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April 26, 2004

Craig MacDonald, Industry Veteran and BrainTrust Panelist, Passes Away

By Al McClain

Our friend and retailing industry veteran passed away this past Friday, in Arizona. As many know, Craig was in and around the food industry much of his life, and known by many through his efforts working with retailers over a 30+ year career with Unilever. He was on many industry boards and worked on numerous industry initiatives. (Click here for his full profile.) In recent years, Craig had formed a partnership with Unilever veteran Pete Deeb, and their consulting business was quite successful in just a short period of time.

I knew Craig from his days at Lipton, and mine at Supermarket Insights (the video program). To me, Craig was kind of a formal guy, maybe even a bit gruff, but under that overworked exterior it was always easy to see a warm heart and a refreshing honesty. He never spent any time dishing dirt on anyone -- always happier talking about ongoing projects, how this or that might work better, and what we might accomplish if we worked harder and more efficiently. He also had a keen sense of humor, expressed in a very hearty laugh, a much understated way of talking about himself, and a willingness to share his knowledge.

Craig was the type of guy who paid attention when you were with him, asked great questions, and gave you straight answers, all qualities much appreciated in today's world. Even when critically ill, he continued to handle business matters and respond to his e-mails, all while ensuring he appreciated the time he had left, lots of which he spent with his family.

Over the years, one of my fondest memories of Craig is the way he somehow "herded cats" in organizing countless industry golf tournaments and ran them about 100% better than they would otherwise have run. In the past year, it was noteworthy that Craig continued to work on his laptop in intensive care, and kept learning and questioning how things worked. He even managed to play in a golf tournament, just a few weeks ago.

Craig is survived by his wife Karen, and two daughters. There will be visiting hours at the Desmond Funeral Home in Royal Oak Michigan on Friday, April 30, and a Mass on Saturday morning at St. Columbans R.C. Church in Birmingham, Michigan.