A Missouri State University supporter who went from stocking store shelves to owning several stores across Missouri and Kansas will be honored in May.
David Trottier, former president and general manager of Smitty’s Supermarkets and owner of Summer Fresh Supermarket, will be awarded with an honorary degree during MSU’s spring commencement. Honorary degrees are given to mark extraordinary achievements or service to the community.
In a press release about the announcement, Trottier was chosen for a long history of business building and community support. The university’s Board of Governors approved the selection during its December meeting.
“The thing that impressed me, and, I believe, the rest of the selection committee the most was the sheer number of years that Trottier helped support a variety of institutions working to improve the quality of life in Springfield and the surrounding area,” said Tom Dicke, chair of the selection committee.
Trottier worked in the grocery industry for 35 years, and helped secure funding for a field turf renovation at Plaster Stadium. He and his wife, Lesley, are long-time financial backers of the university.
While a store manager with Smitty’s, Trottier was expanded into the upper management team of owner Clyde Smith, leading to an executive position in Arizona, according to a press release from the university. Trottier and Smith became partners in 1977 in a Missouri expansion. Smith eventually sold his half to Trottier, who developed 10 stores that were sold to Albertson’s in 1998.
After the sale, the Trottiers developed Summer Fresh Supermarket (named after their daughter) and built several stores across the Ozarks — the first of which was in Lamar.
Though a non-compete agreement kept them from opening a store in Springfield, the sale of Albertson’s to Price Cutter in 2001 broke that agreement, according to information from the Springfield Business Journal. That allowed them to open a location at Plainview and Campbell in 2002. Those stores were sold to Price Cutter in 2012.
