At its spring 2024 commencement on May 10, Missouri State University will award an honorary bachelor’s degree to David Trottier.

The university’s Board of Governors approved the nomination on Dec. 14, 2023, following recommendations from the Faculty Senate.

“The thing that impressed me, and, I believe, the rest of the selection committee the most was the sheer number of years that Mr. Trottier helped support a variety of institutions working to improve the quality of life in Springfield and the surrounding area,” said Dr. Tom Dicke, selection committee chair.

More about Trottier

From shelf stocker to store manager to supermarket executive to owner and developer, Trottier has had an illustrious career.

He was a store manager for Smitty’s when owner, Clyde Smith, expanded his upper management team. At the time, Trottier did not get a promotion, but he eventually became an executive with Smitty’s in Arizona.

In 1977, when Smith decided to expand Smitty’s to Missouri, he asked Trottier to join in the venture as his partner. Smith later sold the Missouri Smitty’s operations to Trottier.  Under his leadership, Trottier grew Smitty’s in Missouri to 10 highly successful supermarket stores and sold to Albertson’s in 1998.

Then Trottier along with his wife, Lesley, developed a new grocery store chain. They named it Summer Fresh Supermarket, after their daughter, Summer, who is a Greenwood Lab School and Missouri State alumna.

The Summer Fresh brand aimed to provide southwest Missouri with a new supermarket chain that focused on providing full-service convenience and satisfaction to its customers.  The store locations included features, such as a deli, meat area, produce section, pharmacy and video department.

The chain’s rapid growth of seven stores in six years in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas was credited to the couple’s leadership, as well as a core group of longtime employees. Eventually, Summer and Brent Brown (Lesley’s son and Trottier’s stepson), took over Summer Fresh.

In 2012, the 10 regional grocery store operation of Summer Fresh was sold to Price Cutter. The purchase by Price Cutter, a subsidiary of Pyramid Foods Inc., ended a 35-year run for the Trottier family.

During his tenure with Smitty’s, Trottier was instrumental in funding the field turf renovation at Plaster Stadium. He and Lesley have continued to support Missouri State for years.

About honorary degrees

Missouri State awards honorary degrees to recognize the extraordinary achievements of distinguished citizens, especially those with a strong tie to our community, region and/or state.

Their achievements and/or service to humanity are consistent with the university’s public affairs mission.

Browse the list of past recipients