Jeb Kratzig

Jeb A. Kratzig is a general manager with nearly two decades of experience leading high-volume retail operations. His career has been defined by accountability, structure, and trust, values that have allowed him to guide teams to consistent performance while maintaining stability in fast-changing environments. Over the years, he has promoted employees into leadership positions, improved profitability through disciplined planning, and developed a reputation for transforming underperforming teams into steady performers. He was born in 1978 in Bellingham, Washington, where he grew up with a strong interest in sports. In high school, he excelled in football and earned recognition as the 1996 Bellingham Herald Football Player of the Year. The following year, he was honored as an All-State Quarterback. These accomplishments reflected not only athletic ability but also the discipline and teamwork that would later shape his approach to leadership. In 2008, he entered the grocery and retail industry. Within a year, he was promoted to leadership, which marked the beginning of steady career growth. From 2009 onward, he worked in Washington and California, where he learned to manage diverse employee groups, handle scheduling challenges, and balance customers' needs with operational demands. These early experiences laid the foundation for his later responsibilities as a general manager. Since 2014, Jeb Kratzig has served as a General Manager, a role he continues to hold. He is currently based in Cathedral City, California, overseeing a large store with over 90 employees working across multiple shifts. His position requires a mix of scheduling expertise, communication, and accountability. He works directly with assistant managers, senior crew members, and floor leads to ensure that expectations are clear and execution stays aligned with broader business goals. Kratzig is particularly skilled at managing multiple departments within a store. He avoids isolating teams by encouraging cross-functional communication, ensuring operations remain integrated and efficient. His approach reduces bottlenecks and prevents unnecessary barriers, helping the store function as one cohesive system. Team development and retention are central to Jeb’s leadership philosophy. His stores consistently maintain lower turnover rates than national benchmarks due to his emphasis on trust and accountability. Over his career, he has helped promote more than 15 employees into leadership roles. He focuses on identifying potential early, coaching through daily work, and supporting employees with direct feedback. His belief in developing people for long-term success has been a consistent marker of his career. Operational discipline is another area where he excels. He believes reliable systems are essential for dependable performance. His responsibilities include inventory management, wage modeling, seasonal ordering, and merchandising. By aligning shift schedules with customer traffic, refining labor models, and applying performance data to forecasting, he has reduced waste while increasing profitability. His process-oriented mindset has allowed him to create more efficient operations without compromising customer service. Communication and coaching are among Jeb’s strongest skills. He addresses issues early, provides clear explanations, and ensures accountability while creating room for dialogue. His coaching method combines real-time feedback with planned development discussions, always with performance goals in mind. He also trains employees in de-escalation skills, helping them manage customer interactions professionally even under stress. In 2017, he was honored as Captain of the Year, a company-level award recognizing leadership, performance, and results. He had been nominated for the award multiple times, reflecting not just one-time success but consistent impact over time. Retail operations are unpredictable, but Jeb has shown an ability to maintain stability without overcomplicating systems. He prefers to set clear standards and trust employees to meet them, offering oversight without micromanagement. His approach allows teams to adapt calmly to changes while keeping operations steady. Outside of work, he lives in La Quinta, California, with his wife, whom he married in 2016. He stays active with strength training and follows college and professional football, supporting the Washington Huskies and the Seattle Seahawks. Throughout his career, Jeb Kratzig has demonstrated that accountability, structure, and trust are the foundations of lasting leadership. His focus on team development, operational efficiency, and consistent systems continues to define his work as a general manager.