Speakers

Harold Lloyd
Founder, Harold Lloyd Presents

Robert Graybill
CEO, FMS Solutions

Charlie Rapier
CRO, FMS Solutions

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

George Essex
Senior Vice President at BRANDED

Rachel Gideo
FMS

Doug Haworth
FMS

Panelists

Steve Morrow 
Allen’s Food Market

Mandy Plummer
Fractional CFO & Strategy Executive (Independent)

Shawn Gavigan, CPA, CMA
VP Finance, Freson Bros.

Mike Carter
Former Senior Executive HEB

Kevin Davis

Doug Haworth

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

General Manager of GOT Systems at FMS

Doug Haworth is the General Manager of GOT Systems at FMS, where he leads the development and implementation of innovative shrink and inventory management solutions for independent grocers. With over 35 years of experience in the grocery industry, Doug brings a deep understanding of both store operations and the customer perspective, making him uniquely equipped to drive success for FMS and its clients.

Doug began his career in the grocery business as a carry-out associate and worked his way up to Vice President of Operations, gaining hands-on experience in every aspect of store management along the way. Since joining the FMS team in 2022, Doug has leveraged his extensive operational expertise to enhance the capabilities and effectiveness of GOT Systems, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of independent grocers.

Doug’s unique blend of operational and customer-focused insights allows him to deliver practical, results-driven solutions that help grocers reduce shrink, optimize processes, and improve profitability.

Rachel Gideo

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at FMS Solutions

Rachael Gideo is the Senior Director of Solutions Engineering at FMS Solutions, where she leverages over 13 years of accounting experience to drive strategic innovation and operational excellence. She holds a Master of Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and has built a diverse career spanning multiple industries, with a specialized focus on grocery retail over the past six years. Rachael’s expertise encompasses traditional accounting, budgeting, and advanced analytical solutions, making her a trusted leader in financial strategy and performance optimization.

Mike Carter

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Mike was recruited by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company and his first assignment was President of their Mid-Atlantic Division in Philadelphia. After only one year he was promoted to President of the Midwest Division in Detroit. The two-banner division had 140 stores doing $2.5 billion annually.

When A&P decided to sell their Midwest & Canadian Divisions, Mike returned to Texas and held senior strategic and operational leadership roles at Radio Shack, Minyard Foods, and CVS Pharmacy.

From 2013-2025 Mike served as Vice President Business Development for Logile, a leader in Workforce Management solutions. Mike’s networking skills helped Logile grow tremendously in those 12 years and become recognized as the top workforce management provider for retailers, as rated by customer satisfaction surveys (RIS LeaderBoard).
Mike retired in 2025 but still works with his wife, Suzanne – providing strategic and tactical solutions for retailers, suppliers, start-ups, private equity, and non-profits. Suzanne is a professor at Texas Christian University and teaches Strategy in the Neeley Business School, also running the Executive MBA program at TCU. Mike also works with small to mid-size businesses as a resource for their leadership and operations teams. For the past ten years Mike has volunteered with the Food Retail Alliance, composed of independent grocery retailer share groups.

Mike and his wife Suzanne reside in Fort Worth, Texas.

Shawn Gavigan

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Shawn Gavigan, CPA, CMA
VP Finance, Freson Bros

Shawn began 23 years ago as Controller at Freson Bros., Alberta's largest independent, family-owned grocery chain and currently serves as the Vice President of Finance. As part of the executive leadership team, Shawn directs the financial operations, and is involved with strategic planning, and digital transformation initiatives that sustain the company's unique, heritage-focused retail food experience. A designated Certified Professional Accountant, he is dedicated to driving operational excellence and sustainable growth across the company's network of stores from its head office in Stony Plain, Alberta.

George Essex

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

George Essex is Senior Vice President at BRANDED, a global brand creation and implementation agency specializing in consumer brands, private label, and retail. He leads the agency’s US business and advises some of the world’s most recognized retailers and consumer brands, including Sam’s Club, Conagra, GameStop and Bimbo Bakeries, alongside smaller banners, independents and emerging businesses.

With deep expertise across private label, CPG, shopper behavior and brand building, George brings a sharp understanding of how brands earn attention, build trust, drive choice and create commercial value in the retail environment. His commercially driven perspective helps businesses navigate change, unlock growth and build brands that are more distinctive, more relevant and better equipped to win in the real world.

Mandy Plummer

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Amanda (Mandy) Tomlin, EVP & Chief Financial Officer – Brookshire Grocery Company. Mandy oversees Brookshire’s FP&A, tax, treasury, payroll and accounting departments and plays a key role in supporting the Company’s strategic long-term growth and financial health.

Mandy brings more than 25 years of senior financial leadership experience across the retail grocery industry. Her career in grocery began in 1999 at United Supermarkets, where she spent over 20 years serving as Controller and then CFO of United, eventually promoting to Corporate VP of FP&A for the Albertsons Companies in 2021, post United’s acquisition by Albertsons. In 2023, Mandy left the Albertsons Companies, moving to become CFO at HAC., Inc. (Homeland), a regional grocery chain located in Oklahoma City, before moving to Brookshire Grocery Company in 2025. 　
She has served as a board member on the Texas Retailers Association and as a committee member for the FMI Financial Executives and the Retail Finance Leaders Roundtable. In 2020 she was selected as a Top Woman in Grocery, as a senior level executive, by Progressive Grocer.

She holds both a BBA and an MBA in Accounting from Angelo State University and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Harold Lloyd

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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.

Greg Ferarra

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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.

Bhavdeep Singh

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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.

Mike Beal

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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.

Richard Wardwell

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

President & CEO, Superior Grocers
Richard Wardwell is the President & CEO of Superior Grocers, one of Southern California’s largest independent supermarket chains operating 74 locations. In this role, he directs daily operations and strategic initiatives driving growth and innovation.

Richard’s 44-year grocery career began in 1982 as a courtesy clerk at Raley’s Supermarket in Reno, Nevada. Over nearly three decades, he worked his way up to General Manager, overseeing store operations across Nevada, California, and New Mexico. He later held leadership roles at Save Mart Supermarkets and Walmart before returning to Raley’s in 2011 as Vice President of Operations for their Food Source Division.

In 2014, Richard joined Superior Grocers as Vice President of Operations. Over the 12 years, he has played a key role in the company’s success, ultimately becoming President & CEO.


Richard serves as Chairman of the board for the California Grocers Association and is a member of the C-Level Roundtable Sharegroup. He has also served on the boards of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC), Olive Crest, New Mexico Grocers Association, and the Northern Nevada Food Bank.

Dale Reeves

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Leadership & Communication Expert
Author of Inspire People to Greatness
Creator of The Reeves Connection Method

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.

Steve Morrow

President & CEO, National Grocers Association


Allen’s Food Market

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.

Mike Jarzombek

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

Former SVP Sales, Marketing & Merchandising, H-E-B Dallas Division

Mike Jarzombek spent 44 years at H-E-B, starting as a meat department manager in San Antonio and retiring in 2025 as SVP over sales, marketing and merchandising for the Dallas Division, where he helped lead the company's expansion into DFW and opened 10 stores. Before that he ran meat and seafood company-wide, with responsibility for $6.5 billion in annual meat procurement, $1 billion in seafood, and all pricing and margin management across the category. He also led product development, contract negotiations and quality assurance for fresh and processed items. Mike now consults with retailers, focusing on perishables.

Harold Lloyd

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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 Normal Reeves

Leadership & Communication Expert
Author of Inspire People to Greatness
Creator of The Reeves Connection Method

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.

Steve Morrow

Allen’s Food Market

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

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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.

President & CEO, National Grocers Association

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

President & CEO, FMS Solutions

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.