Attention, Kroger shoppers: There will soon be a familiar face in charge at the Frank P. Phillips YMCA.
Bain Nickels, board chairman for the Y, confirmed Wednesday the selection of Jimmy Woodruff as the organization’s new director. Woodruff, who succeeds Andy Boyd in the role, will start his new job on Feb. 17.
The job will be a major transition for the 54-year-old Woodruff, who since age 16 had spent his entire working career with Kroger, most recently as the store manager in Starkville.
“It is going to be a big change, but I’m really looking forward to it,” said Woodruff, who grew up just down the street from the downtown Y. “I started working at Kroger when I was 16 when the store was on Main Street where the Municipal Complex is now. After high school, I went to management training and was away for a little while, but then came back to Columbus.”
Woodruff managed the Kroger on Highway 45 from 1999 until 2016 before moving over to the Starkville store. Throughout his career he was known as a hard worker who took time to greet and help customers.
“I didn’t know Jim that well, but I knew he was well thought of,” Nickels said. “He was the kind of guy that rolled up his sleeves and went to work and really took care of his customer. We couldn’t be happier to have him join us.”
Like so many people who grew up in Columbus, Woodruff’s relationship with the Y goes back to his childhood, something he said made the job all the more appealing.
“I took swimming lessons at the Y and I was a member all through high school and college,” he said. “In grade school, I can remember going to Camp Pratt. My children were members, too. So the Y has always been a big part of my life.”
Both Nickels and Woodruff said the transition to a new director has been aided by the work of Boyd, who served as the Y’s director for 11 years during a period when the nonprofit went through some major challenges. It will be Woodruff’s mission to sustain and build on Boyd’s efforts.
“We had a wonderful director in Andy Boyd for all those years,” Nickels said. “He put us in a good position. Now with Jim, we’re very adamant that we want to move the mission forward. The key objectives will be to continue the sound financial management we had under Andy, improve our finances, build membership and grow our programs and, of course, keep the focus on our Christian mission.”
Woodruff lives in New Hope with his wife, Kim, a school nurse. They have two adult children.
Although he finds himself in an entirely new occupation, Woodruff said he’ll rely on the principles that guided through his years in the grocery business.
“Obviously, there are a lot of differences,” he said. “Going from working for a corporation to a nonprofit will be a new thing and I’m sure I’ll have to learn so many things. But, really, I think it’s still about people — how you treat them, listening to them, trying your best to meet their needs and managing the resources you have. I’m so appreciative of this opportunity. It’s exciting.”
During his years at Kroger, Woodruff developed a reputation of something close to a savant: He could tell you where virtually every item in the store could be found.
“Yes, I can still tell you what aisle the pickles are on,” he chuckled. “But, really, I never thought that was so unusual. If I went to your house and asked for a pencil, you would know where the pencils were kept, wouldn’t you?
“So for me, it’s like going to a new house,” Woodruff added. “Before long, I’ll know where everything is there, too.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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