Next-Gen Data Scientists Drive Competitive Edge for AWG Family of Brands in University of Illinois Partnership

AWG and the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have successfully concluded two high-impact data research projects for the 2025-2026 academic year. Now in its fifth year, the strategic partnership merges the data science skills of the university’s prestigious Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) students with the real-world complexities of the grocery sector, specifically private brands.

“Our commitment to the next generation of business leaders is fundamental to how we evolve as a company,” said Patrick Reeves, AWG Chief Human Resources Officer. “This partnership does more than just provide us with data; it allows us to mentor emerging talent while gaining a fresh, unbiased look at our own operations.”

The collaboration provides AWG with sophisticated, actionable insights while offering students valuable experience that enhances their future career prospects. Guided by Professor Ashish Khandelwal, who oversees experiential learning projects for the MSBA program at Gies Business, student cohorts studied two areas of AWG’s private brand business. This year’s initiatives focused on:

• New Item Adoption: Students analyzed product adoption data to evaluate marketing and sales programs for private-brand launches, providing a roadmap to optimize future new item promotional programs.
  
  
• Pricing Dynamics: A second project included a deep dive into pricing structures for AWG’s flagship private brands, Always Save® and Best Choice®, specifically modeling the impact of price gaps and economic factors.

“What gives this kind of project its value is that students work with real AWG data on real business decisions, with multiple teams each going deep into their own categories,” Khandelwal said. “The beauty of the design is that they have to analyze the same decision through the perspectives of different stakeholders, which forces them past the analytical results and into the business decisions and outcomes those results are meant to inform.”

The program is designed to help students sharpen their technical skills in data science, while also refining critical soft skills needed in the business world. This includes stakeholder management, meeting preparation, and communication skills as students present their final findings to AWG teammates in a formal presentation. In turn, AWG gains access to cutting-edge analytical tools and innovative perspectives.

“Looking at our data in different ways and seeing how students approach the science of it helps our teams continue to refine how we approach the sales-driving insights that can be gained from it”, said Kate Favrow, AWG Brands Director of Marketing and Brand Development and Gies Business alum. “We’re able to blend their scientific analysis with our real-world understanding to make impactful changes for AWG member retailers.”

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS GIES COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
For more than 100 years, Gies College of Business has intentionally designed its innovative programs, leading-edge curriculum, and experiential learning opportunities to empower and prepare students to turn big ideas into meaningful actions. A recognized leader in delivering high-quality residential and online education, today Gies educates more than 9,000 students – including 6,000+ on-campus and online graduate students – from around the world. Gies learners put their purpose into practice and develop lifelong success skills for a global economy. GiesBusiness.illinois.edu

ABOUT ASSOCIATED WHOLESALE GROCERS, INC.
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving 1,100 member companies and 3,500 locations throughout 33 states from 9 wholesale division support centers. Consolidated sales for AWG in 2025 were $12.2 billion. In addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies that provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, and pharmaceutical products.