National Grocers Association Names New Board Members

The National Grocers Association (NGA) recently appointed two new members to the board of directors: Kim Eskew, Harps Food Stores Inc. and Michael Ridenour, Kraft Foods Group Inc.

"I am pleased to welcome Kim and Mike to NGA's Board of Directors and look forward to them providing their expertise and guidance in the development of future strategies for our organization," said Peter Larkin, president and CEO of NGA.

The association also named Jodie Felter, Niemann Foods Inc., as the new Foundation Regent for the NGA Research & Education Foundation.

The new appointments were made during NGA’s recent Fall Leadership Meeting and Trading Partner Business Sessions (TPBS) in Chicago. The invitation-only TPBS program provides retailers and wholesalers the opportunity to meet with current and potential trading partners. This year’s event grew 50 percent over last year and featured 50 companies participating in more than 320 meetings to discuss business opportunities, strategies and goals. James Russo, SVP, Global Insights for Nielsen also presented industry trends and growth opportunities for independent grocers.

"The size and buying power of the independent grocery channel represents a large share of the market, approximately 25 percent of supermarket industry sales," said Brian Lynch, VP of industry relations, NGA. "TPBS provides a unique and direct collaboration platform specifically focused on top-line growth and supply chain efficiency opportunities within the highly innovative independent segment. The growth of the TPBS platform reflects just how strong the relevancy of the independent channel is in driving positive results across the US marketplace."