Honoring Marchi

Dennis Marchi became the manager of the Schnucks grocery store in Cape Girardeau nearly 21 years ago. Over that time, his upbeat attitude and participation in civic organizations have identified him as an invaluable leader in the community.

Last week, Marchi received the Leadership Cape Alumni Association's Outstanding Alumnus Award. Leadership Cape is the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's seven-month leadership training course.

Marchi serves on the boards of the chamber, the Cape Girardeau Area MAGNET, Saint Francis Medical Center, United Way of Southeast Missouri, the Salvation Army and other groups.

A few year ago, Marchi was honored by the Food Service Institute for offering to let area residents use Schnucks freezers after a storm knocked out power.

Marchi, who started his career in grocery stores as a 16-year-old bagger, sometimes can be seen bagging groceries at the store he manages so well. He reminds us that the best leaders are people who really know their business and the people who make it work.