Nov 15, 2016
Grant Welker
"We Are Market Basket"

A reporter for the Lowell Sun newspaper, Grant covers the city of Lowell, business, politics and other stories. He led the newspaper's coverage of the employee and customer uprising to save Market Basket, writing more than 70 stories on the subject in 2013 and 2014. He co-wrote "We Are Market Basket" with Daniel Korschun, a business professor at Drexel University. The book was named the general business book of the year by 800-CEO-READ, and one of the 15 Best Business Books of 2015 by Forbes magazine.

Grant has been awarded by the New England Newspaper & Press Association for education, business, environmental, profile writing and other stories. He is a journalism graduate of the University of Connecticut and lives in Boston with his wife, Angela.

What if a company were so treasured and trusted that people literally took to the streets―by the thousands―to save it? That company is Market Basket, a popular New England supermarket chain. After long-time, CEO Arthur T. Demoulas was ousted by his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, the company's managers and rank-and-file workers struck back. Risking their own livelihoods to restore the job of their beloved boss they walked out, but they didn't walk far. At huge protest rallies, they were joined by loyal customers―leaving stores empty. Suppliers and vendors stopped deliveries―rendering shelves bare. Politicians were forced to take sides. The national media and experts were stunned by the unprecedented defense of an executive. All openly challenged the Market Basket board of directors to make things right. And, in the end, they prevailed. With its arresting firsthand accounts from the streets and executive suites, We Are Market Basket is as inspiring as it is instructive. What is it about Market Basket and its leader that provokes such ferocious loyalty? How does a company spread across three states maintain a culture that embraces everyone―from cashier to customer―as family? Can a company really become an industry leader by prioritizing stakeholders over shareholders? Set against a backdrop of bad blood and corporate greed, We Are Market Basket chronicles the epic rise, fall, and redemption of this iconic and uniquely American company.

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