May 31, 2025 • 25 mins
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 in their family business. The daily mentorship she receives as her father continues in the CEO role provides her with an exceptional leadership development experience that few executives enjoy. This father-daughter partnership mirrors the multi-generational approach that makes independent grocery so special—a world where fourth-generation family business ownership isn't unusual but celebrated.
Caroline candidly discusses the leadership challenges facing the industry today, particularly the critical need to develop the next generation of leaders as experienced veterans retire. She also addresses the realities of being a woman in a predominantly male industry and how organizations like Women Grocers of America have created valuable networks that foster both professional development and personal confidence. "Having that focused group to talk about how we can be better leaders has been super helpful to me personally," she notes.
Looking toward the future, Caroline identifies three essential technology priorities for independent retailers. Most encouragingly, she emphasizes the unique agility of independent grocers as their secret weapon in adapting to technological change. "We're not gigantic national brands... but what the benefit of that is, we can turn on a dime."
Join us for this insightful conversation that bridges technology, leadership, and the enduring power of family business in grocery. Subscribe to never miss an episode, and help others discover Grocery From Her Seat by leaving a review on your favorite listening platform.
Did you love the show - Text and tell us why.
National Grocers Association Foundation
Welcome to "Grocery From Her Seat," the WGA podcast offering a unique perspective on the independent
Sign up for women leadership opportunities in the independent grocery industry
Join WGA
Join NGA
Attend this year's NGA show
F: https://www.facebook.com/NationalGrocersAssn
L: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-grocers-association/
Host: Kristin Popp
Producer: Rachael Melot
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat.
The WGA podcast, offering aunique perspective as seen
through the eyes of remarkablewomen who shape and lead in the
independent grocery industry.
Your host, Kristen Popp,president of WGA, will bring you
exclusive stories and insightsfrom the women serving our
industry, From presidents toCEOs, to entrepreneurs and
(00:22):
students.
This podcast is your source ofinformation.
Now listen, take notes andwelcome Kristen Popp.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I am your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have
the opportunity to chat withCarolyn Cato, president of ECRS.
Welcome to Grocery From HerSeat, Carolyn, and thank you so
very much for sharing your timewith us today.
Thanks for having me, Carolyn.
Can you go ahead and share yourbackground with us and also how
you got involved in the groceryindustry?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, sure.
So my dad started a point ofsale business back in 1989
called ECRS.
I've been working in thatbusiness throughout my whole
life, so in some ways I feellike I've been a part of the
grocery industry for decades now.
I started doing support callsback when I was 14, 15, and just
kind of worked my way upthrough the company, Came on
(01:09):
full-time in 2013, and thenmoved into the role of president
in 2021.
So we do point-of-saletechnology for the grocery
industry and so I spend a lot oftime in grocery.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So essentially your life right.
So, growing up in the familybusiness, beyond the wealth of
knowledge that I'm sure you'vegained from your father, is
there anyone else who's beeninfluential in helping you
navigate the industry?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
There's been countless people you know.
A lot of them are just happento be my retailers.
Richie Morgan, who's our headof the NGA Board of Directors,
has been really helpful inhelping me understand the
nuances of grocery.
Michael Kneedler of FreshEncounter was really one of
those early people who steppedin to kind of show me around,
and then even just other vendorsand associate members like Bob
(01:55):
Grayville of FMS.
But I've had tons of people whohave just grabbed me by the
elbow and introduced me topeople, showed me around, told
me kind of the what's what ofgrocery and have been helpful
along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So I'm curious too, with you know, working alongside
your father in the business, isthere any like great or best
advice that he's given you aboutrunning the business as you've
taken over as president?
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Well, I get advice from him just about every day.
It's hard to pick any singlething.
I feel really fortunate that westill work alongside each other
, so he's currently in the CEOrole, so it's almost like a
daily mentoring exercise and Ireally don't think many leaders
have that level of mentorship.
You know going into them that Ido, so I feel really fortunate
(02:40):
in that regard and it's nice tohave somebody I can bounce ideas
off of and continue to kind oflearn from on a day-to-day basis
.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, absolutely, Carolyn.
As president, can you give us apeek into what that looks like
within your organization on aday-to-day and maybe how your
responsibility is extended onoperations of the business?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So day-to-day in my role it's a lot of operational
management obviously.
So, you know, for those not ingrocery they might be able to
relate a little bit more to moreof that corporate environment,
but a lot of it is, you know,making sure things are shipping
out to our customers, makingsure our customers are receiving
good support and service fromus, working with different teams
(03:19):
to ensure all of our processesare flowing and everything kind
of just runs smoothly.
It's a little bit of everything, but what I love about the role
is my job is really interesting.
It's never the same thing twodays in a row, always just kind
of tackling new challenges andlooking for ways to grow the
business each day.
So it's a lot of firefightingat times, but also really neat
(03:40):
to watch the business moveforward in big ways over time.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So I think we can.
A lot of us in this space canrelate to.
Every day is a little bitdifferent and things are coming
at you from all differentdirections at all different
times.
But as we look at leadershipdynamics within a tech
organization right, so you knowfrom the retailer side and then
the vendor side but then when welook at your role in a tech
organization, do you feel thatthere's any specific challenges
(04:07):
within your space from aleadership perspective?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Leadership challenges .
I mean right now we're in amajor generational shift in the
workforce.
So trying to find that youngerround of leaders to come in and
mentor them and get them to aposition where they can be
effective in our business, Iwould say, is a big challenge
right now.
I think maybe over the lastdecade or so it's been easy
(04:30):
because we've had a workforcefull of mature, experienced
leaders, so we've been able tokind of grab from that as we
need it, as that oldergeneration is starting to
actually retire.
I think us and probablyeverybody across all business
industries have struggled withhow do we get that next group
brought up in a way that we cankeep running the business each
day but know that we're buildingfuture talent to run the
(04:50):
business.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that we all face thatchallenge in building the bench
right.
And what is the next round ofleadership?
Diving into leadership a littlebit further, carolyn, is there
anything that you feel femalesspecifically face, challenges
that they face within theleadership role that they may be
taking on?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
You know right now I would say it's still.
You look around the room thatyou're in and it's still going
to be very heavily skewed male.
You know we go to these showsand nine out of 10 people were
with our men.
So understanding the way thatmen work together, I think, has
been important for me over theyears.
And you know finding how to howto work across that group and
(05:31):
then, over time, more, morewomen have obviously joined that
leadership circle and but therestill is this very heavily
skewed demographic towards menwhen it comes to working in
groceries.
Figuring out how to communicatewell, effectively with men and
meet them where they're at,enjoy some of the hobbies they
enjoy, has been helpful for mein terms of just creating closer
(05:52):
relationships in the industry.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
So being a Women Grocers of America podcast.
What role do you feel thatorganizations like WGA play in
helping overcome some of thechallenges or building that
community and level ofconfidence in helping overcome
some of the challenges orbuilding that community and
level of confidence for femalesthat are in the room?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I think this podcast has just brought a lot more
transparency and I don't knowFaceTime for women in grocery to
the main stage.
I feel like it's gettingrecognized now at NGA show and
the board meetings and I hearpeople come up and mention it.
So I think just hearing thoseother voices realizing that that
(06:30):
is a piece of our leadershipdemographic in our industry is
important.
And then I also think women arelearning from each other.
I know my involvement with WGAhas been really helpful to me
over the last two years.
I really never had a group offemale business executives that
I spent time with, and so havingthat really focused group to
(06:50):
talk about how we can be betterleaders, how we can develop and
how we can educate ourselves, Ithink it's been super helpful to
me personally.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
When you walk into rooms or you walk into events or
shows or conferences and seethat network, there's a level of
comfort.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Absolutely.
Yeah, I had failed to evenmention that but that was
probably the very first benefitthat I got out of WGA was just
having a group of women thatwhen I showed up I immediately
saw friendly faces that weresmiling, waving at me to come
over, and it kind of brought meout of my shell.
You know, it's easy to go tothese big events and just spend
time with the people that youknow, especially your work
(07:28):
colleagues, and not get the fullbenefit of meeting others,
learning about their experiencesand growing.
You know, I can't encourageother women to join enough just
for that reason, so that whenyou go to the big show or to any
of the other events you've gotwomen that ask for you to come
over and kind of immediatelyjust make you feel at home.
So that's been a great benefit.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Definitely.
You know the purpose and therole of WGA is not men versus
women by any means, but in ahistorically male-dominated
industry, you know, building thecommunity and the network for
females that has just inherentlybeen there for the males of the
industry so that we can supporteach other in the unique needs,
(08:08):
just like males have uniqueneeds that they need to be
supported in.
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I think you know women have not been in business
for that long we're talking halfa century of even having
leadership roles in business.
So you know we're still in someways playing catch up in terms
of establishing our networks andhow we can best function in the
business world, and so I thinkWGA has been a great way to
foster that and make it a moreequitable place for everybody.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
What are some of the key milestones or achievements
throughout your career thatyou're most proud of?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Well, kristen, I told you ahead of this that I do not
like talking about myself, soI'm going to muscle my way
through.
So I would say one of thethings I was really proud of
initially, when I first joinedECRS full-time, was launching
our Ignite conference that we doannually.
So that's the conference whereall of our retailers come
together and we do three days oflearning and education,
(09:03):
networking.
It's kind of a mini NGA showfor catapult retailers Got that
going.
We started out with 70 peopleour first year and then we've
been growing it and growing itnow on our 11th year this year,
and this year I think we'regoing to actually sell out that
conference.
It's in Minneapolis.
We have 300 spaces reserved forretailers.
(09:24):
Thinking that was more thanenough and I actually think
we're going to sell out.
It's kind of cool watchingsomething that was just this,
you know, kind of side projectto our bigger business really
become this very important thingthat we do each year.
That really drives our businessforward.
So much great ideas, energy,momentum coming out of that
(09:45):
conference and it truly drivesour strategy and our direction
as a company.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
That's amazing.
Congratulations on that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
In February this year .
I was nominated back in the fallof last year and then February
this year officially broughtinto back in the fall of last
year and then February this yearofficially brought into the NGA
Board of Directors, and I'mreally excited about that.
It's just I started in the NGAFoundation Board helping with
some of the programming aroundthe foundation, like the UGA and
Executive LeadershipDevelopment Program and some of
(10:14):
the.
I actually got started becauseof the SEMTAC all of the
technology and enablement thatNGA Foundation helps with and
then this past year wasnominated to the board and I'm
just I'm excited about that too.
It feels like a reallyimportant milestone for
participation in the industryand I really want to do
something important while I'mthere.
I hope I can help shapetechnology space for grocery.
(10:36):
It's becoming increasingly hardto compete as an independent
and I feel like technology isreally a great way and a great
path forward for independents toremain super competitive.
So I hope during my time on theboard I can do something that
helps retailers and helps theindependent space stay strong in
the coming years.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Fantastic.
The NGA does such fantasticwork, and so I'm sure you'll
make a significant impact inyour role on that board and
helping continue to carryeverything forward.
We talked about leadership andyour role as a leader within
your organization, but do youhave any female leaders who have
inspired you along your journeyand, if so, in what way have
they given you that inspirationFrom?
Speaker 3 (11:16):
the industry.
I have to call out StephanieReed from the Shelby Report.
She was probably the very firstperson ever within the industry
that was not somebody in myworkplace to take time to get to
know me and to kind of startintroducing me to people.
Can't thank her enough.
And then she's just an awesomeleader.
You look at the way she leadsShelby Report, the way she
(11:38):
communicates and is a part ofthe industry and it's always
with a lot of compassion.
It Jordan was the founder of NewBelgium Brewery.
They make the pretty famous fattire beer.
(12:01):
You can find that on mostshelves across the United States
.
Definitely had a heyday.
In the early 2000s Kim startedher brewery in her basement with
her husband.
You know she had a couplehundred dollars to her name and
they really bootstrapped it andgot it off the ground in Fort
Collins, colorado and then overthe course of 10, 15 years maybe
even 20, she took that littlebasement brewery and turned it
(12:25):
into a nationally recognizedbrewery and beer brand.
Eventually she converted herorganization into an ESOP.
She just had this really cool,you know cultural belief about
the way that employees shouldcontribute to an organization
and she really wanted all of heremployees to act like owners
and so to do that, she moved theorganization over to an ESOP.
(12:47):
She was one of those reallyearly kind of culture
trendsetters.
You know, before Google did alltheir cool stuff, new Belgium
was doing stuff like sendingpeople to Belgium on their
10-year anniversary for a beer,sabbatical, and just cool things
like that.
So I had a chance to meet her acouple of years ago at an Inc
conference, inc the magazine,and that was just a really neat
(13:09):
moment for me.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I'm not familiar with Kim, but I think I'll do a
little research on her.
Her story sounds absolutelyfascinating, watching her
journey and how she grew thatbusiness Two great leaders that
you mentioned in that.
What inspires you and who hasinspired you along your journey?
So, as we talk about leadershipand inspiration, do you have
any advice you would givesomeone aspiring to join the
(13:31):
industry or continuing toadvance their career in grocery?
Just?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
get involved.
If you're just now starting inthe industry, I think looking
around and seeing the differentways, there's tons of different
associations that supportgrocery.
There's state level, there'sobviously NGA and then within
those orgs there's probably withNGA, a lot of subset areas that
you can get involved in.
So I would just start earlywith getting involved in stuff
(13:57):
and, you know, don't be afraidto ask questions and there's a
lot of on the female side.
We obviously have a reallystrong network.
You know, reach out and askanybody for help.
We're all here to help bringyou along.
We want the grocery industry,the independent grocery industry
, to thrive and live on and theonly way it does that is if we
bring new leadership and newenergy into that, into the space
(14:20):
.
So we're definitely here tohelp.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
A couple of things that you said there.
The state associations and NGA.
Obviously at a national levelhas such a significant impact in
supporting and continuing tohelp advance the independent
industry.
But there's several and manystate associations throughout
the country that are also veryactive and very involved.
If you're not involved in yourstate association, definitely
(14:44):
dive into that and see wherethere's opportunities there.
I think that's a great call outand then asking questions.
I'm a big one for askingquestions and learning and
grabbing all that knowledge thatI can, and there's such a
wealth of information fromindividuals within the industry
who are so willing to share andhelp.
So, yes, don't be afraid to askthe questions.
There's a lot of us that areand a lot of individuals around
(15:05):
that are willing to share thatinformation and happy to do so,
and really great conversationsthat come from that, Absolutely.
So let's talk about the future.
What trends do you feel we needto be keeping an eye on right
now that might shape our future?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
So you know, being in tech, I'm all about where
technology is headed.
There's a lot going on rightnow and I know it's probably
overwhelming for people whodon't feel very tech oriented,
but I do think it's important.
I think we're at a very pivotaltime right now in terms of
where the speed of technologydevelopment and I really want
(15:39):
independents to considertechnology and their strategy
and make sure that they're notjust an afterthought, not
thinking of it as the devil Ihave to deal with, but really
think of it as something thatcould change the way that you
compete and the way that yourbusiness exists long term.
Some of the trends that I thinkare going to be important
obviously we've got AI, andeverybody's always talking about
(16:03):
how are humans going to getreplaced by AI and kind of
really going out there.
Yeah, maybe there's a time anda place for that, but today I
think there's really practicaltechnology.
People should be looking intomy top three right now that I
would recommend to any retaileris going to be what is your
ordering looking like?
Are you using any sort ofcomputer assisted ordering?
(16:24):
I think at this point, computerassisted ordering has had a
multi-decade track record ofhelping businesses and it's now
getting some of that AI juice init, where you can actually
include things like you know,upcoming weather patterns as a
part of your computer-assistedordering strategy.
You know, just be consideringhow you're doing ordering.
(16:47):
If you are still doing pen andpaper and sending people out to
see what's low on shelf.
There's a better way and it'sgoing to save time.
It's going to save money.
It's going to give you a moreaccurate inventory on your
shelves.
The second thing I would belooking at is just practical
vision technology.
So one thing that I think is areally practical piece of
(17:08):
technology you can implement onthe vision side is produce
recognition.
In terms of accuracy we'reseeing so, produce recognition
being the technology that looksat the produce that you set down
on a scale at the point of saleor self-checkout and identifies
what that piece of produce is.
It's becoming a lot moreaccessible at this point.
It used to be a very expensive,clunky, difficult thing to
(17:31):
implement and I think that'schanging pretty rapidly right
now.
It's it really ups accuracywith your customers, who have
absolutely no idea what any PLUsare.
Period.
They're going to speed up theirtransaction and they're most
likely going to select a moreaccurate option than what they
would potentially if they haveto go through a menu and try to
find exactly which type of applethey got.
(17:53):
And then on the cashier side,with this younger generation of
cashiers you don't necessarilyhave that institutional PLU
knowledge that was in everycashier you previously hired,
just kind of again speeding uptheir transactions and their
accuracy.
I think it's a really neat andpractical use of AI.
And then the third piece of thattechnology that I think people
(18:16):
need to be thinking about isjust this really isn't
technology, this is just afundamental right now is your
data and making sure that youhave clean, accurate data.
Kind of taking a look at whereyou have systems of data in your
business and how those systemsplay together.
What we're finding as more ofthis great AI technology is
coming out.
(18:36):
When people don't have astraightforward data strategy,
then it's very hard to implementthis really neat and
competitive technology becauseit thrives off of good data.
So just taking a look at whereyou're at data-wise, how many
systems are playing together,how many sources of truth you
have for data, how presentablethat data is to the outside
(18:57):
world, your customers, I thinkthat's a really fundamental
piece of technology right now.
That people it's an easy thingto say hey, next quarter we'll
have a project to really get ourdatabases cleaned up.
But before long there'll be atime and a place where you're
ready and you need to implementthings, and that is a
fundamental piece toimplementing the stuff of the
future.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
I think that's great advice I think data can become
so overwhelming and you can getlost in it and to be able to
take a step back and make surethat you have relevant and
intentional maybe data that isactually productive for the
business.
I think it can be overwhelming.
I think there's so much outthere and there's so much
opportunity, but making sure youhave the right data and
(19:38):
information for what you'relooking to achieve and aligns
with your strategy.
So I think that's a great callout and don't be afraid to
leverage.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
You know the pros out there.
I think a lot of retailers.
Like I said earlier, sometimestechnology is a bit of an
afterthought because you've gota lot of stuff going on in your
stores.
So you know, talk to yourtechnology providers and ask for
their help with best practicesand you know ways to move your
business forward from atechnology standpoint.
That's what they're there forand I think retailers would
(20:07):
benefit from leveraging theirproviders a bit more.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Talking about trends and what we should be keeping an
eye on right now, but is thereanything that excites you the
most about the future of theindustry?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
The rate and speed of technology change right now is
faster than anything any of ushave really seen in our lifetime
, other than maybe those of uswho are around during the move
to personal computers.
This is kind of that nextiteration of that and I really
think we're going to see somehuge leaps over the next decade
and in some ways I think that'sreally exciting because what is
(20:39):
special about the independentspace is the agility.
We're not gigantic nationalbrands, we're smaller format.
We've got smaller headcount,smaller departments, but what
the benefit of that is, we canturn on a dime Over the next
decade.
It's going to be reallyinteresting and exciting to see
who takes advantage of thatagility and is able to really
(21:00):
position themselves in a uniqueway for the long term.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I think, as an independent, the ability to
pivot quickly and make thosesometimes rapid decisions to go
in a different direction or lookat something from a different
angle is absolutely one of thestrengths and continues to help
carry us forward in everythingthat we do.
So, as we look to wrap up today, I have two additional
questions.
First, you know we talk about afamily business, working
(21:24):
alongside your dad and all ofthe opportunities that that
provides, and you know hismentorship.
But is there any memorable orfunny moments that you share
working with your dad that youwill always remember?
Memorable or funny moment?
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Well, my dad is a bit of a jokester to surprise
people in our company Once ortwice a year.
We'll get these emails at likefour o'clock in the afternoon
and he'll just shut the wholecompany down and say, hey, we're
going to go over to thisbrewery, meet us there.
It's my company, I get to dowhat I want and everybody loves
that.
We bring a lot of fun into theorganization.
(22:05):
He's really good about kind of.
He's a very serious person, youknow, on a day-to-day level,
but he's also really good aboutremembering that you know, if
we're going to run businesses,if we're going to own businesses
, we might as well have funwhile we're doing it.
I really appreciate that abouthim and I appreciate that he
loves to do it out of left field.
It's never the day you thinkhe's going to do something like
that, but yeah, we've had a lotof moments like that over the
years.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
And I'm going to throw you one little last
curveball.
If you were writing a book orcreating a podcast about the
industry today, what would thetitle be?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
What I think I would do is a podcast on family
business.
I really don't think I'm in apoint in my career where I could
write a book with expertise onanything.
I'm still learning every day.
So I would definitely opt forthe podcast route because I'd
love to bring other familybusiness members on and just
learn about how they'renavigating.
(22:52):
You know, working side by sideacross generations and bringing
on different family members,maybe outside of just that
parent-child relationship,learning how they're
contemplating succession andkind of long-term business
strategy.
So I think that'd be reallyneat.
And when you look at ourindustry, it's just fascinating
to me how many multi-generationbusinesses there are.
(23:13):
It's I mean, it's so I don'teven raise my eyebrows when I
meet somebody and they say, hey,I'm a fourth generation family
business owner.
In our industry that's a normalthing, but it's really special
and unique.
You look across the businesslandscape and the stats on
business viability onegeneration to the next are so
low.
So when you meet these grocerswho have managed to not only
(23:36):
keep their business alive but insome cases even grow and expand
it over multiple generations,there's some special information
there that I would like tolearn.
I've got little kids so I'malready thinking about what it's
going to look like when they'rein their 20s and 30s.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I think we should absolutely get you set up with
that podcast, because I thinkthe heart of the independent is
that family-led,multi-generational format.
Let's get that going yourto-dos right.
Thank you so very much forsharing your time and your
thoughts with us today.
I appreciate you, your storyand your contribution to the
industry.
Thank you for your valuableinsights and I look forward to
(24:12):
continue watching you make adifference in all you do,
kristen and to our listeners.
Thank you so much for tuninginto today's episode.
We hope you enjoyed thediscussion as much as we did.
If you found value, be sure tosubscribe to never miss an
episode and leave a review onyour favorite listening platform
to help others discover GroceryFrom Her Seat.
Until next time, keep making adifference in all you do.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we
thank you for listening to ourpodcast today and ask that you
subscribe, leave a five-starreview and share with a friend.
If you have a suggestion for aguest from the industry, mention
them in the comments.
Episodes are released everyother week and they are
sponsored by NGA, hosted byKristen Popp, president of WGA,
and published by Rachel Milowith SWA Marketing.
Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat.
The WGA podcast, offering aunique perspective as seen
through the eyes of remarkablewomen who shape and lead in the
independent grocery industry.
Your host, Kristen Popp,president of WGA, will bring you
exclusive stories and insightsfrom the women serving our
industry, From presidents toCEOs, to entrepreneurs and
(00:22):
students.
This podcast is your source ofinformation.
Now listen, take notes andwelcome Kristen Popp.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I am your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have
the opportunity to chat withCarolyn Cato, president of ECRS.
Welcome to Grocery From HerSeat, Carolyn, and thank you so
very much for sharing your timewith us today.
Thanks for having me, Carolyn.
Can you go ahead and share yourbackground with us and also how
you got involved in the groceryindustry?
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Yeah, sure.
So my dad started a point ofsale business back in 1989
called ECRS.
I've been working in thatbusiness throughout my whole
life, so in some ways I feellike I've been a part of the
grocery industry for decades now.
I started doing support callsback when I was 14, 15, and just
kind of worked my way upthrough the company, Came on
(01:09):
full-time in 2013, and thenmoved into the role of president
in 2021.
So we do point-of-saletechnology for the grocery
industry and so I spend a lot oftime in grocery.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
So essentially your life right.
So, growing up in the familybusiness, beyond the wealth of
knowledge that I'm sure you'vegained from your father, is
there anyone else who's beeninfluential in helping you
navigate the industry?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
There's been countless people you know.
A lot of them are just happento be my retailers.
Richie Morgan, who's our headof the NGA Board of Directors,
has been really helpful inhelping me understand the
nuances of grocery.
Michael Kneedler of FreshEncounter was really one of
those early people who steppedin to kind of show me around,
and then even just other vendorsand associate members like Bob
(01:55):
Grayville of FMS.
But I've had tons of people whohave just grabbed me by the
elbow and introduced me topeople, showed me around, told
me kind of the what's what ofgrocery and have been helpful
along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
So I'm curious too, with you know, working alongside
your father in the business, isthere any like great or best
advice that he's given you aboutrunning the business as you've
taken over as president?
Speaker 3 (02:19):
Well, I get advice from him just about every day.
It's hard to pick any singlething.
I feel really fortunate that westill work alongside each other
, so he's currently in the CEOrole, so it's almost like a
daily mentoring exercise and Ireally don't think many leaders
have that level of mentorship.
You know going into them that Ido, so I feel really fortunate
(02:40):
in that regard and it's nice tohave somebody I can bounce ideas
off of and continue to kind oflearn from on a day-to-day basis
.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, absolutely, Carolyn.
As president, can you give us apeek into what that looks like
within your organization on aday-to-day and maybe how your
responsibility is extended onoperations of the business?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
So day-to-day in my role it's a lot of operational
management obviously.
So, you know, for those not ingrocery they might be able to
relate a little bit more to moreof that corporate environment,
but a lot of it is, you know,making sure things are shipping
out to our customers, makingsure our customers are receiving
good support and service fromus, working with different teams
(03:19):
to ensure all of our processesare flowing and everything kind
of just runs smoothly.
It's a little bit of everything, but what I love about the role
is my job is really interesting.
It's never the same thing twodays in a row, always just kind
of tackling new challenges andlooking for ways to grow the
business each day.
So it's a lot of firefightingat times, but also really neat
(03:40):
to watch the business moveforward in big ways over time.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So I think we can.
A lot of us in this space canrelate to.
Every day is a little bitdifferent and things are coming
at you from all differentdirections at all different
times.
But as we look at leadershipdynamics within a tech
organization right, so you knowfrom the retailer side and then
the vendor side but then when welook at your role in a tech
organization, do you feel thatthere's any specific challenges
(04:07):
within your space from aleadership perspective?
Speaker 3 (04:10):
Leadership challenges .
I mean right now we're in amajor generational shift in the
workforce.
So trying to find that youngerround of leaders to come in and
mentor them and get them to aposition where they can be
effective in our business, Iwould say, is a big challenge
right now.
I think maybe over the lastdecade or so it's been easy
(04:30):
because we've had a workforcefull of mature, experienced
leaders, so we've been able tokind of grab from that as we
need it, as that oldergeneration is starting to
actually retire.
I think us and probablyeverybody across all business
industries have struggled withhow do we get that next group
brought up in a way that we cankeep running the business each
day but know that we're buildingfuture talent to run the
(04:50):
business.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that we all face thatchallenge in building the bench
right.
And what is the next round ofleadership?
Diving into leadership a littlebit further, carolyn, is there
anything that you feel femalesspecifically face, challenges
that they face within theleadership role that they may be
taking on?
Speaker 3 (05:10):
You know right now I would say it's still.
You look around the room thatyou're in and it's still going
to be very heavily skewed male.
You know we go to these showsand nine out of 10 people were
with our men.
So understanding the way thatmen work together, I think, has
been important for me over theyears.
And you know finding how to howto work across that group and
(05:31):
then, over time, more, morewomen have obviously joined that
leadership circle and but therestill is this very heavily
skewed demographic towards menwhen it comes to working in
groceries.
Figuring out how to communicatewell, effectively with men and
meet them where they're at,enjoy some of the hobbies they
enjoy, has been helpful for mein terms of just creating closer
(05:52):
relationships in the industry.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
So being a Women Grocers of America podcast.
What role do you feel thatorganizations like WGA play in
helping overcome some of thechallenges or building that
community and level ofconfidence in helping overcome
some of the challenges orbuilding that community and
level of confidence for femalesthat are in the room?
Speaker 3 (06:09):
I think this podcast has just brought a lot more
transparency and I don't knowFaceTime for women in grocery to
the main stage.
I feel like it's gettingrecognized now at NGA show and
the board meetings and I hearpeople come up and mention it.
So I think just hearing thoseother voices realizing that that
(06:30):
is a piece of our leadershipdemographic in our industry is
important.
And then I also think women arelearning from each other.
I know my involvement with WGAhas been really helpful to me
over the last two years.
I really never had a group offemale business executives that
I spent time with, and so havingthat really focused group to
(06:50):
talk about how we can be betterleaders, how we can develop and
how we can educate ourselves, Ithink it's been super helpful to
me personally.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
When you walk into rooms or you walk into events or
shows or conferences and seethat network, there's a level of
comfort.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Absolutely.
Yeah, I had failed to evenmention that but that was
probably the very first benefitthat I got out of WGA was just
having a group of women thatwhen I showed up I immediately
saw friendly faces that weresmiling, waving at me to come
over, and it kind of brought meout of my shell.
You know, it's easy to go tothese big events and just spend
time with the people that youknow, especially your work
(07:28):
colleagues, and not get the fullbenefit of meeting others,
learning about their experiencesand growing.
You know, I can't encourageother women to join enough just
for that reason, so that whenyou go to the big show or to any
of the other events you've gotwomen that ask for you to come
over and kind of immediatelyjust make you feel at home.
So that's been a great benefit.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Definitely.
You know the purpose and therole of WGA is not men versus
women by any means, but in ahistorically male-dominated
industry, you know, building thecommunity and the network for
females that has just inherentlybeen there for the males of the
industry so that we can supporteach other in the unique needs,
(08:08):
just like males have uniqueneeds that they need to be
supported in.
Yeah, I absolutely agree.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
I think you know women have not been in business
for that long we're talking halfa century of even having
leadership roles in business.
So you know we're still in someways playing catch up in terms
of establishing our networks andhow we can best function in the
business world, and so I thinkWGA has been a great way to
foster that and make it a moreequitable place for everybody.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
What are some of the key milestones or achievements
throughout your career thatyou're most proud of?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Well, kristen, I told you ahead of this that I do not
like talking about myself, soI'm going to muscle my way
through.
So I would say one of thethings I was really proud of
initially, when I first joinedECRS full-time, was launching
our Ignite conference that we doannually.
So that's the conference whereall of our retailers come
together and we do three days oflearning and education,
(09:03):
networking.
It's kind of a mini NGA showfor catapult retailers Got that
going.
We started out with 70 peopleour first year and then we've
been growing it and growing itnow on our 11th year this year,
and this year I think we'regoing to actually sell out that
conference.
It's in Minneapolis.
We have 300 spaces reserved forretailers.
(09:24):
Thinking that was more thanenough and I actually think
we're going to sell out.
It's kind of cool watchingsomething that was just this,
you know, kind of side projectto our bigger business really
become this very important thingthat we do each year.
That really drives our businessforward.
So much great ideas, energy,momentum coming out of that
(09:45):
conference and it truly drivesour strategy and our direction
as a company.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
That's amazing.
Congratulations on that.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
In February this year .
I was nominated back in the fallof last year and then February
this year officially broughtinto back in the fall of last
year and then February this yearofficially brought into the NGA
Board of Directors, and I'mreally excited about that.
It's just I started in the NGAFoundation Board helping with
some of the programming aroundthe foundation, like the UGA and
Executive LeadershipDevelopment Program and some of
(10:14):
the.
I actually got started becauseof the SEMTAC all of the
technology and enablement thatNGA Foundation helps with and
then this past year wasnominated to the board and I'm
just I'm excited about that too.
It feels like a reallyimportant milestone for
participation in the industryand I really want to do
something important while I'mthere.
I hope I can help shapetechnology space for grocery.
(10:36):
It's becoming increasingly hardto compete as an independent
and I feel like technology isreally a great way and a great
path forward for independents toremain super competitive.
So I hope during my time on theboard I can do something that
helps retailers and helps theindependent space stay strong in
the coming years.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Fantastic.
The NGA does such fantasticwork, and so I'm sure you'll
make a significant impact inyour role on that board and
helping continue to carryeverything forward.
We talked about leadership andyour role as a leader within
your organization, but do youhave any female leaders who have
inspired you along your journeyand, if so, in what way have
they given you that inspirationFrom?
Speaker 3 (11:16):
the industry.
I have to call out StephanieReed from the Shelby Report.
She was probably the very firstperson ever within the industry
that was not somebody in myworkplace to take time to get to
know me and to kind of startintroducing me to people.
Can't thank her enough.
And then she's just an awesomeleader.
You look at the way she leadsShelby Report, the way she
(11:38):
communicates and is a part ofthe industry and it's always
with a lot of compassion.
It Jordan was the founder of NewBelgium Brewery.
They make the pretty famous fattire beer.
(12:01):
You can find that on mostshelves across the United States
.
Definitely had a heyday.
In the early 2000s Kim startedher brewery in her basement with
her husband.
You know she had a couplehundred dollars to her name and
they really bootstrapped it andgot it off the ground in Fort
Collins, colorado and then overthe course of 10, 15 years maybe
even 20, she took that littlebasement brewery and turned it
(12:25):
into a nationally recognizedbrewery and beer brand.
Eventually she converted herorganization into an ESOP.
She just had this really cool,you know cultural belief about
the way that employees shouldcontribute to an organization
and she really wanted all of heremployees to act like owners
and so to do that, she moved theorganization over to an ESOP.
(12:47):
She was one of those reallyearly kind of culture
trendsetters.
You know, before Google did alltheir cool stuff, new Belgium
was doing stuff like sendingpeople to Belgium on their
10-year anniversary for a beer,sabbatical, and just cool things
like that.
So I had a chance to meet her acouple of years ago at an Inc
conference, inc the magazine,and that was just a really neat
(13:09):
moment for me.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
I'm not familiar with Kim, but I think I'll do a
little research on her.
Her story sounds absolutelyfascinating, watching her
journey and how she grew thatbusiness Two great leaders that
you mentioned in that.
What inspires you and who hasinspired you along your journey?
So, as we talk about leadershipand inspiration, do you have
any advice you would givesomeone aspiring to join the
(13:31):
industry or continuing toadvance their career in grocery?
Just?
Speaker 3 (13:35):
get involved.
If you're just now starting inthe industry, I think looking
around and seeing the differentways, there's tons of different
associations that supportgrocery.
There's state level, there'sobviously NGA and then within
those orgs there's probably withNGA, a lot of subset areas that
you can get involved in.
So I would just start earlywith getting involved in stuff
(13:57):
and, you know, don't be afraidto ask questions and there's a
lot of on the female side.
We obviously have a reallystrong network.
You know, reach out and askanybody for help.
We're all here to help bringyou along.
We want the grocery industry,the independent grocery industry
, to thrive and live on and theonly way it does that is if we
bring new leadership and newenergy into that, into the space
(14:20):
.
So we're definitely here tohelp.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
A couple of things that you said there.
The state associations and NGA.
Obviously at a national levelhas such a significant impact in
supporting and continuing tohelp advance the independent
industry.
But there's several and manystate associations throughout
the country that are also veryactive and very involved.
If you're not involved in yourstate association, definitely
(14:44):
dive into that and see wherethere's opportunities there.
I think that's a great call outand then asking questions.
I'm a big one for askingquestions and learning and
grabbing all that knowledge thatI can, and there's such a
wealth of information fromindividuals within the industry
who are so willing to share andhelp.
So, yes, don't be afraid to askthe questions.
There's a lot of us that areand a lot of individuals around
(15:05):
that are willing to share thatinformation and happy to do so,
and really great conversationsthat come from that, Absolutely.
So let's talk about the future.
What trends do you feel we needto be keeping an eye on right
now that might shape our future?
Speaker 3 (15:18):
So you know, being in tech, I'm all about where
technology is headed.
There's a lot going on rightnow and I know it's probably
overwhelming for people whodon't feel very tech oriented,
but I do think it's important.
I think we're at a very pivotaltime right now in terms of
where the speed of technologydevelopment and I really want
(15:39):
independents to considertechnology and their strategy
and make sure that they're notjust an afterthought, not
thinking of it as the devil Ihave to deal with, but really
think of it as something thatcould change the way that you
compete and the way that yourbusiness exists long term.
Some of the trends that I thinkare going to be important
obviously we've got AI, andeverybody's always talking about
(16:03):
how are humans going to getreplaced by AI and kind of
really going out there.
Yeah, maybe there's a time anda place for that, but today I
think there's really practicaltechnology.
People should be looking intomy top three right now that I
would recommend to any retaileris going to be what is your
ordering looking like?
Are you using any sort ofcomputer assisted ordering?
(16:24):
I think at this point, computerassisted ordering has had a
multi-decade track record ofhelping businesses and it's now
getting some of that AI juice init, where you can actually
include things like you know,upcoming weather patterns as a
part of your computer-assistedordering strategy.
You know, just be consideringhow you're doing ordering.
(16:47):
If you are still doing pen andpaper and sending people out to
see what's low on shelf.
There's a better way and it'sgoing to save time.
It's going to save money.
It's going to give you a moreaccurate inventory on your
shelves.
The second thing I would belooking at is just practical
vision technology.
So one thing that I think is areally practical piece of
(17:08):
technology you can implement onthe vision side is produce
recognition.
In terms of accuracy we'reseeing so, produce recognition
being the technology that looksat the produce that you set down
on a scale at the point of saleor self-checkout and identifies
what that piece of produce is.
It's becoming a lot moreaccessible at this point.
It used to be a very expensive,clunky, difficult thing to
(17:31):
implement and I think that'schanging pretty rapidly right
now.
It's it really ups accuracywith your customers, who have
absolutely no idea what any PLUsare.
Period.
They're going to speed up theirtransaction and they're most
likely going to select a moreaccurate option than what they
would potentially if they haveto go through a menu and try to
find exactly which type of applethey got.
(17:53):
And then on the cashier side,with this younger generation of
cashiers you don't necessarilyhave that institutional PLU
knowledge that was in everycashier you previously hired,
just kind of again speeding uptheir transactions and their
accuracy.
I think it's a really neat andpractical use of AI.
And then the third piece of thattechnology that I think people
(18:16):
need to be thinking about isjust this really isn't
technology, this is just afundamental right now is your
data and making sure that youhave clean, accurate data.
Kind of taking a look at whereyou have systems of data in your
business and how those systemsplay together.
What we're finding as more ofthis great AI technology is
coming out.
(18:36):
When people don't have astraightforward data strategy,
then it's very hard to implementthis really neat and
competitive technology becauseit thrives off of good data.
So just taking a look at whereyou're at data-wise, how many
systems are playing together,how many sources of truth you
have for data, how presentablethat data is to the outside
(18:57):
world, your customers, I thinkthat's a really fundamental
piece of technology right now.
That people it's an easy thingto say hey, next quarter we'll
have a project to really get ourdatabases cleaned up.
But before long there'll be atime and a place where you're
ready and you need to implementthings, and that is a
fundamental piece toimplementing the stuff of the
future.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
I think that's great advice I think data can become
so overwhelming and you can getlost in it and to be able to
take a step back and make surethat you have relevant and
intentional maybe data that isactually productive for the
business.
I think it can be overwhelming.
I think there's so much outthere and there's so much
opportunity, but making sure youhave the right data and
(19:38):
information for what you'relooking to achieve and aligns
with your strategy.
So I think that's a great callout and don't be afraid to
leverage.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
You know the pros out there.
I think a lot of retailers.
Like I said earlier, sometimestechnology is a bit of an
afterthought because you've gota lot of stuff going on in your
stores.
So you know, talk to yourtechnology providers and ask for
their help with best practicesand you know ways to move your
business forward from atechnology standpoint.
That's what they're there forand I think retailers would
(20:07):
benefit from leveraging theirproviders a bit more.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Talking about trends and what we should be keeping an
eye on right now, but is thereanything that excites you the
most about the future of theindustry?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
The rate and speed of technology change right now is
faster than anything any of ushave really seen in our lifetime
, other than maybe those of uswho are around during the move
to personal computers.
This is kind of that nextiteration of that and I really
think we're going to see somehuge leaps over the next decade
and in some ways I think that'sreally exciting because what is
(20:39):
special about the independentspace is the agility.
We're not gigantic nationalbrands, we're smaller format.
We've got smaller headcount,smaller departments, but what
the benefit of that is, we canturn on a dime Over the next
decade.
It's going to be reallyinteresting and exciting to see
who takes advantage of thatagility and is able to really
(21:00):
position themselves in a uniqueway for the long term.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
I think, as an independent, the ability to
pivot quickly and make thosesometimes rapid decisions to go
in a different direction or lookat something from a different
angle is absolutely one of thestrengths and continues to help
carry us forward in everythingthat we do.
So, as we look to wrap up today, I have two additional
questions.
First, you know we talk about afamily business, working
(21:24):
alongside your dad and all ofthe opportunities that that
provides, and you know hismentorship.
But is there any memorable orfunny moments that you share
working with your dad that youwill always remember?
Memorable or funny moment?
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Well, my dad is a bit of a jokester to surprise
people in our company Once ortwice a year.
We'll get these emails at likefour o'clock in the afternoon
and he'll just shut the wholecompany down and say, hey, we're
going to go over to thisbrewery, meet us there.
It's my company, I get to dowhat I want and everybody loves
that.
We bring a lot of fun into theorganization.
(22:05):
He's really good about kind of.
He's a very serious person, youknow, on a day-to-day level,
but he's also really good aboutremembering that you know, if
we're going to run businesses,if we're going to own businesses
, we might as well have funwhile we're doing it.
I really appreciate that abouthim and I appreciate that he
loves to do it out of left field.
It's never the day you thinkhe's going to do something like
that, but yeah, we've had a lotof moments like that over the
years.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
And I'm going to throw you one little last
curveball.
If you were writing a book orcreating a podcast about the
industry today, what would thetitle be?
Speaker 3 (22:30):
What I think I would do is a podcast on family
business.
I really don't think I'm in apoint in my career where I could
write a book with expertise onanything.
I'm still learning every day.
So I would definitely opt forthe podcast route because I'd
love to bring other familybusiness members on and just
learn about how they'renavigating.
(22:52):
You know, working side by sideacross generations and bringing
on different family members,maybe outside of just that
parent-child relationship,learning how they're
contemplating succession andkind of long-term business
strategy.
So I think that'd be reallyneat.
And when you look at ourindustry, it's just fascinating
to me how many multi-generationbusinesses there are.
(23:13):
It's I mean, it's so I don'teven raise my eyebrows when I
meet somebody and they say, hey,I'm a fourth generation family
business owner.
In our industry that's a normalthing, but it's really special
and unique.
You look across the businesslandscape and the stats on
business viability onegeneration to the next are so
low.
So when you meet these grocerswho have managed to not only
(23:36):
keep their business alive but insome cases even grow and expand
it over multiple generations,there's some special information
there that I would like tolearn.
I've got little kids so I'malready thinking about what it's
going to look like when they'rein their 20s and 30s.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
I think we should absolutely get you set up with
that podcast, because I thinkthe heart of the independent is
that family-led,multi-generational format.
Let's get that going yourto-dos right.
Thank you so very much forsharing your time and your
thoughts with us today.
I appreciate you, your storyand your contribution to the
industry.
Thank you for your valuableinsights and I look forward to
(24:12):
continue watching you make adifference in all you do,
kristen and to our listeners.
Thank you so much for tuninginto today's episode.
We hope you enjoyed thediscussion as much as we did.
If you found value, be sure tosubscribe to never miss an
episode and leave a review onyour favorite listening platform
to help others discover GroceryFrom Her Seat.
Until next time, keep making adifference in all you do.
Speaker 1 (24:33):
On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we
thank you for listening to ourpodcast today and ask that you
subscribe, leave a five-starreview and share with a friend.
If you have a suggestion for aguest from the industry, mention
them in the comments.
Episodes are released everyother week and they are
sponsored by NGA, hosted byKristen Popp, president of WGA,
and published by Rachel Milowith SWA Marketing.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.