The New Jersey Food Council is presenting a panel of industry leaders to highlight “Better for You: A Conversation of Health and Wellness in a Post Covid World” on March 30 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The keynote speaker will be Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s, a family-owned farm fresh food retailer recognized as one of Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” for 10 consecutive years.
Stew Leonard’s is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having “the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States.” Leonard took over the business in 1991 and grew the company from one retail food store to seven stores across Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, as well as eight family-owned wine stores.
“This Trade Relations Conference will be an exceptional in-person event. We are excited to bring together industry professionals to discuss the shift in consumer buying habits and the move toward a healthier lifestyle in this post COVID world,” said Linda Doherty, NJFC president.
Additionally, NJFC will be recognizing this year’s recipient of the Jimmy Ostling Trade Relations Award. Gary Rosenthal, EVP and general manager of JOH metro division, will receive this honor for his support of industry trade partnership and activities.
Rosenthal began his career at ABD Sales and moved to M&H before becoming one of the founding partners of JOH metro division in 2001.
Also, NJFC’s event will include a panel discussion, moderated by Nick Brown, associate director at KraftHeinz.
NJFC panelists include:
- Ron Bonacci, VP of advertising and marketing at Weis Markets – Bonaci oversees the company’s day-to-day advertising, marketing and public relations along with its growing digital and e-commerce programs. He leads a team that develops and implement strategies for customer relationship management and e-commerce.
- Jacqueline Gomes, a dietician at Allegiance Retail Services – Gomes is a health and wellness spokesperson, providing health and wellness information for consumers to make informed choices about foods and products they select at the supermarket. She interacts through weekly cooking videos, circular ad articles and a weekly “Eat Well” blog.
- Stephan Henig, chief customer officer at Wakefern Food Corp. – Henig works with Wakefern members, leaders and employees to create a single, consistent brand voice. He oversees Wakefern’s advertising, social media, brand strategy, consumer affairs, e-commerce, sales planning, analytics and insights teams. Henig previously served as VP of digital commerce and analytics, responsible for e-commerce initiatives, app development and analytics.
- Joe Kaszuba, regional sales manager, House Foods North America – Kaszuba currently serves as regional sales manager, leading sales for the North American market. Over the past three years, the plant-based protein category experienced record-breaking growth, and trends and forecasts support further growth in plant-based foods.
Contact Edie Esposito from NJFC at 609-392-8899 or email at [email protected] to register for the event.
For more information, visit njfoodcouncil.com.
The NJFC is also accepting applications for its 2022 scholarships. To read the full story from The Shelby Report, click here.
