by Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs
The National Grocers Association opened its 2022 NGA Executive Conference and Public Policy Summit on Monday, Oct. 24, with more than 200 grocery executives from retailer, wholesaler and supplier companies in attendance.
In addition to nearly 20 educational sessions with industry experts and analysts, Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan was scheduled to address the NGA Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
The summit, which runs through Wednesday at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C., is a premier event designed for c-suite executives and their leadership teams to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace through in-depth forecasts on the future of the industry, outlooks of emerging economic and business trends and opportunities to strengthen relationships with trading partners throughout the supply chain.
The conference kicked off with a panel discussion on the state of independent grocery, featuring Leon Bergmann, CEO of Save A Lot; Garrett Piklapp, president of Fareway Stores Inc.; and Daniel Nazario, regional vice president, wholesale accounts at the Kellogg Co., moderated by Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at 210 Analytics. Offering retail, wholesale and CPG viewpoints, the session discussed the health of independent community grocers in the current market, and the impact that the post-pandemic economy, inflation, supply chain and consumer habits are having on merchants.
Another session held on day one of the conference explored how businesses can leverage the full potential of a multigenerational workforce, led by Myriam Vidalon, chief diversity, talent and culture officer at NielsenIQ, who also interviewed a panel of emerging leaders.
“The summit brings together retail and wholesale leaders in the independent supermarket industry and their trading partners for important insights, conversations and engagement, to position their companies for strategic growth” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO. “Our industry continues to experience disruption with more to come next year. The important insights and conversations that will take place during the summit will position our members to embrace the challenges and opportunities and set their companies up for continued success.”
The highlight of the summit’s opening day was NGA’s 40th anniversary celebration, celebrating four decades of being at the heart of the independent supermarket industry. This special evening featured a nod to the association’s past, honoring its founding members and a look ahead to what the future holds for independent grocery operators and NGA.
Other speakers scheduled to address the conference include food safety attorney Bill Marler, policy analyst Bruce Mehlman and USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small.
From sessions focused on the changing consumer landscape, the state of independent grocery and supply chain challenges to the impact of politics and federal policy on the industry, the summit pairs high-impact education and networking with the unique opportunity to meet with federal representatives who craft policies affecting the grocery business.
Sponsors of the summit include BRdata, Dumac, Ecolab, The Food Partners, The Kellogg Co., Kraft Heinz, HappyOrNot, Navajo Inc., Nestle Purina PetCare, Recall InfoLink, ReposiTrak, Storewise, UNFI, Upside, Women Grocers of America, Clarion Events and The NGA Show.
More details about the summit, its sessions and speakers can be found at https://www.nationalgrocers.org/executive-conference/.
NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation’s overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers’ associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.
