Grocery Is Your Business

For over half a century, Gourmet Foods International has maintained an unwavering passion for connecting consumers with the perfect specialty products from all over the world, including: Domestic and Imported Cheeses, Meat and Seafood, Hors D'Oeuvres, Bakery, Pastries, and Desserts, Condiments and Spices, Pastas, Grains, and Beans, Oils and Vinegars, Food Service Supplies, Olives and Vegetables, and Beverages. Brian Scott, President of Gourmet Foods International, takes Marc Raco and Sterling Hawkins (CART) on a journey through the business and its landscape, sourcing great cheese, navigating supply chain in times of COVID-19, and even a cheese and cracker tasting! Recorded on location at NGA 2020 in San Diego.

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For more than 75 years, Topco has leveraged the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of its member companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace through innovative product offerings and services, which are driven by insights and analytics. Topco's membership collectively represents billions in annual retail sales volume with thousands of stores, and Topco was formed to help ensure regional grocery retailers and wholesalers the ability to support their communities by providing families with high quality yet affordable products and services. Annie Charlip,Associate Category Manager - Marketing at Topco Associates LLC, joins Marc Raco and guest host Sterling Hawkins (CART) on location at NGA in San Diego.

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"Leader of the Pack (VRRROOOM!)"/CEO & President Lauren G. R. Johnson of the family-owned Rudy's Markets (a Bend, Oregon grocery business which also runs the brands Newport Avenue Market and Oliver Lemon's) joins Marc Raco and guest host Sterling Hawkins (CART) on location at NGA in San Diego. She discusses the importance of change and differentiation, the value and importance of community involvement for the brand, presentation in general and attending to the tiny details. the value of employee-owners, being a visiting destination for tourists.growing sales vs. growing the business, surrounding yourself with your peers and being aware of what's happening in the industry, the annual customer appreciation sale, being a family business, and attention-getting business cards (and why they provide business cards to employees).

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The Hawkins family name is synonymous with retail and consumer focused innovation, and father and son co-founders Gary Hawkins and Sterling Hawkin currently run Center for Advancing Retail & Technology (CART), evaluating over a thousand new retail technology companies every year. On location at NGA in San Diego, Gary and Sterling offer insights into the state of the grocery industry, retail in general, and the opportunities for the future with innovation and forward thinking.

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Puzl creates robot-ready intelligence for retail robots. The hyper-fast AI-platform-as-a-service is setting the performance standard for robot manufacturers and retailers worldwide. Co-Founder/CEOMatt Bartelsian shares how robots and the Puzl platform can be game-changers in the grocery business. Recorded on location at NGA in San Diego, with guest co-host Sterling Hawkins.

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Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) is the nation's largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently owned supermarkets, serving over 1,100 member companies and over 3,000 locations throughout 28 states from 8 full-line wholesale divisions. The consolidated sales for AWG are approximately $9.7 billion. On location at NGA in San Diego, VP of Sales and Solutions Stacey Bowen provides a glimpse into the impact AWG Maes, and how, in addition to its cooperative wholesale operations, the company also operates subsidiary companies which provide certain real estate and supermarket development services, print and digital marketing services, and health and beauty care, general merchandise, specialty/international foods and pharmaceutical products.

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Rochester, NY-based Freshop, a company building eCommerce solutions to provide full digital engagement for grocery and specialty retail -- including solutions for mobile, fulfillment and delivery -- is apowerful and customized online shopping experience for supermarket customers. CEO Brian Moyer offers a look inside the company's journey and what's possible, on location at NGA in San Diego.

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Ron Bonacci,Vice President of Marketing and Advertising forWeis Markets (a large regional grocery chain headquartered in Sunbury, PA with more than 200 stores in 7 states) shares insights on innovation, eduction, and keeping pace with change as a grocery retailer with Marc Raco and Sterling Hawkins on location at NGA in San Diego.

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Jason Schulweis, SVP and Head of Brand Partnerships and Integrated Marketing for Morning Brew, offers crucial insights about current trends within media and marketing due to the impact of COVID-19, how marketers can authentically connect with consumers, and the importance of brand purpose in the face of this new reality.

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Aside from the physical health risks stoked by COVID-19, there's another byproduct of the pandemic that's potentially terrifying: the social impact of isolation and quarantines. Given the number of people directed and electing to work from home, social distancing becomes both a personal challenge as well as an important business concern. From London, Julia Hobsbawm (social entrepreneur and author ofThe Simplicity Principle) shares important insights, strategy, and perspective, along with useful plays, for business leaders facing the realities of social distancing amongst their workforce and customers.

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