gadgets, especially when they pertained to food. I oftenthought he stayed in the hardware business, so he could have easyaccess to the latest tool, gadget or lawnmower. He tried many formsof retail throughout the years – butcher shops, dress shops, kids andmen’s clothing stores, print shops, a car dealership, flower markets,hardware and grocery stores and now liquor stores. Some failed butmost flourished. He was the consummate retailer.

“Jerry shared his success not only with his own family, but also withhis Jerry’s Foods family. He sponsored a number of trips over theyears to places like Alaska, Hawaii and even to Europe. His holdingson Sanibel Island, Florida have enabled many associates to experience this island paradise. One of the first trips to Sanibel, Jerrydecided our group of store managers, department supervisors and afew of his Sanibel friends should go deep sea fishing. We got to thepier early in the morning and piled onto the boat to head out to sea.As we pulled away we looked back to the pier to see Jerry standingon it waving good-bye. When we yelled back to him ‘Aren’t you coming?’ he replied, ‘No Way.’ He apparently had a bad experienceat sea while in the service, years past. When we arrived back at themarina later that day Jerry found that about 12 of the 15 of us, wereeither sea sick or feeling quite queasy. He got a kick out of the factthat he had wisely elected to stay back on dry land that day.

“Years back I had the opportunity to fish in Alaska with our group.Being the rookie on the trip, it was decided that I would fish withJerry my first day out. Learning how to fish silver salmon in anAlaskan river was one thing, but spending the entire day in a boat inthe wilderness with the CEO of the company was quite another. Asthe morning moved on, we caught zero fish and when Jerry cast hisreel right off his rod into the water, I was not looking forward to theafternoon. We talked about life in general and didn’t discuss much atall about business and found we weren’t too concerned about thelack of fish. Jerry stated he was just there to enjoy the wildernessand watch me fish. When I did finally hook a fish, Jerry got his lineback in the water and was able to catch one too. The day was complete, and a fond memory was etched in our minds for good.

“Jerry loved sports, especially baseball, football and golf. As many ofyou know, he had his farm on Clearwater Lake in Annandale, trans-formed into a golf course. This was the site for a number of years,where six or eight times a summer, we would get together for ameeting and host an important vendor guest. For Jerry it wasn’tabout the meeting or even the golf (though he loved to play). It wasabout getting his boys and girls together, to stay in touch with eachof them and the various vendors. He always seemed to recharge afterthese events and it was a great time for us all to interact with him aswell.

“We have recently begun a process to rebrand Jerry’s Foods. You mayhave noticed our new logo on our Edina store. This process willensure that Jerry’s name and what it represents will live long into thefuture.”

RON LIEN (Ft Myers FL – former employee Jerry’s Foods-Edina) &husband of PAT LIEN (Jerry’s-Sanibel deli mgr,)“This great man was everything to me also, and I understand thismore as the years go by. He gave me a job that paid for my education. I met my wife of 37-yrs while working for him. Pat is stillthere, in a career of some 40-yrs. Jerry showed me that hard workand discipline “does” pay off. He raised a wonderful family. I’m tryingto do the same. Jerry was an incredible role model if you wanted tosucceed in life. He had the wisdom to choose Bob Shadduck as hissuccessor. Bob took the ball and ran with it, and everyone kept theirjobs and has 401-k’s as well. Jerry could have just sold-off and“adiosed”…but he didn’t. Goodbye Jerry! Goodbye Boss! I will neverforget you. Thank you for everything you gave me!”

His Life in Pictures…

Supervalu’s ad program in 1980. Among Jerry’s more inspired ideaswas to open a Jerry’s Foods store on Sanibel. Many Edina customers, including Jerry’s family, vacationed on Sanibel Island and theirdemand for Jerry’s quality fresh meats and foods led him to spendyears overcoming local resistance to build a store. The result was a beautiful shopping center including a lush courtyard complete withtropical birds, local shops and galleries and, of course, a Jerry’s Foodsstore and restaurant. In the 30 years since Jerry’s of Sanibel opened ithas become an anchor of the community, providing critical supportduring recovery efforts for Hurricane Charlie. The restaurant is oftenranked as “the local favorite.”

Jerry’s Grandview Heights Edina complex is the flagship of our operation. Jerry’s Foods-Edina expanded to the Grandview HeightsShopping Center in 1988 following major remodeling of the Edinacomplex. JPs restaurant was added as well as five floors includingmore shops, business office space and expansion of Jerry’s corporateoffices.

From his lifelong love of high quality meats and foods today Jerry’sEnterprises, Inc. has now grown to the expansive corporation thatconsists of 37 grocery stores, five hardware stores and various othercommercial and real estate interests.

He Supported the Community…Jerry was a low-profile leader. He preferred to stay out of the limelight and yet he supported numerous community events over theyears. He was recognized as Edina’s Businessman of the Year in 1983by the Edina Chamber of Commerce for his extraordinary businesssuccess and outstanding contributions to the Edina community. In2007 the Outstanding Grocer Award was presented to him by theMinnesota Grocer’s Association. This award recognizes an outstanding industry leader and is chosen by his/her peers for theiraccomplishments as a grocer in Minnesota. Additionally, they mustdisplay a strong commitment to their community and be involved inthe MGA.

Jerry believed “An investment in our communities is an investment inpeople.” He has shared a rich but private history of philanthropy. Hiskindness has benefited local food shelves, schools and churches.Jerry’s company-wide participation in the United Way has spanned 32years with contributions totaling nearly $2.3 million. He was alsoactive for many years with the Zurah Shrine, Edina Rotary andSalvation Army. In later years he spent much of his time in the summer at his hobby farm on Clearwater Lake near Annandale, MN,where he enjoyed playing tennis with his family, golfing, walking, andtending to his extensive flower beds and gardens, of which he wasmost proud. He spent many winters at his home on Sanibel Island, FLand enjoyed walking the beach and golfing.

He Knew Food…Jerry knew food. No matter where he was, Jerry enjoyed and appreciated all aspects of food and its preparation. He knew qualityfood and could taste differences in flavors. He was the ultimate

“foodie” and had a collection of thousands of cookbooks and files ofrecipes, and it seemed as if he owned at least one of every kitchengadget ever invented. It wasn’t enough to sell the best food – he alsoloved to cook it and eat it. It was fun to see what he would be interested in next. He talked about Emeril and what Emeril would dolong before Emeril became a household name. In recent years onewould find him in the middle of the afternoon with the Food Channelblaring on his office TV as he listened intently to the discussion ofthe next food trend.

He Loved His Family…Above and beyond all of his other interests, Jerry was most happywhen he was surrounded by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and he took great pride in their accomplishments. He is survived by his wife of almost 66 years,Shirley; daughters – Charlotte (Robert) Shadduck of Annandale, MN,LuAnn (Brian) Cornell of Minnetonka, MN, and Cheryl (Peter) Sullivanof Edina, MN; grandchildren – Melissa (Jonathan) Schaefer, Kristin(Marc) Fahey, Amy (Jim) Miller, Adam (Aubrey) Cornell, Sarah (Joel)Ihrie, Allison (Ted) Bickel, Brett Cornell, Kelly Sullivan, Monica (fiancéMax Hintz) Sullivan, and Michael Sullivan; nine great-grandchildren;nephews Kenneth (Diane) Lund and Jerry Brunskill, and niece VictoriaBrunskill; his beloved companion, Charlie; and over 3,500 members ofthe current Jerry’s Foods' family as well as our retirees. Preceding himin death were his parents and sister, June Brunskill.

Two family members hold key positions within the company – son-in-law Bob Shadduck is corporate president and granddaughter, MelissaShadduck Schaefer is corporate project manager.

Service was held on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at Mt. Olivet LutheranChurch, Minneapolis, MN.

His Dream Lives On…Jerry first put on his long white butcher’s coat in 1947. He was apresence in the store, continuing to wear the butcher’s coat as hewalked through Jerry’s Foods in Edina as CEO. “For being a man incharge of a large corporation, Jerry was just Jerry to his customers(and employees),” wrote Marci Matson, Edina Historical SocietyExecutive Director. “They would find him sitting in the coffee shop orpicking up a few items for the dishes he loved to cook at home.There’s something so hometown about drinking coffee with the localgrocery store owner. I know his many customers will miss the manwho has made his mark on Edina.”

Jerry had a calling, a vocation. He was a man with a dream...a hardworker…a provider of a good living for thousands of employees… agiver of heroic, selfless service to our country. He loved and alwaysmade time for his family as well as the Jerry’s family…and, learnedearly on from difficulties in his home life. He was a man of faith.

Thank you, Jerry. Rest in Peace...Rest in Peace.

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Remembering Jerry Continued…RICK ALLEN (Prescott WI – Jerry’s Printing & Great Rivers Printingmgr.)“We are so sad to hear of Jerry’s passing. He has been a mentor tome for over 37 years and his trust and generosity created the environment for Jerry’s Printing and Great Rivers Printing to growand flourish and for Val and me, in turn, to nurture and grow ourhome and family. This cannot go without sincere thanks to yourwhole family – Jerry will always remain with us in memory.”

MARY & JOSHUA (Minnetonka MN); VI KLABUNDE (Jerry’s & Cub-WSPdeli mgr. & Jerry’s-Edina deli)“My mother-in-law, Vi Klabunde worked for Jerry for over 20 years atJerry’s West St. Paul and Cub. She always spoke highly of Jerry andsaid he was a wonderful person to work for.”

PHIL (Cub-Bloomington frozen/dairy & Jerry’s-Edina) & DODIE JOHNSON (Edina MN – former Jerry’s-Edina cashier)“Jerry was a pleasure to work for and a man who gave a lot to thecommunity. We remember with great fondness the way you (Shirley)and Jerry were there for us when we lost our daughter in 1988 and how much you did for us.”

JOHN ERHARD (Jerry’s corporate meat director)“You treated my family like gold. You were genuinely concernedabout us and especially our daughter when she was ill. I enjoyed ourconversations and your creative ideas in the meat and sausage industry. I am so grateful to work for your great company. Your innovative meat and sausage ideas will live on forever! Rest in peaceBoss.”

MIKE HELMBRECHT (Ft. Myers FL – retired Jerry’s & Cub MN and FL)“Jerry was a wonderful mentor, a great boss and a good friend…”

MIKE THORNTON (RBC Wealth Management) “I worked with Jerry since 1989. He was firm and absolutely fair in allhis business dealings. I will miss him greatly.”

NANCY HOVEY (Cub-Knollwood store director)“I can’t express enough the opportunities Jerry has given to me andothers. Allowing for women to become Store Directors was certainlyone of those opportunities that have meant so much to me. I amnow one of Jerry’s girls or guys, as Jerry would like to say!”

ED ANDERSON (Cub-Lake St. store director)“I remember when I was the Director of Transportation (OK TruckDriver) for Jerry’s and our fleet consisted of a 1958 Internationalsemi-tractor and three trailers. After the ’58 blew up Jerry OK’d thepurchase of a brand new 1972 Mack semi-tractor. After about amonth of driving the shiny green Mack, I was backing up to pick up atrailer when the Mack slid under the trailer and smashed a hole inthe cab of the truck. I remember thinking that Jerry would probablyfire me! When I got up the nerve to tell him about the incident Jerryjust shrugged and said, ‘Well I knew it wouldn’t be new forever.’ Itwas that incident that taught me that Jerry ‘s bark was bigger thanhis bite.”

SHARON MAIDMENT (Jerry’s corporate office manager) “I remember sitting in the cafe at Jerry's Foods in Edina where he

hired me to work in the office doing accounts payables and payrollway back in 1975. He was very successful in the grocery businessand I have appreciated working for him all these years...My thoughts,prayers and deepest sympathy goes out to all of his family at thistime. He will be deeply missed not only by his family but all of theJerry's Foods family as well.”

LINDA JACKSON (Cub-Elk River CSM)“This is where it all began! Thank you Jerry for giving me a place tocall home...Cub Foods Elk River, MN."

MURIEL PETERSON (retired Jerry’s demo person and floral)“Jerry LOVED pizza and pizza demos were his very favorite. When I

was demoing for Jerry’s in Edina many years ago, Jerry would comedown from his office upstairs and stop at my demo table and say,‘What are you doing today, Dolly? Give me a few of those and bringthem up to my office or save them under the counter for me and I’llpick them up later.’ He loved ‘nibbly’s’ of all kinds. When I was sampling Jerry’s cooked corned beef and we would make Jerry’sgrilled corned beef & coleslaw sandwiches (‘Rachels’) he would lovethem also. In fact he was always pleased to see his own productsdemoed – Jerry’s Swedish meat balls and potato ring sausage, oldfashioned wieners and Polish sausage, etc. He never was real keenthough when we were demoing some healthy snack.”

CAROL JACKSON (Jerry’s corporate mgr.-home economics/consumerservices)“Jerry loved ice cream and loved to talk about how much butterfat

was in the ice cream especially in quizzing the sales reps when theytried to sell him on a new product for the store. Of course, the higher the butterfat, the better. I remember when he would have icecream vendors cornered because they couldn’t explain the amount ofbutterfat and overrun in their products. By the time they were finished selling (or not selling) him the product they were muchmore educated than when they first shook his hand. He often hadme doing research for specific instructions or a recipe for a newgadget he had purchased, or for nutritional information on a newproduct he had picked up. I remember the time he asked me to calculate the calories and fat in our apple fritters (back before thedays of nutrition software). I did the research and gave it to him andthat evening at a retirement party his comment was, ‘Boy, you sureknow how to ruin my day.’ ”

JIM HANSON (Pan-O-Gold Baking Company)“When I visited Jerry as recently as a month ago, he spent about

four minutes chewing me out. I asked him if he was ‘done now’ towhich he replied that he was and we had a wonderful visit. Jerry’swas always good to me and I appreciated it.”

JIM VALENTINE (Grantsburg, WI – retired Kemp’s)“I remember having breakfast in the Edina store 30 years ago. I had

eggs, and Jerry's pork links. Jerry came by and sat down across fromme. He reached over with a fork and took a piece of sausage, hechewed on it a minute, and then shouted, ‘Get that Sherbanenko uphere.’ Sherbanenko came up and Jerry chewed him out for someingredient he found missing from the flavor. Jerry knew his meatsand formulas. Jerry's pork links are the best on the market. I enjoythem today, buying a couple of packages at the Hudson, Woodbury,or North Branch stores… Mmmmmmmm.”

DIANE & STEVE ARENSON, parents of ZACHARY ARENSON (Jerry’s-Eden Prairie carry-out)“Dear Family of Jerry, We just wanted to pass along our condolenceson the loss of Jerry. We have been meaning to thank Jerry, his familyand the company for a long time and we are sorry we waited untilJerry's passing to do so. Our son Zachary Arenson has worked atJerry's Foods in Eden Prairie for over 10 years. He never misses a dayand loves coming to work. What is special about Zachary is that hehas Autism. The job has taught him so much about how to be socially appropriate, how to be responsible and gives him a sense ofself-worth. We commend your company for being open to hiringpeople with disabilities and as your store managers can probably tellyou, Zach has been a great employee. By the way, Zach saved hismoney that he earned at Jerry's and went down to watch the MNTwins at Spring Training a few years ago. While many people take

Thank You from Shirley Paulsen & the Entire Paulsen Family…On behalf of Shirley Paulsen and the entire Paulsen family, we would like to thank everyone especially the Jerry’s family for their

expression of condolences and concern with the passing of our husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

A special thanks to Jerry’s Foods-Edina for the catering and floral arrangements, and Jerry’s Printing for the photo poster boards and the programs, and to Carol Jackson for her help and dedication in commemorating his life and service.

Jerry dedicated his life to serving people.

We will honor his legacy of service as we move into the future.

Written & edited by Carol Jackson.(with assistance from Bob Shadduck & Melissa Shadduck Schaefer)

Designed by Tammy Erickson

Produced & printed by Great Rivers Printing

Photo/Artwork Credits: Carol Jackson, Jerry’s Corporate Office; the Paulsen Family; Jerry’s corporate archives

SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER NUMBER 55

erry Paulsen, whose name-sake grocery store is a decades-old institution in Edina, passed away on April 5, 2013 at his home inEdina.

The Early Years…From humble beginnings, Jerry was born nearly 90 years ago inMinneapolis, MN to parents Kitty (Damuth) and Arnold Paulsen. He graduated from South High School in 1941 and was awarded a scholarship to the Minneapolis School of Business. He met Shirley AnnLund at a local roller rink and became engaged on New Year’s Eve. Theirplans, including his education, were interrupted by WWII where heserved in the U.S. Army, fighting in Belgium and Germany with the 69thInfantry Division. Within a few months of returning from the war hemarried Shirley on June 15, 1946.

He got a job with Swift selling meats and trained as a butcher, workingpart-time at Grandview Market in Edina while earning a business degreefrom the University of Minnesota. He became the neighborhood butcher,the kind who greeted his customers by name and cut their steaks andpork chops to order. When Grandview Market went out of business hebought the operation in 1950 and opened a general grocery store acrossVernon Avenue, near the site of the current Jerry’s Foods store and corporate offices.

After mixed success operating chain stores (including Humpty Dumptyand Jerry’s Lucky Dollar), Jerry purchased the “Kroger” building downthe hill in 1967 and moved the supermarket operation. Today, the corporate headquarters at 5101 Vernon Avenue South in Edina isanchored by the Jerry’s Foods store on the south end and Jerry’s Do It

Best Hardware and Jerry’s Printing on the north end.

Jerry built his reputation as having the best meat in town, and becamethe first in the region to mass merchandise Aged USDA Prime Beef, the“specialty of the house.” Jerry was a visionary. As times and attitudes of consumers changed, he always managed to stay ahead of the times.Back in the 70’s he saw a need for “value added” products and marketed a line called “Culinary Convenience” and low-fat, well-trimmed meats and called it “Diet-Lean.” His creative ideas werebefore the health-conscious craze and value-added products became thenorm. In a 1985 StarTrib interview, he said, “Meat is still a great love,but now I’m very much involved in the total picture. I began working ina grocery store as a means of support, and I just stuck with it…Iworked afternoons until I got my degree at the university.Merchandising the meat, putting some variety in the meat case, thatwas a challenge.”

One of the mainstays of the operation is still Jerry’s sausage products.Jerry’s own recipes continue to be made today by our sausage plant,Minnesota Meat Masters, at Annandale, MN. These outstanding products include breakfast sausage, Polish sausage, old fashionedwieners, Swedish potato ring, Swedish meat balls, Milwaukee andcooked brats. Jerry’s still manufacturers sausage products for Jerry’s andCub stores, the old-fashioned way with natural casings in a USDA-supervised plant.

The Operation Grows…The 70’s and 80’s brought more growth and the stores joined

J5101 Vernon Ave. So. | Edina, MN • 55436

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Jerry Paulsen arranging meat in Jerry’s Lucky Dollar (1950’s).

A Man with a Dream…May 1, 1923 – April 5, 2013

In Loving Memory…Jerry Paulsen

THANK YOUTHANK YOU – THANK YOU

The flag in front of Jerry’s Edina headquarters was lowered to half-staffin memory of Jerry.

Remembering Jerry Continued…pictures of palm trees and the ocean, we have pictures of Zach in theJerry's store at Sanibel! We have also visited your store there and feelat home. As Zach's parents we will be forever grateful for giving Zacha place to work and a place where he feels useful. Again, please passalong our condolences to Jerry's family.”

DAN CARRIGAN (Jerry’s corporate produce/floral director)“1983 – Sanibel opening. We were open about a week and Jerrywalked into the backroom and asked why I was carrying Florida celery. I told him I could buy it locally and I could make 35% profit onthis item. He told me that Florida celery was more bitter and to paythe extra price to get California celery in the store. He also had mefor about six years go up to the farm on Friday mornings to spray theapple trees. When I first came into the office and went to the farm toplay golf with the artificial turf greens. Jim Fournier and I opened upour mouths about putting in grass greens. The next fall we endedhelping the farm crew put in rock/drainage for grass greens. JimFournier and I actually seeded the four main greens with a handspreader.”

LORI DeMARIO (Ironwood, MI – retired Jerry’s corporate office receptionist & Jerry's Edina demo person)

“Jerry was such a magnificent man. I enjoyed everything about himand especially admired his grit. He did so many wonderful things inhis remarkable life. I’ll never forget all the catalogs he’d receive in themail. He would bring them to me with little sticky notes marked withthings he wanted me to order for him. What I don’t ever miss is sending back all the things he didn’t want, especially the huge itemswhen I would have to figure out how to pack them. One of the thingsthat has stuck with me was when John got sick. He came in early onemorning, about 7 am, and as I was making coffee, he sat down on mychair and grabbed my hand and said, ‘Anything you need be sure andtell us and we’ll do our darnedest to help. We are with you, standingbehind you.’ It was the most touching thing anyone could have eversaid or did.”

GRANDCHILDREN (from comments made at service, April 10, 2013)“He gave me not only his opinion of the grocery and retail businessbut also of my fashion choices…The grandkids knew well it wasGrandpa’s chair and not to sit in it nor to touch the controls on hisremote…We couldn’t drive the golf carts on the farm until it driedoff…or drive too fast…He was personally responsible for the successof QVC. He owned every kitchen gadget they sold…He loved electronic gadgets but never knew how to use them."