SPRINGFIELD — The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. announced leadership changes within its legal team. Michael Gold, senior vice president and chief legal officer, recently retired following more than 30 years of legal experience in both private practice and corporate counsel roles. During his 18-year tenure at Big Y, he played a pivotal role in guiding the company through significant legal and strategic milestones.

“Michael has been a trusted advisor, providing thoughtful guidance on all legal matters of the company, including regulatory and compliance issues,” said Michael D’Amour, Big Y president and CEO. “His extensive legal knowledge and sharp insight helped the company navigate complex challenges with integrity and clarity. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

Succeeding him, Big Y welcomed Richard Stamm as its new general counsel. In this role, he will be responsible for delivering legal advice and managing the legal affairs of the company across all aspects of the business, with an emphasis on strategic guidance and business counseling in the areas of compliance, commercial relationships, and corporate governance.

Stamm brings more than 30 years of legal, business, and executive experience across a variety of industries and business structures. Prior to Big Y, he was immersed for 24 years within food/beverage and agriculture with Ocean Spray Cranberries, serving ultimately as its vice president, general counsel, and secretary and vice president of Cooperative Development. Most recently, he served as vice president of Operations, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Activ Surgical Inc., a med-tech, venture capital-backed, AI-focused startup.

“I am both honored and excited to join the Big Y family,” Stamm said. “This is an incredible opportunity to support what is truly an amazing family and company heritage. I look forward to leveraging my experience to help drive Big Y’s continued commitment to its customers, employees, business partners, and the communities it serves as we continue to grow, innovate, and evolve.”

Stamm holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Brown University and a juris doctorate with highest honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He teaches an evening class each spring as an adjunct professor at UConn Law (“The In-house Counsel in a Global Market”) and is a frequent speaker on corporate governance and in-house legal strategy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Richard to Big Y,” D’Amour said. “His extensive experience and thoughtful leadership will be invaluable as we continue to evolve. I’m confident that, under his guidance, our legal department will build on its strong foundation, adapting and advancing to meet the changing needs of our dynamic business.”

Christian D’Amour

SPRINGFIELD — The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. announced the appointment of Christian D’Amour as senior director of Supermarket Operations. He will be responsible for the oversight of the five supermarket districts, ensuring operational excellence across all locations.

Christian is a third-generation D’Amour family member. He is a grandson of Big Y co-founder Gerald D’Amour and son of Executive Chairman Charles D’Amour. He reports to Nicole D’Amour Schneider, senior vice president of Retail Operations and Customer Experience.

Christian began his career at Big Y at the age of 14 as a part-time service clerk. After graduating from college, he worked as a sales and marketing representative for an insurance company based in Providence, R.I. He rejoined Big Y in 2014 as a store director trainee. Within a year, he was promoted to assistant store director at the Wilbraham store.

In 2016, Christian was named store director in Southampton, later returning to manage the Wilbraham location. He was then selected to lead Table & Vine’s flagship store in West Springfield. In 2019, he was appointed district sales and merchandising mentor for Big Y’s 15-store district in Western Massachusetts. In this role, he oversaw sales, merchandising, and team development across all departments, while continuing to manage operations at Table & Vine.

In 2021, he took on leadership of Big Y’s e-commerce platform, a role he held through 2023. He was subsequently appointed district director, overseeing 16 Big Y locations across Connecticut. He holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Michael’s College in Vermont and spent a semester studying at the National University of Ireland at Galway.

According to Nicole D’Amour Schneider, “Christian’s care and compassion for our store teams and our customers, along with his enthusiasm and genuine love for the business, make him well suited for this elevated role. We are excited for the positive impact Christian’s leadership will have across all of our supermarkets.”

SPRINGFIELD — The board of directors of Big Y Foods Inc. announced the promotion of two third-generation D’Amour family members. Colin D’Amour has been named senior director of the Big Y Express Gas & Convenience Stores division, and Christian D’Amour is director of E-commerce. Both appointments represent new and expanding divisions within the company.

Colin’s responsibilities include oversight of store operations, site selection, site acquisition, and day-to-day responsibility for product procurement, including fuel for the division. Currently, there are 12 Big Y Express locations, with four more planned for the coming year.

Previously, he served as senior manager of Procurement within Big Y’s Real Estate and Development team, as well as a member of the real-estate committee, where he remains involved in evaluating viable expansion opportunities across all operating formats. In addition, he oversees multiple programs and initiatives with Topco Associates, a Chicago-based, member-owned cooperative.

Colin began working as a service clerk at Big Y Supermarkets in 1998 at age 14 and went on to hold several positions. In 2007, he accepted a commission with the U.S. Marine Corps as second lieutenant, ultimately earning the rank of captain. In 2010, he was deployed to Helmand, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. While serving in the Marine Corps, he was both a purchasing officer and a construction manager in support of the Afghan National Security Forces throughout his area of operations.

In 2014, he left active duty in the Marines and returned to Big Y by entering into its store-director training program. One year later, he was appointed assistant store director in the Great Barrington market. By 2016, he was promoted to store director in Pittsfield and later Lee, before being selected as a corporate center store sales manager until 2019.

A graduate of Boston College, he holds personal decorations from his military service, including both the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation and Achievement Medals.

Christian is responsible for Big Y’s e-commerce platform, which currently includes relationships with Instacart for grocery home deliveries and DoorDash for prepared-meal home deliveries. In addition to these services, he will be launching Big Y’s MyPicks Online ordering, in which customers will be able to order groceries online for curbside pickup or home delivery.

Like Colin, Christian began his career at Big Y at age 14 as a service clerk. After college, he was a sales and marketing representative for an insurance company based in Providence, R.I. He rejoined Big Y as a store-director trainee in 2014. One year later, he was appointed assistant store director in the Wilbraham World Class Market. In 2016, he was promoted to store director in Southampton. He next went on to manage the Wilbraham market before being tapped as store manager at Table & Vine’s flagship location in West Springfield.

In 2019, Christian was appointed a district sales and merchandising mentor for Big Y’s 15-store district within Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire counties. In this role, he was responsible for all sales, merchandising, and store team development across all departments. He also continued to oversee the operations of the company’s Table & Vine flagship.

Christian holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Michael’s college in Vermont and spent a semester studying at the National University of Ireland at Galway.