CANTON -- The president and owner of 10 area Save-A-Lot Food Stores will speak at SUNY Canton as part of the Excellence in Leadership Lecture Series.

Jeffrey L. Proulx, a 1984 graduate of the college’s Business Administration program, will be speaking at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in the Richard W. Miller Campus Center room 212.

The event is free and open to the public.

After college and a brief successful career with Sherwin-Williams in Boston, Mass., Proulx entered into his family’s business and ran the IGA grocery store in Canton.

In 2000, he joined with the Save-A-Lot Foods chain. He now owns 10 Save-A-Lot stores and has expanded his operation to include the UPS Store in Potsdam.

He was the 2015 recipient of the Canton Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year award, the recipient of a Small Business Administration Award and was featured in the national magazine, “Grocery Entrepreneur.”

Proulx is also a former student athlete who played hockey during his time at SUNY Canton. He’s active with area youth sports. He started the Canton Pee-Wee Football program in 1989 and has spent time as a minor-league hockey coach.

The Save-A-Lot chain prides itself on using a highly-efficient supply chain, which enables locations to sell at prices below other retailers. The stores are smaller with wider aisles are wider, making it easier for customers to shop quicker than in large supermarkets and big-box retailers.

The Excellence in Leadership Lecture Series connects working professional alumni who are experts in their fields with current SUNY Canton students. The program is funded by Corning Incorporated Foundation and presented by the College Foundation and the SUNY Canton President’s Office.

For more information, visit www.canton.edu.