Christopher Hartman
Christopher Hartman, VP of Fuels, Advertising, and Development
Rutter's
Chris is currently the Vice President of Fuels, Advertising, and Development for Rutter’s convenience stores, in York, PA, as well as President of M&G Realty. He is the 11th generation to work in the family business, dating back to the founding of the Rutter’s farm in 1747.
Chris grew up working in his family’s stores, beginning at age 13, while also attending and participating in various convenience store industry events for over 20 years.
In 2016, Chris moved to Washington D.C. to attend George Washington University’s Global MBA program, receiving his master’s degree in 2018, with a concentration in Finance. In July of 2018, Chris returned to his roots, joining Rutter’s as Director of Fuels and Forecourt, later adding Advertising, Construction and Real Estate acquisition to his responsibilities with the company.
In his free time, Chris enjoys travelling and golfing. He currently lives in York with his wife, Hilarie.
Joseph Hamza
Joe Hamza, COO
Nouria Energy
Joe Hamza is a seasoned convenience and fuel retail executive with over 30 years of leadership experience. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Nouria Energy, where he has been instrumental in driving the company’s multi-regional expansion, operational excellence, and brand evolution since joining in 2015. Under his leadership, Nouria has emerged as one of the most recognized and respected brands in the industry, known for its customer experience, innovation, and people-first culture.
Before joining Nouria, Joe was Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Tedeschi Food Shops. There, he led the company’s retail and foodservice divisions and spearheaded innovative sales and branding strategies that helped position the brand as a regional leader.
Joe’s influence in the industry extends beyond his executive roles. He has contributed to a wide range of industry and non-industry publications and is a frequent speaker at NACS events and government forums on key issues impacting the convenience, fuel, and foodservice sectors. He previously chaired the Education Committee for NACS and has served in advisory roles with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NACS-United Fresh, and Kraft Foods.
He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketer Association (NECSEMA) and the National Advisory Group (NAG), where he continues to advocate for the advancement of the convenience and energy sectors.
Jeffry Harrison
Jeffry Harrison, Co-Founder & President
Rovertown
Jeffry first discovered his passion for entrepreneurship at a young age selling crafts at his father's dental office. While studying for a dual major in Finance and Entrepreneurship from the SIUE School of Business, Jeffry co-founded Rovertown. Rovertown is the convenience store industry's leading app platform powering apps for over 70 c-store retailers. Rovertown is agnostic and can integrate any loyalty, mobile ordering, mobile pay, car wash, etc. technology provider into your own branded mobile app.
Jeffry enjoys spending time with his wife and three children in Michigan and has a passion for music, golf, and bourbon.
Shultz Hartgrove
Shultz Hartgrove, President
Tres Picosos, Inc.
Shultz Augustus Hartgrove III, President
Shultz A. Hartgrove III is the President of Tres Picosos, leading the Company's mission to revolutionize Mexican food options in the retail sector. Established in Denver, the Company offers a diverse range of Mexican cuisine, from packaged burritos to fully cooked proteins, sides, and salsas.
Under Shultz's leadership, Tres Picosos has grown significantly, serving over more than 5000 convenience, grocery, and foodservice retailers across 49 states. His strategic vision and operational expertise have propelled the Company to the forefront of the industry, catering to the evolving tastes of consumers nationwide.
With extensive experience in retail and non-traditional channels, Shultz has achieved record sales and operational efficiency in previous roles. He served as Senior Vice President of Channel Development at Einstein Noah Restaurant, where he revolutionized the non-traditional platform, achieving significant sales milestones.
Shultz's career also includes senior leadership roles at Quiznos Sub and Nature's Bounty, where he drove sales growth in convenience and non-traditional channel segments. In 1994, Shultz founded Brand Management, specializing in consumer packaged product introduction. He relaunched the company in 2014, incorporating franchise development strategies to innovate the restaurant industry.
Robert Hampton
Robert Hampton, VP Technology Services & Innovation
Jackson’s Food Stores
Robert Hampton is the Vice President for Technology Services and Innovation for Jacksons Food Stores. Jacksons is a convenience store and tobacco store chain of over 360 company own locations in seven western states. Jacksons is vertically integrated owning and running both grocery and fuel distribution channels.
Robert joined Jacksons in 2015 and was named Chief Information Officer in 2017 and most recently Vice President. Previously, Robert ran a Center of Excellence serving as Director of Global Infrastructure and Operations for AECOM and held various other roles in the IT industry in both public and private sector companies.
Robert has a bachelor's degree in Engineering Computer Science from Texas Tech University and a Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. He currently resides in Meridian, Idaho.
Frodi Hammer
Frodi Hammer, VP & Founder of A2i Technology
A2i by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company
As the VP and Founder of A2i Technologies at A2i by OPIS, a Dow Jones company, Frodi Hammer is a pioneer in implementing artificial intelligence within the retail industry. He serves as the chief architect and driving force behind PriceCast, a revolutionary self-learning algorithm designed for fuel price optimization. A2i by OPIS is an advanced AI firm that specializes in customer-centric fuel pricing.
Earlier in his career, Frodi was a Ph.D. researcher in AI at the University of Southern Denmark. His academic research, which earned recognition at various international conferences, was foundational to creating PriceCast's unique, customer-focused algorithm. By merging sophisticated artificial intelligence with rigorous compliance standards, PriceCast empowers fuel retailers to navigate intricate markets with confidence. It replaces obsolete, rule-based mechanisms with predictive, customer-centric pricing models that enables fuel retailers to meet their strategic objectives ethically, transparently, and successfully.
Tyler Grubbs
Tyler Grubbs, VP of Retail and Digital Technologies
RaceTrac, Inc.
Tyler Grubbs is currently serving as the VP of Retail and Digital Technologies where he has accountability for all the technology across the convenience store locations for the RaceTrac, RaceWay & Gulf brands. Additionally, he his teams lead efforts around web, mobile and loyalty applications across these brands. Tyler is a process focused leader with a pension for finding creative solutions to complex problems across the business through building & developing high performing teams. He has spent most of his career at RaceTrac, Inc. serving in multiple roles over the last 14 years across departments like: Project Management, Finance, Analytics & Food Programs. He holds a degrees from Georgia Institute of Technology in Finance as well as an MBA from Emory University with a concentration in Management Consulting & Analytics. Tyler was recently recognized as a 40 Under 40 by CSDecisions, RIS Top Retail Mover & Shaker, and Emerging Leader by Atlanta Technology Professionals.
Robert Grimes
Robert Grimes, CEO
IFBTA
Robert (“Rob”) Grimes is the Founder & CEO of the IFBTA (the Food and Beverage Technology
Association) and is the Host of the Accelerate podcast on the Foodable Network.
The IFBTA was launched at FSTEC (Foodservice Technology Conference and Showcase) 2014 which was founded by Rob in 1996 and is a non-profit professional association promoting and advancing technology and innovation for the global food and beverage industries.
Prior to establishing the IFBTA, Rob also founded ConStrata Technology Consulting and its predecessor companies, which have been providing information technology consulting services for the globalhospitality, foodservice and retail industries and is headquartered in Potomac, Maryland since 1994.
In addition to Accelerate, Rob is a regular technology contributor to many industry and technology publications in the U.S. and abroad as well as co-authored and contributed to a number of books. He has spoken at over 1,000 industry shows, conferences and events around the world. He is a Conti Professor in the Program of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management (“HR&IM”) at Penn State University
and also serves on the Industry Advisory Boards of the Hospitality Programs at the University of Delaware, University of South Florida, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Rob has served on the Board of the National Restaurant Association and is an active member of the of The Young Presidents Organization (YPO) having served in leadership positions as the Chair of YPO’s
Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Doing Business Globally and Travel Networks. He is a triathlete and 4-time Finisher of Ironman Lake Placid and the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2005.
