Sam Duncan, CEO, Supervalu

« Supervalu has made positive strides in all three of our business segments to better position the company for financial growth and improved shareholder value. » Sam Duncan, Supervalu CEO

About Duncan: He took over as Supervalu's CEO in February 2013 after the embattled grocery company sold its largest retail chains. Since then, Duncan has engineered the start of a turnaround at the company, which now counts Cub Foods as its largest traditional chain. Its stock has recovered, too, rising from just under $4 to over $6.

Personal file: A veteran retail and grocery executive who pulled off turnarounds at Shopko and OfficeMax, Duncan retired in 2011. But he returned to the CEO suite as his onetime supermarket industry colleague, Robert Miller, became Supervalu's executive chairman.

What's big in 2014: Duncan has to show that Supervalu's nascent comeback has momentum. Supervalu's same-store sales need to move into positive territory after years of losses. Its wholesale operations, which make up about half of its revenue, have to improve, and its discount Save-A-Lot chain must deliver on its potential.

Last word: "We continue to focus on building on the strengths that helped make Supervalu one of the nation's leading grocery retailers and food distributors. … I love what we have been able to accomplish with our Cub stores."