News Release

Erik Keptner earns Alumni Achievement Award

April 2, 2008

Erik P. Keptner, senior vice president of marketing and advertising for Giant Food Stores, is the recipient of the Penn State Alumni Achievement Award presented by the University’s Alumni Association.

The Alumni Achievement Award, established in 2005, recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary accomplishments. These prominent young alumni are nominated by an academic college and invited by the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators. They demonstrate to students that Penn State alumni succeed in exceptional fashion at an early age. The award is a cast bronze medallion and framed certificate.

A 1994 Penn State Harrisburg graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, Keptner oversees marketing, advertising, public relations, sales development, consumer research, and category management for Giant Foods. He is responsible for development and execution of consumer marketing strategies that drive sales, profitability, and brand image. Keptner has also been responsible for the evolution of the chain’s Bonuscard program, and the development of a strong consumer insight capability that helps drive business decision making throughout the company.

After graduating from Penn State Harrisburg, he was employed by the Pennsylvania State Data Center on campus before earning an MBA from Temple University and beginning his career at Giant as a consumer research analyst. He has also held the positions of consumer research manager, director of consumer research, and vice president of consumer insights and sales development.

Giant Foods operates more than 140 supermarkets under the Giant and Martin’s food markets banners in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia and is one of the Commonwealth’s largest employers with approximately 24,000 full- and part-time associates.

Keptner resides in New Cumberland. He and his wife, Angela, are the parents of two young children, Zachary and Samantha.

Previous Alumni Achievement Award winners from Penn State Harrisburg were Stephen C. Burkholder ’92 and Alexander A. Guk ’00.