Randy Sauer, AIA, has joined HFA Architecture + Engineering as Senior Vice President, taking the helm of a team of more than 160 professionals who handle architecture, structural engineering, refrigeration, MEP, fueling, and permitting for grocery and retail clients across North America. The hire is a direct response to a capital-investment wave hitting the grocery sector as operators accelerate remodels, new-store builds, and fulfillment infrastructure.
Sauer brings more than 30 years of architecture and business development experience. His grocery client roster includes Whole Foods Market, Target, Safeway, and multiple Kroger-owned banners — a depth of exposure that spans both conventional and value-focused formats. On the foodservice and restaurant side, he has worked with Buffalo Wild Wings among others. He arrives at HFA after six years as a business development executive at ESI Construction, and previously held vice president and principal-level positions at Core States Group, DLR Group, Gensler, and MG2.
What's Driving the Hire
Grocery operators are under compounding pressure: consumers are trading down, margin compression is real, and the capital cycle hasn't slowed. HFA CEO Dave Wilgus framed Sauer's appointment around the firm's ability to deliver efficient design at pace. "His people-first leadership philosophy and commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration make him a strong fit," Wilgus said. Sauer's own read on the market is direct — value grocers tend to accelerate capital work during high-price environments because store improvements build customer loyalty precisely when shoppers are most price-sensitive. Efficient project design, in his framing, is a mechanism for keeping shelf prices down.
For operators evaluating architecture and engineering partners, that throughline from design efficiency to consumer price delivery is worth tracking. HFA's integrated model — under one roof: architecture, refrigeration engineering, fueling, and permitting — is increasingly relevant as grocers expand click-and-collect infrastructure, automated distribution, and EV fueling canopies on the same footprint as a store remodel.
Signals for Procurement and Vendor Selection
Sauer's move also reflects a broader consolidation in the AEC vendor landscape serving foodservice and grocery. Operators that once managed separate architecture, MEP, and refrigeration firms are showing preference for integrated firms that can compress project timelines and reduce coordination risk. HFA's fueling practice — with completed projects for 7-Eleven, Love's Travel Stops, and Parker's Kitchen — positions the firm squarely at the intersection of convenience retail and foodservice expansion, a lane that continues to attract grocery-adjacent investment.
For procurement teams and real estate directors at regional and national grocery chains, Sauer's appointment signals that HFA is actively scaling its capacity to absorb larger program accounts. His background running retail and grocery practices at nationally recognized AEC firms suggests the firm is positioning for multi-site and brand-refresh mandates, not one-off projects. Operators evaluating AEC partners for 2026–2027 capital programs should weigh whether integrated, multidisciplinary delivery is a fit for their store development and brand refresh pipeline.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
