PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — Allen McKnight Pierce, Jr., co-founder of the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation and a driving force behind the CPG Convergence Conference, died June 18, one week before the June 25 event. He never saw it come to life, but it did, filling the room with the founders, retailers and investors he had worked to bring together.
Pierce played in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams and earned a business degree from North Carolina Central University. He went on to sales, marketing and management roles at Ford Motor Company, Goodyear and Masland Industries, then a merchandising leadership position at Coca-Cola that brought him to California. He was also a commercial real estate entrepreneur and a member of the Illuminators, a grocery and CPG education group.
In 2013, Pierce and his wife, Subriana, founded Navigator Sales and Marketing to help brands win in corporate retail. National food and beverage broker C.A. Fortune acquired the company in 2023, and Pierce continued there in sales development. In 2020, the couple founded the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation to expand access for underrepresented and minority entrepreneurs in consumer packaged goods and to help their brands reach grocery shelves. He was known for trying to open doors for emerging founders the way others had once opened doors for him.
Behind the scenes, Pierce assembled a planning committee that brought the day together, including USC digital marketing professor Rafael Bracero, Confluence Rising Executive Director Reena Hajat Carroll, and HeeSook Alden, senior vice president of marketing, strategic growth and leadership development at Certified Federal Credit Union. Navigator Lighthouse Foundation board members supported the effort, and Alden and Lori Brown of Heartland Food Products Group helped lead the program on conference day. Produced by Mission Matters in partnership with the foundation, the conference reflected that mission, pairing emerging brands with retailers and investors and giving founders practical guidance on protecting a product idea, choosing the right attorney, spotting a viable concept and building a brand on social media.
Opening remarks were dedicated to Pierce’s memory, with an on-stage tribute describing him as the driving force behind the foundation, not merely its co-founder. Phil Miller, a foundation board member and friend, spoke about him, and Mission Matters co-founder Chirag Sagar led the room in a moment of silence.
“Very proud of what my friend Allen Pierce pulled together,” said Bob Reeves, EVP, associate publisher and West regional director for The Shelby Report, who attended the conference. “He passed away a week before and never got to see it. He was only 65. This was his idea, and he made it happen.”
In a LinkedIn tribute, Jiashu Du of Better Together Foods, who worked alongside Pierce on foundation initiatives, wrote that his passion, generosity and dedication had touched many lives and that his vision would continue to guide the foundation’s work. “Thank you, Allen,” he wrote. “You will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.”
About the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation: Founded in 2020 by Subriana and Allen Pierce, the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation is a nonprofit that expands access for underrepresented and emerging entrepreneurs in the consumer packaged goods industry, connecting founders with education, mentorship and retail opportunities to help more women- and minority-owned brands reach store shelves.
About Mission Matters: Co-founded by Adam Torres and Chirag Sagar, Mission Matters is a media platform that shares the stories of entrepreneurs, executives and experts through podcasts, interviews and live events. It co-hosted the CPG Convergence Conference with the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation.
Navigator Lighthouse Foundation (NLF) The CPG Convergence Conference
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