Rick Navarro, chief administrative officer for Albertsons, LLC (retired), was selected as an Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Business and Economics (COBE).
COBE Outstanding Alumni are an elite few. Only when COBE feels an alumnus is particularly deserving is an award made. Alumni are nominated by COBE faculty and staff and selected by the executive committee. Navarro was chosen for his admirable career at Albertsons and his extensive service to Boise State University and the community.
At a luncheon honoring Navarro and outstanding 2017 COBE graduates, Navarro gave some words of wisdom to the graduates. He emphasized the importance of a business’s culture and advised students to consider it when looking for employment. It was because of the culture at Albertsons that he stayed so long.
He touched on the value and reputation of the COBE, citing that COBE students who have been recently hired by Albertsons are all “stars.” It makes him even prouder to be a graduate of the College of Business and Economics. In closing, he encouraged the graduates to remember their experience at Boise State and give back to COBE whether it’s with time or treasure.
Rick grew up in Meridian, Idaho, and graduated from Meridian High School. He attended Boise State University, graduating in 1975 with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting. He began a career at Albertsons immediately after college and worked in the accounting, finance and tax areas for 40 years before retiring in 2015 as chief administrative officer. His career at Albertsons was truly exciting for him, and the knowledge he learned at Boise State provided an outstanding foundation to continually advance in the organization. Albertsons currently operates 2,300 supermarkets across the United States that generate annual sales of $60 billion and employ 285,000 associates.
Rick graduated from the Executive Financial Management Program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1976. He served on various professional and charitable boards throughout his career, including TitleOne Corp., and Home Federal Bancorp. He currently serves on the Idacorp (Idaho Power Company) board.
Rick has stayed continuously involved with Boise State, serving on the Department of Accountancy advisory board, the Boise State Foundation board, is a lifetime member of the Alumni Association, the President’s Club and the Chaffee Guild. He has held season football tickets since 1973 and is a member of the Bronco Athletic Association. He was honored as a Distinguished Alumni by the Alumni Association in 2000.
Rick’s wife Bobbi also grew up in Boise. They have two children and four grandchildren and enjoy spending time with them. Since retirement, they spend time in Sun Valley where they enjoy skiing and golfing.[/toggle]