Unified Grocers, Giant Eagle to Keynote NFRA Exec Conference
Sue Klug, EVP and chief marketing officer at Commerce, Calif.-based Unified Grocers, and Jerry LeClair, SVP sales and merchandising at Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle, will serve as keynote speakers at the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association's (NFRA) 23rd Annual Executive Conference, slated for April 13-15 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center in Tempe, Ariz.
The conference will open on April 13 with the Greater Penguin Open Golf Tournament or the NFRA Fishing Tournament, followed by a welcome reception. April 14 offers a lineup of interactive speaker presentations, in addition to a conference reception and dinner. The event will finish on April 15 following breakfast and one last informational session.
Klug's speech will start the Tuesday morning session, followed by Eddie Yoon and Tim Joyce of The Cambridge Group, who will discuss how to identify "super consumers" and how retailers and manufacturers have acted on such insights to spur growth. The NPD Group's Darren Seifer will demonstrate how population shifts influence the country's eating behaviors and what's to come, while Larry Levin, of Chicago-based IRI, will look at how Baby Boomers interact with the frozen and dairy aisles. Additionally, retail food industry consultant Michael Sansolo will talk about how Millennials' use of technology differs from that of their parents, and the importance of managers' use of these tools to connect with Millennial shoppers and employees.
LeClair will speak at the beginning of Tuesday's afternoon sessions, followed by Ken Harris, of Cadent Consulting Group, who will talk about the efforts of consumer packaged goods manufacturers and industry players to get back to basics. On Wednesday morning, Sansolo will review lessons and prescriptions for business success, and rules to guide attendees' leadership and managerial abilities.
Harrisburg, Pa.-based NFRA, a nonprofit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated food industry, sponsors March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, the June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, and the October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach program. The organization also holds the annual National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in October.