Grandson of founder is King Kullen’s new chairman

James A. Cullen Jr. has been appointed the new chairman of the board of King Kullen Grocery Co. 

The appointment comes following the retirement of the previous board chairman Ronald Conklin, who will remain a member of the company’s board of directors with the title of chairman emeritus. 

King Kullen’s newest chairman of the board is the grandson of the Hauppauge-based grocery chain’s founder Michael J. Cullen and the son of James A. Cullen, who served as King Kullen chairman until his death in 1974. 

“On behalf of the entire King Kullen organization, I want to thank Ron Conklin for his many years of service and innumerable contributions to King Kullen,” Joseph W. Brown, the company’s president and COO, said in a written statement. “Ron was already a longtime board member when he succeeded his late father-in-law, John B. Cullen, as co-chair. We look forward to his continued involvement with King Kullen as chairman emeritus.” 

Brown also congratulated James Cullen Jr. on his new role as chairman.  

“For many years, Jim headed up King Kullen’s real estate department and helped steer the company’s growth,” Brown said in the statement. “As chairman, he will continue to guide our organization through a number of strategic initiatives. This is an exciting period for King Kullen and I look forward to working with Jim on these various projects.” 

King Kullen currently operates 29 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores in Nassau and Suffolk counties.