Sankalp Arora

Sankalp Arora is a co-founder and Chief Robotics Engineer at Gather AI. He developed safety and sensor planning for the world's first safe autonomous helicopter. A project that won the Howard Hughes Award, AUVSI Xcellence award and was nominated for the Collier Trophy. He is a recipient of the Qualcomm Innovation fellowship and Swartz Innovation fellowship. He has a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon with a focus on bringing the power of autonomy to logistics and supply chain.

Bio Coming Soon

Tom Bené

Tom Bené is President & CEO of the National Restaurant Association—the Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing the nation’s restaurant and foodservice industry—and CEO of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.

Prior to assuming this role in June 2020, Tom served as Chairman, President & CEO of Sysco Corp., the world’s largest foodservice distributor, where he had previously served as COO, President of Foodservice Operations, and Chief Commercial Officer.

Prior to Sysco, Tom served as President of Pepsi-Cola Foodservice and held a variety of senior leadership roles over his 23-year career with the company, including President of PepsiCo North America and SVP of Sales & Franchise Development.

Tom earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and currently serves as a member of the University of Kansas’ Business School Advisory Board. He is Past Chair of the American Beverage Association and has served on the Executive Committee of the Women’s Foodservice Forum.

Dan Bromberg

Dan Bromberg is the Senior Manager, Distribution Support and Traceability at Quality Supply Chain Co-op, Inc. QSCC is the independent purchasing cooperative for the Wendy’s system and is the third-largest purchasing cooperative in the quick-service restaurant industry with nearly $4 billion in buying power.

Dan has been with the co-op since its inception in 2010. In his current position, Dan works closely with trading partners to implement GS1 standards and improve visibility throughout the supply chain. Prior to that, Dan worked in various roles, technical and business-oriented, in the Supply Chain Management and IT Departments at Wendy’s.

Carrie Bruno

Carrie has been with Cash-Wa Distributing for 2.5 years, has a Masters in Human Resources Management, and has 20 years HR experience, most of which is in food manufacturing and distribution.

With CWD, she has been able to work with Transportation and Operations to help improve the people process (and has been the most fun), work on strategy with management, and works to create a customer focus in HR for both internal and external customers.

Michael Card

Mike Card is the Director of Transportation for Ginsberg’s Foods. Mike’s career did not begin in Food Service, but rather spending many years in operations.

After graduating from Siena College with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing Management, Mike went to work as a Supervisor for Huck Finn Clothes working his way up to the Director of Operations.

Always wanting to teach, Mike got his opportunity between jobs and became an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Greene Community College, teaching business classes.

Looking for a career change, Mike landed at Gap, Inc., where he spent 16 years in various management roles across Distribution Operations which included roles in Inbound, Outbound and Shipping as well as serving as the Brand Liaison for Old Navy.

Mike left Gap, Inc. to join Ginsberg’s Foods as the night warehouse manager, eventually moving into the warehouse manager role in charge of all warehouse and maintenance operations. Mike quickly demonstrated his strong ability to lead teams and when a vacancy occurred in transportation, he was promoted to the role of Director of Transportation in October 2018.

Mike is the proud father of 3 children and happily married to his wife Janine of 23 years. Mike has many interests that include spending time with his family, sport’s and fishing.

Charlie Cook

Charlie Cook is widely considered to be one of the nation’s most respected and impartial analysts of American politics, elections and political trends.

Called “the man who knows more about politics than anyone else” by Washingtonian and “the Picasso of election analysis” by the Wall Street Journal, Cook will discuss the presidential election and today’s political and legislative environments in a balanced, non-partisan way.

Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper is a United States Air Force Veteran and proven leader in enterprise technologies. Currently, the Emerging Technology Business Development Manager for Yale Robotics, Kyle is responsible for the customer’s automation journey from discovery through success. Kyle has a unique passion to deliver technology strategy and digital transformation, beyond turnkey solutions and world class services. With a successful background in leading platforms built around ML/AI, manufacturing automation, e-commerce and other complex technologies, Kyle’s drive for success and passion for the customer makes him the perfect person to architect and deliver tailored automation solutions.

Kristin Costas

Kristin has been interacting with Lytx customers for over seven years. She started her career at Lytx as a Client Success Manager and moved quickly into our Consulting Services team and then into Product Management in 2014. She has a deep passion for understanding customer needs and problems and then building solutions that deliver value to address those needs. Kristin loves being a people leader at Lytx and is very proud of her team and all the accomplishments they have achieved over the past few years. Kristin holds her MBA from University of San Diego and her BA in Business Communications from Calvin College.

Ethan DeWall

Ethan DeWall is currently the Vice President of Operations for Martin Bros. Distributing Co. a broad-line foodservice distributor, in Cedar Falls, IA.   A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with degrees in Accounting and Business Administration Ethan has 27 years of experience in the grocery and foodservice industries.  Ethan has spent the last 21 years in operations with Martin Bros.

A 24-year veteran of PLM, international speaker and writer as a cold chain application and regulatory compliance expert, Don actively participates in cold chain industry events, associations, tests and studies of new technology applications and methods, works directly with manufacturers, businesses and governments all in the pursuit of driving efficiencies and meeting regulatory compliance.

William Dowden

With extensive DOT, OSHA, EPA compliance, and vehicle claims administration experience, William Dowden, Safety Manager at Merchants Foodservice, develops and implements policies and procedures to aid in compliance with regulations at the company. He is also responsible for investigating vehicle incidents and workplace injuries. Prior to joining Merchants, William was Senior Loss Control Technician at Avizent, where he provided consultative loss control service to self-insured entities and group funds – with concentration on workers’ compensation exposures. He’s also held the position of Safety Director at Nordan Smith Welding Supplies.

Don Durm

Don was one of the lead authors of the internationally accepted Refrigerated Transportation Best Practice Guide.  He extends to the global cold chain stage with both businesses and governments to include overseas projects with the United Nations to increase temperature control efficiencies in food and pharmaceutical supply lines.

He has worked on projects in Nigeria, China, South Africa and Pakistan.  Listed by Food Logistics as a 3-time Rock Star of the Supply Chain, Don most recently was recognized this year for his work on the technology revolution happening to our nations’ food supply chain.

Leif Eikevik

Leif brings over a decade of experience in design and project management, and leverages his extensive technical skill and experience to help his clients meet their design goals. Specializing in leadership of multi-discipline teams to deliver complex projects, his enthusiasm for team collaboration and good communication are the foundation of his success. Leif’s project management expertise spans between high quality design for workplace and complex public projects for community, state and federal clients.

Gerry A. Fernandez

Nearly everyone who knows Gerald “Gerry” A. Fernandez and the work that he does for The Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance (MFHA), describes him as a man of vision, dedication, and passion. As President and Founder of MFHA, a non-profit organization that promotes cultural intelligence in the workplace.

“The purity of your purpose is evidenced by the quality of your outcome.”

Luis Garza

He holds a BBA in Economics from The University of Texas – Pan American and certification of supply chain & logistics from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Luis began his career in sales for a regional Texas trucking company called G & G Transportation where he was responsible for key account management and marketing execution to drive revenue generation. He took on increasing area of responsibility in operation management before being promoted to General Manager.

His next journey took him to Atlanta, GA to join Coca-Cola as procurement manager. He spent the next 6 yrs. in contract management, e-Sourcing and Collaborative Optimization before being promoted to Sr. Manager Transportation where he led key initiatives into Liquid Bulk and LTL sourcing.

His next assignment was at Mondelēz Global LLC where he joined a new department called, global procurement as Sr. Manager Logistics. In his role he worked on Pallet services for several Asian Pacific countries working to standardize costing structure. He later supported key initiatives into Warehouse services for Europe and Africa before joining the Transportation sourcing team in North America.

Luis returned to Texas in 2016 to join Sysco Corporation as Director Carrier Development leading a team supporting Dedicated Services for both Redistribution Centers (RDC) and other market areas. He was promoted in 2017 to lead Carrier Development including Produce Transportation. His department is responsible for carrier selection/contracting activities including sourcing and carrier management.

Marc Gordon

In his role at DLN Gordon is focused on building the organization by influencing a range of areas including growth strategy, market analysis, financial planning, and employee engagement. As a proud graduate of Michigan Technological University, he has spent his career in engineering and managerial roles in the systems integration industry. His passion is helping clients determine the most effective solution for their needs and staying on top of the latest trends and innovations in the industry.

Josh Grapp

Josh Grapp is currently the Director of Safety and Compliance for Martin Bros. Distributing in Cedar Falls Iowa.  After graduating with a degree in Organizational Communication from the University of Northern Iowa, Josh has spent the last 13 years in the food industry in various roles.  Josh has been with Martin Bros. since November 2019, previously serving in multiple operational and support roles for Target Food Distribution.

Sara Green-Hamann

Sara joined Dennis Paper and Food Service in the fall of 2015 after an extensive career in human resources and communications. 

Sara earned her BA and MA in Mass Communications and Communications, respectively, at the University of Maine. An accomplished writer, Sara has presented at regional and national conferences and has multiple publications in both books and academic journals in the area of interpersonal communications. While working towards an interdisciplinary PhD in business and communications, Sara taught as an adjunct instructor in the areas of business and communication. 

Upon joining Dennis Paper and Food Service, Sara was tasked with employee relations and retention as the Director of Human Resources Operations. Her interest of the industry and growth of Dennis Paper allowed her to move into the role of, Vice President of Operations and recently Chief Human Resources Officer.

James Griffin, CTP

Jim Griffin is a seasoned IT executive with over 25 years of experience in technology and information systems. Jim's talents are focused on building technology-driven engineering and professional service/support teams, communicating a common vision, and designing innovative solutions that address both internal and client-centric goals. He is a proven leader, innovator and technology visionary widely respected for his thought leadership and recognized with multi-industry awards and U.S. patents. Jim has significant experience with implementing new software development and deployment processes in multiple environments that have substantially improved the company's performance.

Brian Hodgson

With over 20 years of sales and business development experience, Brian Hodgson has worked with hundreds of companies to apply enterprise software and process improvements to drive value and cost savings in their supply chain and logistics functions. In 2012, Brian joined Oz Development, now part of Descartes, and has since rejoined the team to increase customer value, expand product offerings and drive growth. Brian has held executive positions in sales and marketing with Kewill, SupplyWorks, Eleven Technology and Computer Network Technology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Mark Hurd

Mark has over 30-years of experience in Supply-Chain management.  He has demonstrated excellence in the management and direction of operational, supply-chain business, logistics, multi-site operations, fleet management, and warehousing strategies. Recognized as a specialist in work and manpower planning, fleet management, and passionate for developing and building world-class teams. Experienced in budget management, forecasting, 3PL performance, intermodal and railcar movements, private fleet operations, project planning, and program direction. An inspiring and decisive professional who is deadline conscious and results oriented. Outstanding with analytics, with continuous improvement solutions, problem-solving capabilities, and with the genuine ability to work through the most challenging operational situations.  He has led many different global teams across the supply chain network. Throughout his career, Mark is known as a strategist with visionary insight to market changes; understands what organizations can expect in the next generation.

Michael January

Michael January is the Director of Warehousing at Ben E Keith Foods. He has 25 years of experience in distribution and logistics operations with expertise in large distribution operations, e-commerce and process optimization. Michael is an active member of the IFDA community and was the IFDA planning council Chair for 2012-13. He holds an MBA from Baylor University - Hankamer School of Business.

Allen Jay

Allen Jay is an Arizona based Regional Sales Manager for Mobileye, an Intel Company. Having spent many years in the fleet sector, he is incredibly knowledgable on the challenges faced by fleets, and able to problem-solve with them find the best solutions for fleet safety and efficiency. An avid traveler, Allen also enjoy collecting shoes and swimming.

Bobby Johns

Bobby Johns is the Vice President of Business Development with SafeConnect Systems LLC. He leads by building business networks, as well as improving on company’s internal and external relationships, and with clients through top quality service delivery, strategy development, and enticing service representation. He oversees the formation of business partnerships and negotiation of contracts with all customers.

Prior to SafeConnect, Bobby spent his 25+ year career in the Supply Chain, specifically in Distribution and Transportation Management in grocery retail, in executive management roles.

Adam Kahn

Adam Kahn brings over 25 years of transportation experience to lead Netradyne’s Fleet Business. Adam draws from years with leading technology companies as well as his generational trucking heritage to focus on delivering technology that continuously improves the safety environment for drivers, working as their advocate to ensure that they are successful at work and get home to their family at night.

Jim Kramer

Jim Kramer spent his early career as HR Director for a large country jail system in Nashville, Tennessee. During this time, he completed his master’s degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Middle Tennessee State University and began teaching as an adjunct instructor for MBA students at Belmont University. Jim’s government career continued to progress, culminating in the role of Deputy Director of HR for the county government.  Once government became too government for Jim, he accepted an opportunity with Shamrock Foods Company in 2015, relocating his wife and teenage son to Phoenix, AZ. Starting as the Director of Talent Acquisition, Jim’s role quickly expanded to include enterprise HR field operations and safety. Today, Jim is Shamrock’s Vice President of People Operations.  

Phillip Lamb

Phillip Lamb has spent over 30 years in the foodservice Industry. Phillip’s roles allowed him to become proficient in many areas and aspects of foodservice logistics to include, but not limited to, operations, vendor research, negotiations, contract reviews, purchasing, customer service, financial management, and supply chain solutions.

Phillip is passionate about Federal Regulations and the impact those have within our industry, and he monitors the FDA, DOT, and FMCSA, on what they say and do. Phillip demonstrates a proven ability to generate optimal results in high pressure situations, and he has great drive and desire to help Frosty Acres and its members secure continued success in the present and the future.

Aidan Madigan-Curtis

Aidan Madigan-Curtis is the General Manager and VP of Samsara's Connected Sites business unit. Connected Sites is Samsara's newest division, focused on AI cameras and IoT devices that provide a 360 degree view into industrial site security, safety and operations. Prior to her work building and launching Connected Sites, Aidan led Samsara’s end-to-end operations, including hardware New Product Introduction, manufacturing, supply chain, global logistics and Customer Support. In her 5 years at Samsara, she has played a critical role in the development and launch of all of Samsara's major hardware products, and designed and operates Samsara's robust global supply chain and quality management systems. Aidan also established Samsara’s key global partnerships with major cloud and cellular service providers and semiconductor manufacturers.

Aidan brings more than a decade of experience in new product introduction, operations and business analytics to Samsara. Prior to joining Samsara, Aidan helped launch the first AppleWatch and the iPhone6S as a member of Apple’s Global Operations team. She was also an investment analyst at the world’s largest global macro hedge fund, Bridgewater, where she worked with the CIO and CEO to scale company operations from 500 to 1500 people. Aidan has an MBA and electrical engineering training from Stanford, and an undergraduate degree from Harvard University.

John McCabe

Mr. McCabe, with over 15 years of supply chain and enterprise software experience, helps ExtenData's wholesale food and beverage distribution customers to generate visibility into the last mile with MobileConductor.

Julie McGill

Ms. McGill has a unique perspective, having worked in the industry at a leading beverage manufacturer and worked across industries at GS1 US. She possesses over 20 years of expertise in CPG, Foodservice, Grocery, Convenience Retail, and DSD channels.

Ray Morgenstern

Ray Morgenstern has been with Sysco for 15 years.  Prior to Sysco he worked in strategic consulting, process and discrete manufacturing, and retail distribution.  At Sysco he leads teams of inbound transportation and inventory management experts who provide the Sysco enterprise with cutting edge capabilities across the inbound supply chain.  His background has been primarily in forecasting and replenishment procurement people, processes, and technology.  He recently combined Sysco’s inventory management COE and inbound transportation COE into one organization and is excited to integrate procurement and inbound transportation practices into one team.

Brandon Munden

Brandon Munden has 24 years of warehouse experience. His career began on the floor as an order selector with Fleming Foods. He worked his way up into management at various levels. Brandon joined the Ben E. Keith Foods family in 2004; four months after his son was born. He worked at the Dallas/Ft. Worth division his entire time in operations and took on roles in all levels of supervision. Within this time frame he gained a strong interest in re-slotting and optimizing the warehouse to improve efficiency in receiving, selection and put away of all product. He was promoted to the general office in 2016 where he has spent the last 4 years working in his current role as the Slot Optimization Coordinator.

Tami Niccum

Ms. Niccum is an Information Technology Specialist, who strives to understand operations and solve technology challenges to create an environment for sustaining Operational Excellence.

Ruben S. Riggins

Ruben S. Riggins was promoted to the position of Director of Employee Development Warehouse and Transportation in 2017. He began his illustrious career at Ben E. Keith in 1991 as a night order selector and forklift operator. He was soon promoted to night supervisor and then night manager where he spent 17 years of his now 29 year career.

During his tenure at Ben E. Keith he has seen the company advance from being an invoice on paper and pick label selection and delivery system to the RF (radio frequency) driven selection and delivery system they are today. He has managed a crew of over 200 associates at a particular time during his development and has assisted in the implementation of two warehouse management systems.

He is a member of the Ben E. Keith Travel Team which is a group of individuals who aid in trouble shooting and coordinating assistance programs for progress in operations and transportation during both the growth and challenging times with Ben E. Keith’s 8 food divisions. In his current position he is  involved with the training for the growth and development of management and supervision in the departments of operations and transportation.

Darla Rischar

Darla Rischar, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, is the Director of Human Resources at Kohl Wholesale based in Quincy, IL.  Darla has worked at Kohl Wholesale for over 26 years and has seen the HR department grow from herself only to a team of 13.  She manages and consults regarding all areas of HR and has recently added Covid-19 management to the growing list of duties.  Darla is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and MBTI Certified Professional.  She completed IFDA’s Darden Executive Development Program in 2019.

Darla serves as the current chair for the Dancing with Local Stars Fundraising event and has volunteered her time serving on several boards.  She was past president and board member for West Central Child Care Connection, past president and board member for Cornerstone, and past president and board member for the Quincy Area Safety Council.  She is currently a member of the Quincy Area Chapter of SHRM and National SHRM and has served in leadership roles in the past.

Darla is married to Dennis, a route driver for Prairie Farms, and has two children, Autumn and Hunter.  She is an avid fan of her kids’ activities, serving as room mom, pom mom, baseball mom, and college mom.  Her favorite hobby is baking and she bakes often for various events as well as designs the dessert display for QND’s prom.  She also enjoys party planning, especially with a theme, and shopping, traveling, and movies!

Shelley Row

Shelley Row, P.E., CSP works with forward-thinking managers and leaders to grow their skills, their organization and their bottom line. She does that by enhancing their infotuitive skills and bringing more insight into their leadership.

Shelley’s work is grounded in more than just her research. Her life experiences taught her to think, feel, and act… and it made all the difference. If you want credentials, she has those, too.

She:

• Is a registered professional engineer
• Is a Certified Speaking Professional™ (CSP)
• Holds an MBA Was in the Senior Executive Service (the highest leadership level in the U.S. Federal government)
• Is a certified coach with the International Coaching Federation Trained at the NeuroLeadership Institute

Joe Scioscia

Joe is the Vice President of Sales at VAI. He is responsible for direct and indirect sales, worldwide field support, field strategy and planning, sales operations and product development. Joe has been selling enterprise management solutions to distribution and manufacturing companies for more than 25 years, and he has helped some of the industry’s most recognized companies improve efficiencies and responsiveness. Joe is a subject matter expert for ERP, CRM, Food Safety and Supply Chain Management and has spoken at numerous industry and technology events. Joe holds a degree in Business Computer Information Systems from Hofstra University.

Ken Tolliver

After earning his BBA in Food Marketing and Accounting from Western Michigan University, Ken started work in the foodservice distribution world, where he was quickly astonished by the volume, pace and reliability of this part of the food value chain. As a 25-year veteran at Gordon Food Service, Ken has firsthand experience in retail stores, warehouses, procurement, logistics, inbound transportation, and supply chain process teams. He’s currently working for the GFS NA Center of Excellence Warehousing team.

Sergio Torres

Sergio leads the Product Strategy group for Descartes’ Routing, Mobile and Telematics solutions. Prior to joining Descartes, Sergio worked as a Director of Business Development and Consulting in Europe for CAPS Logistics. He has held faculty positions as a full-time professor and as Head of the Industrial and Systems Engineering department at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.

Bob Whitmore

Whitmore has accumulated 36 years of experience while the distribution network grew from 1 DC to 27 locations. He has worked in small manual operations as well as fully automated, high volume facilities overseeing new construction, expansions, retrofits, system integration and acquisitions. His current role is to help companies solve their distribution and material handling challenges based upon the experiences that he has had while walking in their shoes. He serves as a trusted advisor that is focused upon your business objectives, respects your appetite for change and spending, while looking many years down the road.

Susan Williams

Susan Williams serves as Director, Talent Acquisition at Lineage Logistics where she leads all aspects of recruiting. Under her leadership, the Talent Acquisition team meets global recruiting needs using creative and innovative approaches to recruit best in class talent. Prior to joining the Lineage team, Susan held a variety of leadership positions at Compuware, The Auto Club Group, and MSXi. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Erich Wolters

Responsible for North American sales at Wise Systems, Erich focuses on business development and account management, working with Wise Systems customers to address their last-mile routing challenges. Erich brings deep account management and leadership experience to the Wise Systems team, and engages with clients in food and beverage, energy, field service and other industries. Prior to joining Wise Systems, Erich was Vice President at Gartner, and held sales leadership positions at Forrester Research, and Business Wire. Erich holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Boston University. Beyond building a growing technology company, Erich is raising a family, actively involved in his community, and is an avid CrossFit enthusiast.

Na Ye

Ye graduated with a Masters degree from University of Texas at Austin, and has 10+ year experience in multiple analytical/data science roles across different industries. Currently at Sysco she leads an analytics group supporting inbound logistics and inventory analytical needs. In the past few years, her team worked closely with the transportation procurement team, transformed the bids from multiple-month, labor intensive activities to automated and data-driven process. In the bid process, market intelligence, advanced analytics and streamlined reviews are overlaid to help define the strategies and drive the implementation. Modern technology such as R, Tableau and TP tool was used to streamline customized carrier communication and deep dive the scenario analysis.

Dan Yudchitz

Dan believes architecture is about allocating resources strategically to achieve maximum impact, which requires meaningful architectural expression within constraints of time and money. The challenge is in the discovery of opportunities for design impact that transcend those limitations. Designing in varied contexts and scales informs his design approach. He focuses on creating strategies for aspirational design expressions to reinforce the client’s mission and enhance building functionality in a sustainable, economical and impactful manner. Dan brings a hands-on approach focusing on strategic design moves that maximize economy and performance through impactful forms and spaces.