Grocery From Her Seat, Insights for Independent Grocers

What happens when you grow up immersed in grocery technology from age 14? For Caroline Catoe, President of ECRS, it created a unique perspective on both the challenges and opportunities facing independent grocers in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape.

From her early days taking support calls as a teenager to her current leadership role, Caroline  shares the wisdom gained from working alongside her father...

Sierra Brewer stands at the exciting intersection of tradition and innovation in grocery. As a Cornell University student preparing to become the first US category manager for The Modern Milkman, she brings fresh perspectives on how sustainability and convenience can reshape grocery retail.

What makes this episode particularly compelling is Sierra's bold prediction that the grocery industry is approaching a critical i...

Anne Feder, Senior Vice President of Client Growth and Product with eGrocery, shares her journey from psychology grad to grocery tech leader and how she balances career ambitions with motherhood of three children.

• Managing client services from implementation to day-to-day operations for eGrocery's white-label SaaS platform
• Starting in mortgage banking during a recession before moving through automotive, pharma...

Greg Ferrara, President and CEO of the National Grocers Association, brings his unique perspective as both a former independent grocer and long-time industry advocate to discuss the rapidly changing political landscape affecting food retailers.

Drawing from nearly two decades of experience at NGA and his background running his family's New Orleans supermarket, Ferrara offers a candid assessment of the volatile tariff ...

What happens when you combine legal expertise with a passion for understanding the grocery business from every angle? Stephanie Becker, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Associated Wholesale Grocers Incorporated (AWG), reveals how her journey from real estate law to grocery leadership unfolded through curiosity and persistence.

"I just started asking questions and kept walking into meetin...

Amy Niemetscheck takes us through her remarkable journey from public accounting to becoming President and CEO of Serco Inc., where she leads a cooperative serving 250 independent grocers with over 550 employees. Her story exemplifies how non-traditional career paths can lead to exceptional leadership in the grocery industry.

The conversation reveals Amy's refreshing leadership philosophy: rather than pretending to kno...

What does a three-decade journey from cashier to industry leadership look like? Jennifer Graff, Director of Perishable Operations at Columbiana Foods Inc., reveals the turns and transformative experiences that shaped her remarkable career in independent grocery.

Jennifer's story begins in 1989 as a teenage cashier, moving through numerous departments—from cake decorating to video rentals (remember those?)—before findi...

Miriam Framson is the Vice President of Operations at Citrus America, Inc., a US distributor of highest-quality European equipment for the food service and grocery industries.

Born to an Austrian mother and an American father, Miriam's personal and professional international experience spans continents. She earned both her master's in Export and Internationalization Management and her bachelor's in Economics from the...

Jamie Collins shares her career journey and insights on grocery marketing trends, emphasizing the significance of data, adaptability, and mentorship in the evolving landscape. The conversation highlights generational shifts in consumer behavior and the challenges of technology in marketing.

• Jamie's transition from corporate marketing to grocery 
• Importance of data-driven marketing strategies 
• Generationa...

Listen to the discussion between Heidi Huff, SVP of Consumer Development at Alliance Retail Group and WGA board member, alongside Nick Nikitas, General Manager of Local Independent Grocery at Instacart at last year's NGA conference. 

With detailed insights, Heidi and Nick illuminate how retail media analytics are empowering retailers to track every dollar spent, ensuring maximum impact and accountability.

The conversat...

This episode explores Donna Zambo’s, VP, Chief Marketing Officer for Allegiance Retail Services, remarkable journey in the grocery industry, highlighting her passion for food, community, and innovation. Donna shares her insights on leadership, technology, and the evolving grocery landscape.

• Donna’s early grocery experiences shaped her connection to the industry 
• The impact of personal stories on professional paths ...

Women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles within the grocery industry, challenging traditional norms and reshaping the landscape. This short clip emphasizes the value of networking and engaging at the annual NGA Show.  Amanda is a veteran attendee and a 5th generation of her family's century old company.

Over the years at the NGA show she has:

• Seen the rise of women leaders in grocery 
• Fel...

Courtney's role as ESG (environmental, social and governance) and community engagement manager at SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) perfectly melds her passions.  Over the last three years, Van Gilder created and implemented the publicly traded SpartanNash’s first and second ESG reports, (no small task) and became a new mom (yeah!).
With great mentorship and guiding bosses, she has tackled these great life tasks, both personally...

Melissa has been with Colgate-Palmolive for 21 years and she has navigated nine relocations in her tenure.  Melissa has so many great experiences and has been able to experience and learn from diversity in thought as she has made these moves around the country.
She encourages others to be open to new experiences, to get uncomfortable, and to always be learning.

A couple great tidbits hidden in this podcast on how to mo...

Heidi has been in the industry for "a bit" says Kristin Popp, President of WGA and host.  Heidi has experiences we can all learn from and she has sage advice for those trying to advance their career and/or leave a legacy.

She is passionate about helping others build their quiet confidence, and she is passionate about connecting CPG's to the independent grocer.  She is a connector.

And the magic she...

Sarah Rivers is the Director of digital and ecommerce programs for IGA Inc. and in this episode she shares with Kristin her thoughts on all the opportunities in the industry, and teaches us that retail media begins with your clean data.

She also talks us through how showing up at Crossfit changed her life and her self talk.  Sometimes, you just have to breathe and tell yourself that you can do hard things.

Di...

Lupe Lopez is a co-founder of Avanzando and the owner of Arteaga’s Food Center. She holds a degree in Network Engineering from the Masters’ Institute. Lupe is a trailblazer in organizing Community Health Fairs and in building partnerships with community organizations to promote awareness and healthier eating habits through the availability of high-quality food and education. She has been instrumental in expanding the WIC and Double...

Lori Brown is thriving!  You will be motivated to stretch yourself, learn more, listen better and maybe even accept official coaching.  She recently worked to become a Certified ICF Coach, and one of the greatest learnings was to be a better listener.  As we prepare for the #SilverTsunami, as Dr. Cynthia McCloud coined it, we must all pass along knowledge to the next generation.

Lori is a Certified Coach and she serves on ...

When you think of someone who networks and builds relationships in the grocery industry, you have to think of Sarah May.  She will give a couple tips on how to be successful in building authentic relationships.

Hot trends, proud moments and a few laughs are all included in this podcast.

VP of Sales at Smart.Market

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-may-911150115/

https://business.smart.market/

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