March 2010
CORPORATE WHIRL > 2009 Vintage Grand Prix
Get Your Motor Running
Shop ‘n Save stores gear up for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
By Katie Mavrich | Photography by Megan Wylie
This month, July 10 through July 19, engines will rev and checkered flags will wave, the smell of car exhaust will fill the air, and thousands of people of all ages will swarm Schenley Park, Shadyside, The Waterfront, and other venues for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 10-day race week. This large-scale event is made possible by sponsors, and the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix crosses the finish line with the generous help of presenting sponsor Shop ‘n Save since 2001.
“The Shop ‘n Save owners have a long tradition of commitment to service and communities where they operate,” says Rich Haeflein, advertising manager for SUPERVALU, a grocery retail and supply chain of which Shop ‘n Save is a wholesale customer. “The retailers were impressed with the number of PVGP volunteers, more than 1,000, and their dedication to the common goal of raising money for autism and the Allegheny Valley School.”
Each Shop ‘n Save grocery store is independently owned and operated, and area stores engage in a friendly competition: Store cashiers simply ask their customers if they would like to make a donation to the Grand Prix fund with the purchase of a “Help Us Get to the Finish Line” license plate. “Last year, we raised close to $14,000 just within the two weeks that we were selling these. This year, I would like to set a goal of $20,000,” Haeflein says.
In addition to selling charity drive plates at the stores, Shop ‘n Save employees volunteer their time at the Shop ‘n Save tent in Schenley Park during the week of the event. The hospitality tent offers free food, drink, and entertainment in the form of the Steel Impressions Steel Band, as well as cars on display and a NASCAR race simulator. “Although the tent is available at no cost, free-will donations will be accepted and encouraged,” Haeflein says.
“Rich Haeflein and Shop ‘n Save have transcended traditional event sponsorship status,” says PVGP executive director Dan DelBianco. “They are as much a part of the Grand Prix as our volunteers and racers. They work tirelessly to set up the park and work the Hospitality Tent all weekend. Rich has become a year-round ambassador for our event and our charities.”
In addition to the PVGP, Shop n’ Save is also a major sponsor of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and children are extremely important to the company. “We are proud to offer the Student Extra Education Development (SEED) program, which offers science-related school assemblies through the Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium,” Haeflein says.
Despite all of the time and energy that the company puts into its causes, Haeflein is quick to give credit where credit is due.
“My job is easy, because I just coordinate all of the activities,” he says. “The Shop ‘n Save volunteers are the ones that are working long hours, on their feet, catering to all of the people coming to the tent.”
For a complete schedule of Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix events, visit pvgp.org. SUPERVALU, Supervalu.com.
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