Wardwell, President of Superior Grocers, to Keynote NFRA Executive Conference

Richard Wardwell

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) will hold its 30th annual Executive Conference April 4-6, 2022, at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel & Conference Center in Tempe, Ariz. Rich Wardwell, President of Superior Grocers, will be the Retailer Keynote. Conference speakers will provide the latest information on consumer and industry trends.

The conference will open on Monday, April 4 with the optional Greater Penguin Golf Tournament followed by an evening welcome reception. Tuesday, April 5 will offer an impressive line-up of interactive speaker presentations, as well as a networking reception. On Wednesday, April 6, the conference will conclude with breakfast and a final informational session.     

Tuesday morning will begin with the Retailer Keynote followed by Jason Smith, Shopper Intelligence, who will share results of a new study of 130,000 frozen and dairy shoppers and insights on marketing to them. Tom Bailey, RaboResearch, will look at the significant growth of omnichannel strategies. Curt Avallone, Takeoff Technologies, will describe the economics surrounding the use of robotics and artificial intelligence in e-grocery. Colleen McClellan, Datassential, will discuss how consumers’ in and out of home behavior has shifted. Mike Poznansky, Neato, will help attendees understand Gen Z and how to earn their long-term loyalty. Zack Nippert, CivicScience, will share powerful data on what’s next for consumers and brands including inflation, supply chain issues and macro-trends.

The conference will close early on Wednesday when Zack Nippert returns with Erica Norton, The Hershey Company, to discuss the trends, behaviors, and predictions of what the post-pandemic shopper will look like and how brands can prepare.

To preserve the informal atmosphere that encourages group discussion and more personal interaction, the conference will be limited to 150 attendees. Registration is open on the conference website at www.NFRAExecutiveConference.org. 

# # #

NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry.  Headquartered in Harrisburg, Pa., NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion, as well as educational outreach programs. NFRA holds the annual National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Convention in October.