Lee’s Marketplace founder Lee Badger dies

By Devin Felix

Published:

Friday, August 14, 2009 3:04 AM CDT

Businessman Lee Badger, founder of Lee’s Marketplace grocery stores, died Thursday of Lou Gehrig’s disease at the age of 62.

Badger, whose grocery stores in Smithfield and Logan have become Cache Valley icons, leaves behind his wife, Shari, sons Jonathan and Jeremy and his daughter, Jocelyn.

“We lost a great community figure,” said Lee’s son Jonathan Badger. “He’s done a lot to build the community and to build himself and his company and all the people he’s supported.”

Employees say Badger was a caring boss who took a genuine interest in the lives of his employees and his customers. He prided himself on keeping his stores clean and welcoming.

“There’s something special when you walk into Lee’s stores,” said Jarad McDonald, manager of the Logan store.

He was also a hands-on leader, McDonald said, and he often carried out duties normally assigned to teenage employees such as bagging groceries or fetching shopping carts from the parking lot.

McDonald said his life might be different if it weren’t for Badger.

“I can’t imagine where my life would be without Lee Badger,” he said.

Badger was known for employing workers who might struggle to find a job elsewhere, including people with mental disabilities and those who had been in trouble with the law.

Lee’s involvement in the daily operations of his stores diminished as his health worsened after he was diagnosed with ALS last year. Jonathan Badger took over as the company’s chief operations officer. Even so, he took every opportunity to visit and support his employees and customers, Jonathan said.

Lee became a grocery store owner in 1981 when he bought Jack’s Food Town in Smithfield. He and his wife Shari ran the small store together in the 1980s before moving to a larger building across the street in 1994 and changing the store’s name to Lee’s Marketplace.

The store flourished, and in 1999, a second Lee’s Marketplace opened in Logan. In 2007, the company opened a third store in North Ogden.

Badger credited the stores’ success to the their involvement in the community and care of customers and employees.

Despite all his success, he remained humble and involved in the community, said Pete Krusi, manager of the Smithfield store.

Badger was active in the Boy Scout organization, serving in leadership positions within the Trapper Trails Council and Old Ephraim District.

Jonathan Badger said the family has not yet finalized plans for a funeral. The stores will be closed for the funeral so that all employees can attend if they choose, he said.

Lee’s Marketplace will continue to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association, which raises money for ALS research, Jonathan Badger said. The stores sponsored a fundraising golf tournament in June in Lee’s honor and plan to host the tournament again next year, he said.

“He was a great man,” Jonathan Badger said. “He always cared about the people that he served.”