Point Lookout's Bernard P. Kennedy Promoted at King Kullen

King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. (Hauppauge, NY) has named Joseph W. Brown President and Chief Operating Officer and Bernard P. Kennedy, Esq., Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary of the 91-year-old supermarket company following a vote today by the King Kullen Board of Directors.

In March 2021, Brian C. Cullen and J. Donald Kennedy announced their intention to retire from their roles as Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer. Both Cullen and Kennedy will continue to serve King Kullen as members of the King Kullen Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

Brown, 63, began his career at King Kullen as a teenager 48 years ago, moving up the ranks to Senior Vice President Chief Merchandising Officer and, most recently, Executive Vice President. Brown also served as President of Wild by Nature, an independent subsidiary of King Kullen. In addition to his King Kullen responsibilities, Brown is Past Board President, Long Island Cares/Harry Chapin Food Bank. He resides in Centereach, New York.

Kennedy, 66, a third-generation member of the King Kullen founding family, has helped guide corporate strategy and development at King Kullen in addition to overseeing corporate real estate and legal issues. Kennedy most recently served as Senior Vice President Corporate and Legal Affairs. Beyond King Kullen, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Long Island Association and Providence House, has held executive positions on the boards of both Family & Children’s Association and Little Flower Children and Family Services, and served as Co-Managing Member of the Garden City, New York, office of Bond, Schoeneck & King. Kennedy resides in Point Lookout, New York.

“I am deeply honored to assume leadership of such an iconic Long Island company,” Brown observed. “King Kullen has been a part of my life for nearly 50 years. I have witnessed many changes within the supermarket industry during that time but what has not changed is King Kullen’s commitment to its associates and customers and dedication to the communities in which it operates. I look forward to guiding by these same principles and working with Bernie Kennedy and the executive team on behalf of the entire King Kullen organization.”

“King Kullen has been part of the Kennedy family for three generations,” Kennedy explained. “My father, Bernard, and brother, Don, held leadership positions and it is a privilege to carry on the tradition. I would like to thank the King Kullen Board, congratulate Joe on his appointment to President and COO, and express my steadfast commitment to maintaining King Kullen’s position as a leading regional supermarket with a proud history.”

Headquartered in Happauge, NY, King Kullen is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution as American’s first supermarket. Founded in 1930 by Michael J. Cullen, King Kullen operates 29 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.