SUNBURY — David J. Hepfinger’s career in grocery retail began as a 16-year-old night-shift dairy clerk grinding hamburger meat and stocking shelves at the Albany Public Market, owned by Weis Markets.

Nearly 40 years later, Hepfinger has returned to the Weis company family — this time as just the fourth chief executive officer in the chain’s almost 100-year history.

Instead of stocking shelves, Hepfinger now is making sure each aisle is filled with produce and in orderly presentation. Rather than working the meat grinder, he is grinding numbers for a multi-billion dollar budget.

Hepfinger, who joined Weis last year as chief operating officer after 16 years on Price Chopper’s executive committee, has replaced the retired Norman Rich as Weis’ new president and chief executive officer.

Hepfinger, of Lewisburg, said he learned quickly from his high school job that the grocery business has a simple focus.

“It’s all about the people,” he said. “It’s a people business.”

According to Hepfinger, effective leadership also follows the same focus.

“Success comes from how you inspire and motivate (employees),” he said. “Any technical piece can be learned with sufficient effort, but people skills have to be found in the individual. And it’s not easy to find these skills.”

As the grocery chain continues to battle through the economic recession, Hepfinger says those same core interpersonal skills will be at the forefront of its approach.

“We’re certainly focusing on getting back to the basics,” he said. “These are uncertain times. To say tough economic times is an understatement. We’ve really been dealing with rising (operating) costs for the last few years.”

In response, Weis has implemented two popular customer cost-saving programs — the gas rewards program, which offers customers 20 cents off for every $100 spent on groceries, and the recently launched 90-day price freeze on thousands of stable items like frozen produce, meat and deli items.

“We have already received tremendous customer response on the price freeze, and the gas rewards has been very well accepted,” Hepfinger said. “These are some of the ways we’re trying to help our customers through these tough economic times. Costs have risen the last couple of years. We can’t simply pass those costs onto the customer, so we’ve taken a lot on the chin.”

More promotions are expected in the coming year, he said.

“We’re no different from anybody else,” Hepfinger said of the recession. “We may be more resistant, because folks are dining out less. We still have to closely watch what we do.”

Another customer-driven approach Weis has begun to explore locally has been seeking licenses to sell beer at its North Fourth Street, Sunbury, store and its store on Route 15, just north of Lewisburg. Weis already sells beer in three Pennsylvania stores — Tannersville, Schnecksville and Dallas.