2025 Private Label Hall of Fame: Judy Albazi
Nine leaders from the private label world are the newest members of the Private Label Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies were held during the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Members of the Class of 2025 are a combination of leaders with a history of growing store brand products, along with those who continue to impact the current-day marketplace.
Created in 2006 to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the global private brand industry, this year’s event featured retail and product supplier honorees in three categories: Lifetime Achievement, Private Brand Champion, and Private Brand Innovator.
“Our nine-member Class of 2025 represents the best-of-the-best thought leaders and changemakers,” said Peggy Davies, president of PLMA. “Their commitment and dedication to private label is an inspiration to all.”
Judy Albazi
President & CEO
Chase Products Co.
For more than 50 years, Judy Albazi has been the driving force at Chase Products. From her modest beginnings as a secretary, Albazi rose through the ranks to become president and CEO. Her journey is marked by vision, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to quality and customer service.
Under her guidance, Chase Products became a trusted supplier of private label household cleaning, personal care, disinfectants, and insecticide products for many of the nation’s largest drug, mass, value, and retail chains.
Long before private label was a mainstream strategy, Albazi recognized the opportunity to elevate store brands through national brand benchmark (NBB) and equivalent (NBE) products. Her efforts helped build consumer trust in private label and opened the door for many of today’s successful store brand programs.
“Over the past five decades, our team has remained focused on delivering third-party tested and nationally accepted brand equivalent aerosols,” Albazi said. “A milestone came in 2005, when Chase was the first to introduce a state-of-the-art, two-piece printed extruded steel can to the retail market, an innovation that improved product quality, safety, and recyclability.”
During her time at Chase, she has seen the private label segment come into its own as products have improved their value proposition while also offering performance equal to that of national brands.
“This shift has increased profitability opportunities for retailers, and it’s reshaped our approach to focus on delivering high-performance products that help our retail partners win consumer loyalty,” she said.
Albazi called her Hall of Fame honor humbling and meaningful, saying it affirms the decisions she made as a manufacturing operator and later as a leader.
“Professionally, it’s a powerful acknowledgment from an industry I deeply respect. In a niche segment like aerosols, where the competition is fierce and staying power is rare, this honor reflects not just success, but endurance,” she said.
Her advice to the next generation of private label professionals is, “Keep things simple for the retailer. Deliver full-service capabilities that bring high-quality products to market quickly and efficiently. Adopt a ‘zero defects’ mindset that says: errors are unacceptable. Your buyer’s success is your success, and it’s what keeps private label relevant and profitable.”