The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) is presenting a stacked lineup of industry experts to speak about “Emerging Technologies & Emerging Opportunities” at its annual Trade Relations Conference, taking place April 8 at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino.
The Trade Relations Conference will feature a fireside chat with Joe Fantozzi, president of Allegiance Retail Services (ARS), and will be moderated by Louis Scaduto Jr., president of Food Circus Super Markets.
Fantozzi leads a supermarket cooperative of 130 stores headquartered in central New Jersey under banners including Foodtown, Pathmark and Shop n Bag. He joined Allegiance in March 2016 as VP of retail/member development and was elevated to VP and CFO in June 2020. He has had a long and distinguished career in the food industry, beginning in the financial area.
The lineup also includes a panel of experts. David McIntosh, chief connected stores officer at Instacart, will highlight the benefits of the new Caper Cart technology and discuss retail experiences online and in-store. Nawashi Williams, VP of insight and analytics at Crossmark, will discuss data-driven insights and sales, and the panel rounds out with Kenny Olson, VP of growth and product strategy, in-store connect at Quad, to discuss effective media within retail stores.
“Advancing technology has touched just about every industry, food being no exception,” said NJFC President and CEO Linda Doherty.
“During [the NJFC’s] Trade Relations Conference, our goal is to provide unique insight on how to enhance advancing technology to connect with retailers, vendors and shoppers. Our panel is incredibly well-versed on effective uses of generative technology in our space; participants are eager to hear their insights and success stories.”
During the event, attendees will celebrate Matt Lipowski, VP of sales at J&J Snack Foods, as the Jimmy Ostling Trade Relations Award Honoree. Prior to his time at J&J, he spent 16 years at Bimbo Bakeries leading cross functional teams in sales operations, customers and revenue growth management. As vice chair of the leadership development program at NJFC, Lipowski continues his passion engaging with emerging talent in the food industry.
As is tradition, the conference will conclude with a Curtain Closer golf event. This year, it will be held at 10 a.m. on April 9 at the Galloway National Golf Club.