Ray Sprinkle is slated to become the next president and CEO of URM Stores Inc., a grocery cooperative based here.

Sprinkle will take over for current president Dean Sonnenberg, who intends to retire at the end of February, says URM vice president of human resources Linda Wilson.

Sonnenberg has been the president and CEO of URM Stores for the last nine years and will have been with the cooperative for 37 years at the time of his retirement, Wilson says.

Sprinkle currently works at URM Stores as vice president of procurement, retail services, and profit centers. He is expected to transition into the new role March 1, Wilson says. Sprinkle has worked for URM Stores for nine years and has more than 30 years of experience in the grocery industry.

The grocery cooperative has 94 member owners, Wilson says, including Yoke's Fresh Markets and the Trading Co. stores. The co-op operates out of a 600,000-square-foot facility located at 7511 N. Freya and employs about 550 workers, she says.