Grocery From Her Seat, Insights for Independent Grocers

Women are increasingly stepping into leadership roles within the grocery industry, challenging traditional norms and reshaping the landscape. This short clip emphasizes the value of networking and engaging at the annual NGA Show.  Amanda is a veteran attendee and a 5th generation of her family's century old company. Over the years at the NGA show she has: • Seen the rise of women leaders in g...

Courtney's role as ESG (environmental, social and governance) and community engagement manager at SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) perfectly melds her passions.  Over the last three years, Van Gilder created and implemented the publicly traded SpartanNash’s first and second ESG reports, (no small task) and became a new mom (yeah!). With great mentorship and guiding bosses, she has tackled these gre...

Melissa has been with Colgate-Palmolive for 21 years and she has navigated nine relocations in her tenure.  Melissa has so many great experiences and has been able to experience and learn from diversity in thought as she has made these moves around the country. She encourages others to be open to new experiences, to get uncomfortable, and to always be learning. A couple great tidbits hidden in thi...

Heidi has been in the industry for "a bit" says Kristin Popp, President of WGA and host.  Heidi has experiences we can all learn from and she has sage advice for those trying to advance their career and/or leave a legacy. She is passionate about helping others build their quiet confidence, and she is passionate about connecting CPG's to the independent grocer.  She is a connector. A...

Sarah Rivers is the Director of digital and ecommerce programs for IGA Inc. and in this episode she shares with Kristin her thoughts on all the opportunities in the industry, and teaches us that retail media begins with your clean data. She also talks us through how showing up at Crossfit changed her life and her self talk.  Sometimes, you just have to breathe and tell yourself that you can do har...

Lupe Lopez is a co-founder of Avanzando and the owner of Arteaga’s Food Center. She holds a degree in Network Engineering from the Masters’ Institute. Lupe is a trailblazer in organizing Community Health Fairs and in building partnerships with community organizations to promote awareness and healthier eating habits through the availability of high-quality food and education. She has been instrumen...

Lori Brown is thriving!  You will be motivated to stretch yourself, learn more, listen better and maybe even accept official coaching.  She recently worked to become a Certified ICF Coach, and one of the greatest learnings was to be a better listener.  As we prepare for the #SilverTsunami, as Dr. Cynthia McCloud coined it, we must all pass along knowledge to the next generation. Lori is a Certifie...

When you think of someone who networks and builds relationships in the grocery industry, you have to think of Sarah May.  She will give a couple tips on how to be successful in building authentic relationships. Hot trends, proud moments and a few laughs are all included in this podcast. VP of Sales at Smart. Market https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-may-911150115/ https://business.smart.market/ Did...

Enid Barrillas is a second generation, Puerto Rican grocer who pursued a master's degree, a Mechanical Engineering degree and has six children.  She provides great insight in this interview on how she uses the insight from one of her mentors to remain calm, organized and in control. One take away she gives in this podcast is that you need to be a team player both at work and at home.  We love...

Beverly has an exciting full circle career journey in associational management and lobbying. On this podcast she shares key motivational sayings that have guided her decisions and how important it is for all of us to pay attention to local and state legislative decisions. After this podcast you may want to spend a day shadowing Beverly to learn more about lobbying.  What a great resource Beverly i...

Every business owner knows the value of the Human Resources Department.  Merry Bhattacharjee,  Vice President Human Resources at DUMAC Business Systems, Inc. shares ways she shows up to best reflect her personal brand and the company brand each day. She wants women to remember they are GOOD ENOUGH and are adding value.  Enjoy hearing from a Vice President HR who is fun and funny! Did you love the...

Amy McClellan takes us through her lifetime journey in the grocery industry from bagging groceries to becoming the Executive Vice President of Sales and Chief Customer Office of SpartanNash .  Amy believes the industry has a history for building leaders and teaching life skills. In this episode, Amy gives thanks for the privilege of being essential, discusses the value of a family meal and gives a...

Meagan is a self proclaimed data nerd and she loves how the data is used in the independent grocery industry, and how it can and will be used in the future. In this interview, Meagan shares leadership lessons, the trends she expects and one of the best pieces of advice a previous manager gave her, "Other people's perceptions is reality." Tune into hear Vice President of Retail &...

In an interview that spans the topics of time blocking, to employee satisfaction, to data and the user experience, to her greatest leadership learnings, Katie Hotze, the founder and CEO of Grocery Shopii shares valuable insight and tips for managers of people and leaders of organizations. She often gets asked, how do you do it all and she has a few answers that may surprise you OR encourage you to...

Sarah Heximer is the Owner, Chief Visionary Officer of True Colors Strategy.  She is the author of Finding Your True Colors & Manifesting Your Dreams and she shares with you her experience working in and with the grocery industry. You will see hear how marketing to Boomers and Millenials can sometimes look the same and how being great at marketing may mean you have to get comfortable with bein...

After more than 20 years at Kraft Foods, she became the CEO of Alliance Retail Group where she uses all the lessons she learned to be a great leader for different types of teams. Jena and Kristin discuss that leadership is not a one size fits all and they remind us that our professional life is a journey with multiple phases.   There are times for grace and times to be direct and assertive.   Ther...

Where do you even begin when your husband comes home and tells you it is time to open a grocery store?  Jenny takes us on the journey of the entire extended family, when that happened to her. She has great words of wisdom, and shares how the logical brain and the creative teacher brain work so well together.   You will enjoy Jenny's story and this podcast will have you wanting to visit Hired...

A senior at Western Michigan University, Allison Quick is studying Food and Consumer Packaged Goods Marketing and Supply Chain Management.  Allison is attending conferencing, speaking on panels and she provides some insight to what she is hearing and seeing as a next generation grocer. Allison will talk online grocery, analytics and meeting someone she looked up to. https://wmich.edu/foodmarketing...

Bonus Episode alert: Greg Ferrara, President & CEO at National Grocers Association shares with Kristin some of the new and exciting things happening at The NGA Show this year.  If you are not here - you are missing out on some of the best education and networking the independent grocery industry has to offer. Event & Education Schedule 2024 - The NGA Show Greg Ferrara | LinkedIn Kristin Po...

Ashley Pridon is a Vice President and General Manager, Global Food Retail at Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. She began her stem career in the lab, but literally talked her way out of it. :-) Her global work in food safety, her version of leadership vulnerability and the valuable pandemic lessons will give you energy and encouragement.   As...

Jenna is a University Student and future owner of the family grocery business.  She shares with Kristin her love of the industry, her gratitude to those who have mentored her,  and her passion for the grocery store to continue to be the heartbeat of communities. https://www.villagemarketoh.com www.linkedin.com/in/jennakrakomperger Did you love the show - Text and tell us why. Support the show Sign...

On our inaugural issue, Kristin interviews networker and PepsiCo's Commercial Sales Director, West, Jackie LaPointe.   This interview is packed with insights and encouragements for women leaders.  Jackie encourages us to talk about changing status quo, overcoming the seemingly impossible and developing empathy as a leader. https://www.linkedin.com/company/pepsico/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/...

Grocery From Her Seat Welcome to "Grocery From Her Seat," the WGA podcast offering a unique perspective on the independent grocery industry, as seen through the eyes of remarkable women who shape and lead. Your host, Kristin Popp, President of WGA, will bring to light the inspiring stories, triumphs, and challenges of the women serving the industry of independent grocery. Whether you&apo...