Market Legends – Celebrating Westborn’s Rich History

THE FACES BEHIND THE FRESHNESS!

George and Janette Anusbigian always had a profound love of people, food, family, and fun. This passion helped fuel their vision to provide the freshest seasonal produce to friends and family, within a warm and welcoming environment. It is this enduring passion that helped create the magic of today's Westborn Market.

From humble beginnings in a tiny, rented storefront in West Dearborn, to what stands now as a 25,000 square foot market, we have never strayed from their vision. Today, Westborn Market proudly continues the mission of George and Janette... where people, food, family, and fun are always in season. Their passion for creating a work environment that not only team members enjoyed, but wanted to stay in, is the essence of our Market Legends.

We will be highlighting our team members throughout the year. Check out and check back to learn more about our wonderful team members. We genuinely think they are legends!

Annette

Annette was initially drawn to Westborn through a friend’s recommendation; their sons played t-ball together. She interviewed on a Friday, began at Westborn the following Monday, and has been on the team for 29 years since! Annette values the family-oriented feeling at Westborn, and her time at the store has been her favorite job of those she has held. While reflecting on her career at Westborn, Annette’s proudest accomplishment has been her promotion to Assistant Produce Manager and the opportunity to hold a leadership position. She is proud and grateful for how well her team in the Produce Department collaborates together! One of Annette’s favorite Westborn memories was connecting with a customer whose two beautiful Alaskan Malamute dogs would sit in the bed of his truck while he shopped. The dogs absolutely loved Annette and made her day whenever they visited. Annette loves to ride bikes and take her dog, Cooper, for a walk! Annette adopted Cooper and her cat Cody 10 years ago, and they are best buddies. She loves to look after the stray animals in her neighborhood and support folks in taking care of their pets. She cares for stray cats by giving them food, a warm place to sleep in the winter time, and a trip to the vet for check-ups. Annette loves the turkey lasagna soup and chicken tenders for lunch at Westborn. On a three-day weekend, Annette would love to go biking in the parks and on walks by the water with Cooper

Ed was initially drawn to Westborn through a friend in the skateboarding community that spent every summer working in the Seafood Department at the Berkley store. While at Westborn, Ed has appreciated the ability to quickly connect and collaborate with folks in management. Ed values partnership with his team to find solutions and work through challenges together. As Ed reflects on his time in the Meat Department, he has noticed that despite fluctuating prices through the years, steak and chicken have remained popular! Ed’s proudest accomplishment since joining Westborn has been becoming a shift leader and working with his team full time. At the Berkley store, Ed worked hard to show his dedication to a full-time role in the Meat Department. One of Ed’s favorite memories is the Wild, Wild, Westborn Team Appreciation Week, and he enjoyed seeing the team dress up for the fun theme! Further, Ed is grateful for all the folks who have stayed together at Westborn through the last decade. He appreciates all of the familiar faces, and especially catching up with Russ who trained him! Outside of the store, Ed has been skateboarding for 23 years, and he has many flashy flip tricks up his sleeve! He enjoys skating on rails and appreciates the artistry of the scuﬀed art on his skateboards. Ed specializes in street skating and loves to find hidden places in the environment to make a perfect skate jump. While turning places that are typically overlooked into custom skate parks, Ed has learned cement-work! Last year, Ed and his friends rehabilitated an abandoned splash-pad to be used for skating, and the local community was so grateful for their hard work to make the space clean and usable again! On his ideal three-day weekend Ed would be skating in the evening and enjoying dinner with his wife.

Jane

Jane began her Westborn career 26 years ago as a cashier. Over the years, she has held positions such as Shift Lead, Customer Service Manager, and Store Manager, and is now currently the Director of the Front End. Jane is motivated by how personable Westborn is—she doesn’t feel like a number, but a valued team member. As the grocery industry changes, Jane has noticed that people are thinking more about what they eat and how food affects health. Throughout her career, she has taken pride in all she has learned, the various roles she has held, and the additional responsibilities she has taken on. Sharing her years of experience with her team members fulfils her. Jane reflects fondly on her days as Customer Service Manager, when she led a close-knit team and had daily interactions with customers. Away from work, Jane enjoys gardening. She loves all plants too much to choose a favorite, but she enjoys the consistency of perennials. She will pick up any book that catches her eye and enjoys discussing and sharing recommendations with co-workers. She loves her family, travelling to visit them in places like Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio, or spending all day chatting with her eight grandchildren!

Jim

Charmed by the people-oriented nature and compelled by the multiple locations, Jim began work at Westborn. He is currently the Meat Director. Jim is motivated by Westborn’s marketing, stating that the thoughtful displays and artistic signage create a great work environment. Despite the challenges COVID brought, Jim is proud of how he led his department through the pandemic. Not only was he able to navigate fluctuating changes and handle the stress efficiently—he ended up having his best two years in sales! Due to his success, he, members of his department, and the C.E.O went to lunch to celebrate, a memory he reflects on fondly. Over his years in the grocery industry, Jim has noticed a push towards cleaner eating, and he believes that Westborn’s emphasis on freshness and excellent quality is succeeding on that front. Jim’s favorite aspect of his job is having the chance to look into new products, researching new trends, and learning about the meat process right from the farm. Jim enjoys football, golfing, a smooth glass of whisky, or an ice-cold beer. He never considered himself a cat person until he met Rose, a sweet kitten, who switches dog people into cat people. An ideal long weekend for Jim consists of many naps, spending time on the lake, a stroll through greenhouses with his significant other, or binging a good TV show, oh, and another nap!