Avram Goldberg, Former Chairman of Stop & Shop and Champion of Shared Leadership, Dies at 92

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Avram Goldberg, a Harvard-educated attorney who rose from part-time store worker to chairman of the iconic New England supermarket chain Stop & Shop, died Sunday at the age of 92. As reported by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), Goldberg’s life and legacy were defined by both his business acumen and his extraordinary professional partnership with his wife, Carol Rabb Goldberg — a rare and groundbreaking model of shared leadership in corporate America during the late 20th century.

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1930, Goldberg’s early years would foreshadow the trajectory of a life lived at the intersection of tradition and modernity. He began working at Stop & Shop — then still known as the Economy Grocery Stores Company — at the age of 18, juggling part-time shifts while pursuing an undergraduate degree at Harvard University. In 1950, just two years into his job, he married Carol Rabb, daughter of company patriarch Sidney Rabb, whose family had co-founded the business in 1914.

Though his initial position in the company came through family ties, Goldberg’s ascent within the organization was far from guaranteed — and hardly instantaneous. As the JTA report noted, he paused his career trajectory to attend Harvard Law School, graduating and practicing law before returning to the family business full-time in 1958. That same year, Carol Goldberg — a graduate of Tufts University and later a student at Harvard Business School — also joined the company, setting in motion one of the most notable husband-and-wife executive teams in American corporate history.

While their rise through the company was no doubt facilitated by familial relationships, both Avram and Carol Goldberg were widely acknowledged to be more than just heirs. Their reputation as capable and strategic leaders earned them the respect of peers and the loyalty of the company’s employees, as was reported by the JTA. Avram became company president in 1971, a pivotal moment that marked his growing prominence within the firm.

Still, even as they advanced, the notion of a couple jointly helming a major corporation remained controversial — even within their own family. In a candid 1971 interview with The New York Times, Sidney Rabb pushed back against speculation that Avram and Carol would one day lead the company together. “Never!” he exclaimed. “Avram won’t wind up as chairman with Carol as president. The pros have got to have a chance in this company. We have 20,000 employees.”

Yet fate — and business performance — would prove otherwise. The JTA reported that following Sidney Rabb’s death in 1985, the very outcome he had once dismissed came to fruition: Avram became chairman and Carol assumed the role of company president.

By the time they assumed full control, the Goldbergs had already earned a reputation not just as capable stewards of a major regional brand, but as partners who modeled a new kind of leadership dynamic. Avram, in particular, was open about his admiration for his wife’s pioneering achievements in a male-dominated corporate world.

In the 1986 report celebrating the 35th anniversary of his Harvard College class, Goldberg wrote, “It has been exciting to be married to someone who is way ahead of her time in the emergence of women as equal partners in our society, and to be part of the process.” The quote, cited by The Boston Globe and re-reported by JTA, encapsulates the sense of pride and progressiveness that defined the Goldbergs’ approach to business — and to each other.

Despite their visionary leadership, the Goldberg era at Stop & Shop came to an abrupt end just four years after Sidney Rabb’s death. In 1989, a hostile takeover by outside investors stripped the couple of their positions, ending decades of family control over the company. The JTA report indicated that the abrupt nature of their ouster shocked many and marked a turning point in the history of the storied grocery chain, which by then had expanded operations across Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.

The Goldbergs didn’t fade into obscurity, however. The JTA report indicated that following their resignation from Stop & Shop, they established the AVCAR Group, an investment and consulting firm, signaling their ongoing commitment to business leadership — even if from outside the boardroom of the company that had shaped their professional lives.

Stop & Shop today is a far cry from the small Economy Grocery Stores Company that Sidney Rabb helped build over a century ago. But the Goldberg era remains a defining chapter in its evolution — marked by rapid expansion, managerial innovation, and the singular story of a husband-and-wife duo who helped redefine what executive leadership could look like.

Avram Goldberg’s life was shaped by perseverance, intellect, and a deep belief in shared achievement, as per the JTA report. His journey — from part-time store clerk to company chairman — is one of the American Jewish success stories of the postwar era. But more than his titles or even his influence over one of the region’s most recognizable grocery chains, Goldberg leaves behind a model of integrity, partnership, and progressive leadership that remains relevant to this day.

He is survived by his family, a legacy in business, and generations of customers who continue to shop in stores that bear the stamp of his stewardship.