Power Panel of Independent Grocers to Be Held at GroceryTech 2025
Progressive Grocer has created a power panel of influential independent retailers for its annual GroceryTech event. The session, entitled “Indie Approaches to Unified Commerce,” will feature Taylor Bloom, co-founder and CTO of Foxtrot Ventures; Sarah Rivers, senior director, connected commerce at IGA Inc.; and Donna Zambo, VP and CMO at Allegiance Retail Services.
Taking place June 10-12 at the Marriott Dallas Uptown, Progressive Grocer’s annual GroceryTech event is geared toward grocery retail executives who are seeking new solutions to accelerate tech-enabled growth in every corner of their business. With the theme of "Creating Connections," this year's event will feature diverse programming and unique networking opportunities, uniting industry players – including grocers and solution providers – to foster innovation and growth.
Scheduled for day two of the event, the “Indie Approaches to Unified Commerce” session will explore how independent grocers are navigating developments in this field and adopting solutions that work for their companies and their customers. Bloom, Rivers and Zambo will inspire attendees to rethink traditional processes.
Bloom drives the technical vision that powers both Foxtrot’s innovative e-commerce platform and seamless retail experience. In his role, he oversees the growth and leadership of the engineering and product teams, sets the strategic direction for the company’s technology initiatives, and ensures that Foxtrot maintains a robust, best-in-class infrastructure to support its ambitious goals.
Prior to launching Chicago-based Foxtrot, Bloom sharpened his expertise at Equilibrics Trading, in Austin, Texas. There, he played a key role in designing and developing its proprietary algorithmic trading platform, tackling complex challenges in high-stakes financial systems.
Rivers leverages over three decades of experience in the grocery industry at her current position at Chicago-based IGA. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in crafting effective advertising and marketing plans that drive growth and customer engagement.
With a robust background in traditional advertising, Rivers transitioned her focus to digital marketing and e-commerce in 2014, bringing innovative strategies to independent retailers. Her expertise spans a wide range of areas, including digital advertising, loyalty, customer experience, market analysis and retail media. Rivers has a keen understanding of the evolving retail landscape and is dedicated to helping grocers thrive in the digital age.
At Iselin, N.J.-based Allegiance Retail Services, Zambo is charged with oversight of IT, advertising and loyalty marketing, digital commerce and retail innovation, and analytics. She has a passion for the consumer and is driven to arm Allegiance members with best-in-class technologies, marketing tools and insights. Zambo holds various leadership roles in the grocery industry, among them membership on the board of directors for Women Grocers of America, chairperson of the FMI Technology Executive Committee and vice chairperson of the New Jersey Food Council eCommerce Committee.
Other industry-leading experts scheduled to speak at GroceryTech 2025 include Sam’s Club SVP and Chief Product Officer Todd Garner, Save A Lot security expert Nathen Fritzsche, Lowes Foods SVP of Digital and E-Commerce Chad Petersen, Lowes Foods SVP of Merchandising Glenn Figenholtz, Heritage Grocers Group CEO Suzy Monford, and Giant Food Head of Loyalty and Digital Ryan Draude.
Register for this one-of-a-kind event to discover all of the game-changing tech and insights shaping the future of grocery retail. Registration for GroceryTech is open to qualified grocery retail leaders, but space is limited, so register today.
