Robert Graybill
CEO, FMS Solutions
Charlie Rapier
CRO, FMS Solutions
Harold Lloyd
Founder, Harold Lloyd Presents
Greg Ferrara
National Grocers Association
Bhavdeep Singh
WHA Partners & Whitehawk Associates
Mike Beal
Balls Foods
Richard Wardwell
Superior Grocers
Dale Reeves
AFS Salt Lake City
Steve Morrow
Allen’s Food Market
Harold is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago. He has been the president of a company with 1000 employees and 14 stores and was a franchisee of a 3-unit, award-winning family restaurant group in Virginia Beach.
For almost 40 years, Harold has been the featured speaker at the food industry’s most popular events. He has created 30 top rated seminars and written 4 books. He has also created and currently facilitates seven industry related share groups. His Annual Supermarket SMARTS Program (offered Virtually) is currently one of the industry’s top store management development programs.
Harold is a proud father of 3 and grandfather of 2 and lives in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife, Deanna.
Harold says, “I’d rather see my audience taking notes than to hear their applause.” This remark speaks to his intense desire to make a meaningful connection with his audience, which is his ultimate objective.
Mike Beal is the Secretary, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Balls Food Stores, a retail grocery store chain with 25 store locations operating under the Hen House, Price Chopper, Sunfresh and Payless Discount Foods brands in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Immediately after earning his MBA from the University of Kansas in 1981 and prior to earning a J.D. from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1989, he managed stores for Balls Food Stores, created and managed the IT department, and served as a programmer and system analyst. After law school, he practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, and general corporate matters for nine years, first with Smith, Gill, Fisher & Butts (SGFB), and then with Bryan Cave LLP after its merger with SGFB. He was a partner with SGFB and was selected to become a partner with Bryan Cave before he left that firm to return to Balls Foods Stores to become its Chief Financial Officer, a position he held for 15 years before becoming the first Chief Operating Officer of Balls Food Stores in 2012. He served in that role until 2019, when he returned to the CFO position. In the position of CFO, Mike has responsibility for all financial and administrative functions of the company. Mike earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1979 while on a football scholarship.
Mike is a Board Member of The Greater Kansas City Crime Commission and a former Chairman of that organization, a Board Member of the Missouri Grocers Association and former Chairman of that organization, a Board member and the Chairman of the Midwest Retail and Grocery Alliance, a former Board Member of the Independence School Board Foundation and a Board Member and the Chairman of the Retail Grocers Association. In addition, Mike is a Manager/Director of numerous commercial and residential real estate entities.
Mike is married to Debra Beal and has three daughters, Molly (46), Marianne (34) and Morgan (31). He is a life-long resident of the Kansas City area.
Dale Reeves is an author and a nationally recognized leadership and communication expert who teaches leaders how to connect deeply, communicate authentically, and inspire greatness in the people around them. With more than 30 years of experience in corporate management, Dale equips leaders with the one skill AI can never replace—real human connection through one-on-one conversation that influences behavior and inspires action. He is also a Certified Forensic Interviewer (CFI), interrogator.
A 50+ year grocery veteran, Morrow has managed Allen’s Food Market in Bella Vista, Arkansas, just seven miles from Wal-Mart’s corporate offices in neighboring Bentonville, since 1999. He was named Associated Wholesale Grocer’s National Store Manager of the Year in 2015, chosen from over 3,400 stores. A master of social media, community connection, and shopping experience, he’s shared his unique passion and enthusiasm with grocers all over North America. His creative “no holds barred, 100 miles per hour” style will surely inspire you to look at your store, staff, and shoppers in a whole new and exciting way.
Bhavdeep Singh is an accomplished international executive with a very strong background in Healthcare, Retail Logistics, and Leadership Development. He has led private and public companies on three continents and has a very strong track record of building teams and delivering results.
Founder of WHA Partners and Whitehawk Associates (wha-partners.com) an advisory platform launched in 2020 with a focus on Healthcare, Retail, Logistics, and Leadership Development. His client list includes several multi-billion-dollar companies with brand presence all over the world. With offices in USA, India and Thailand, WHA/Whitehawk is quickly building a brand as a leading advisory platform.
Bhavdeep is also the Founder of Global MedTeam (globalmedteam.com) an exciting new platform that is focused on healthcare staffing and has offices in USA and the Philippines.
Founder and Chairman of Redesign backed HealthQuarters, a fast-paced healthcare start-up in NY, where Bhavdeep launched a visionary healthcare concept - healthquarters.com, an exciting new healthcare platform that brought together clinical and wellness under one roof.
CEO of Fortis Healthcare (Asia-based), one of the largest private hospital chains and healthcare platforms in the world, with over 30 hospitals. This is a highly specialized tertiary care hospital and diagnostics system with almost 4000 beds, 400 plus diagnostic lab centers, and one of the largest organ transplant programs in the world. Over two stints, Bhavdeep ran Fortis for six plus years.
Former Head of USA Operations at Ahold for 5 years where he had oversight for a $26 billion business with almost 800 stores, 30 warehouses, and was on the Executive Board of Ahold USA. He oversaw the entire US operation and had four Division Presidents reporting to him. He had a dual role where he was also the CEO of bfresh, an Ahold-backed venture that featured a small store concept, focusing on fresh foods.
Greg Ferrara is the President and CEO of the Washington, DC based National Grocers Association (NGA). NGA is the national trade association that is the voice of the retail and wholesale companies which comprise the independent sector of the supermarket industry, as well as those companies that provide products and services to the industry. In his role as President and CEO, Mr. Ferrara is responsible for working with NGA’s Board of Directors to develop and implement a strategic vision which advances the Association’s efforts and public policy positions. Prior to being appointed President and CEO in September 2019, Mr. Ferrara served for many years in various leadership roles at NGA, including as the organization’s chief lobbyist.
Mr. Ferrara brings a wealth of experience in the grocery industry, having managed his family’s century-old supermarket in New Orleans before the store was ultimately destroyed in 2005 in Hurricane Katrina. Greg holds a BA in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans and is a fellow of the prestigious Institute of Politics at Loyola University. He is a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management (IOM), is a graduate of the NGA Executive Leadership Program at Cornell University and is an Eagle Scout. Greg and his wife Nicole are the proud parents of two children, Matthew and Katelyn.
Robert Graybill joined FMS in 2000, bringing over 25 years of experience in the retail grocery
industry. He leads the company in supporting independent grocers through benchmarking, best
practices, and financial decision tools designed to drive profitability and long-term success.
Starting his career at age 14 in a local meat market, Robert worked through store-level and
corporate roles, including operations, IT, pricing, and finance with A&P’s SuperFresh. His
extensive industry experience made FMS a natural fit, ultimately leading to his acquisition of the
company and its subsequent expansion of services and international reach.
He is the author of the FMS/NGA Independent Grocers Financial Study and FMI’s Annual
Financial Review, and a frequent speaker at grocery industry events. He also teaches at the
IGA Coca-Cola Institute Supermarket Management Program, which supports both domestic and
international operators.
Robert holds an MBA from Loyola University Maryland and completed the NGA Executive
Management Program at Cornell University. He has served on advisory boards at the University
of Baltimore and Babson College, and on the Board of Directors for Elon University’s Business
School. In addition, he served on both the NGA Board of Directors and the NGA Foundation
Board of Directors, where he also held the role of Treasurer.
A two-time finalist for EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Robert remains deeply committed to helping
family-owned retailers thrive for generations.
