Dan Sanders is a retired business leader specializing in business transformations and retail store operations. He led store operations for Sprouts Farmers Market (SFM) until 2024. The specialty company’s fast growing coast-to-coast operations feature fresh, natural and organic products. SFM’s 400+ stores employ more than 32,000 team members throughout 23 states.
Prior to serving at SFM, Mr. Sanders provided retail expertise to the food industry and supermarket sector as Senior Partner of Go Think!, based in Houston, Texas. The retail-consulting firm was known for its suite of proprietary technological solutions for retailers interested in transforming their approach to marketing through a comprehensive digital strategy. Before joining Go Think!, Mr. Sanders served as a Division President for Minneapolis-based SUPERVALU. During that time, he led the business transformations at Albertsons Southern California, a 250-store chain with 20,000 employees, and ACME Markets, a 120-year-old company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company operated 126 stores in five states and employed a unionized workforce of 16,000 people. He also led Texas-based United Supermarkets, an award-winning privately held 50+ store supermarket chain employing a workforce of 11,000 and now a subsidiary of Albertsons, LLC.
Along with serving as a corporate executive, Mr. Sanders has enjoyed entrepreneurial ventures, as well. He was an equity partner at Adplex, a marketing company specializing in advertising production and business consultative services for high-profile corporate, retail, and entertainment organizations. He also co-founded AdContent, a company specializing in content management, online ad building, promotions management, and digital photography. Clients as diverse as American Airlines, NASCAR Images, HP, and YMCA used the company’s innovative Web-based rich media software to manage their intellectual property worldwide. Mr. Sanders was instrumental in preparing both companies for sale in 2002 to Windward Capital, a New York-based private investment firm.
In addition to his business endeavors, Mr. Sanders is a military veteran. He is a former Air Force flight examiner, instructor, and U-2 reconnaissance pilot. A decorated officer, Mr. Sanders was recognized for his aerial achievements during combat missions flown over Iraq during the first Gulf War. Additionally, he received numerous Air Medals for flying weather reconnaissance missions requiring the penetration of 33 typhoons. He was named a distinguished graduate and class leader for pilot instructor training at Randolph Air Force Base, and he was recognized by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce with the Outstanding Undergraduate Pilot Training Student Award that recognized his community service during undergraduate pilot training at Reese Air Force Base, Texas. He also served as a member of the Air Force One Presidential Advance Team for President George H. W. Bush.
Mr. Sanders graduated from Lubbock Christian University (B.A., ’81) where he played baseball for legendary coach Larry Hays. He was active in student government, serving as both the President of the Inter-club Council and Vice President of the Student Body. Upon graduation, Mr. Sanders received an all-university gold medal as the recipient of the Trustees’ Award. The award recognizes the graduating senior who best embodies the ideals of the university. He also received LCU’s Outstanding Recent Graduate Award (’86) and the Distinguished Alumnus Award (’07). Mr. Sanders is an alumnus of Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management (M.B.A. PKE124), where he received the George Award (’10) for his commitment to personal excellence and leadership in the classroom. Pepperdine University also honored Mr. Sanders with the Distinguished Alumnus Award ('18).
Mr. Sanders is also a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of two business books, Built to Serve (’06) and Equipped to Lead (’08). Both books, published by McGraw-Hill, have been widely translated and distributed globally.
