Biography

James Shook is a lifelong Hawley resident, community leader, and accomplished entrepreneur with over 30 years of business and public service experience. As President and Owner of Lake Region Supermarket for 25 years, he grew the business into a multi-million-dollar operation employing more than 80 people and earned recognition as both International (2006) and United States (2019) Retailer of the Year from the Independent Grocer’s Alliance. In 2023, Mr. Shook was elected Wayne County Commissioner, where he serves as Chair of the Wayne County Prison Board and Board Member of the Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance, while also consulting for Bozzuto’s Incorporated. Beyond business and government, Mr. Shook has been honored with the Salvation Army’s Doing Good Award (2016), the Atlas Award for Citizenship (2023), and even a local proclamation of James Shook Day in Hawley (2017). He is the founder of the Lake Region Community Dock Foundation, a nonprofit that supports local emergency services, students, and families in need, and has held leadership roles with the Lake Wallenpaupack Watershed Management District, the Chamber of the Northern Poconos, and the Wayne County Workforce Investment Board. Deeply rooted in family and community, Mr. Shook continues to blend entrepreneurial vision, civic service, and philanthropy to strengthen Wayne County and the greater region.