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.
Rob Garf
Rob Garf, Head of Strategy and Insights
Cordial
Rob is Head of Strategy and Insights at Cordial. He has spent his career on various sides of the retail table - as practitioner, industry analyst, strategy consultant, and software executive. Rob’s worked with executives worldwide to help them accelerate digital transformation. He was most recently VP and GM of Retail and Consumer Goods at Salesforce where he led Product Strategy and Industry Insights. Rob's a member of NRF’s Digital Council, one of 50 top Retail Voices by NRF, a RETHINK Retail Top Expert, and on the Executive Leadership Committee for the Retail AI Council.
Kevin Farley
Kevin Farley, President
Farley Retail Advisors
Brand Marketing, Merchandising Strategies & Concepts, Organizational Development, B2B Strategic Sales, Domestic and International Partner Alliances
Kevin Farley serves as Impact 21’s Chief Client Officer responsible for strategies to grow and support the company’s industry and client relations across the specialty retail, convenience, and energy channels. Kevin brings a long history of building critical relationships and alliances across industries. He has played an active role in advancing the convenience industry as a long-standing member and current Supplier Board Chair for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). He also serves on the Digital Marketing Advisory Board at the University of South Florida.
Throughout Kevin’s career, he has led the charge for retail innovation and solutions, bridging the gap of brick and mortar and e-commerce by focusing on consumer in-store experience. Kevin will support Impact 21 in leading efforts with our clients to deliver a seamless customer experience – streamlining all customer touchpoints through innovation and integration of customer-facing solutions.
Kevin comes to Impact 21 from GSP Companies, where he most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for the overall day-to-day operations including the retail accounts team, client success, and the Retail Production Divisions. At GSP, Kevin fostered strategic partnerships with retailers, suppliers, and service providers to accomplish key strategic goals, scalable growth, and improving overall operations and customer service to clients.
Prior to his time with GSP, Kevin worked in the energy sector. He served as the Regional Business Director at Telvent (acquired by Schneider Electric) in the Middle East. He was responsible for Sales and Project Execution for the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with a strategic focus on IT-related sales and marketing efforts. He also held senior roles as Telvent’s Product Manager and Project Engineer, each with global responsibility, and served as Manager of International Projects for Valmet Automation, in Ankara, Turkey where he resided for two years.
Growing up in Banff, Canada, Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the University of Alberta. He later ventured off to gain his Master of Business Administration from HEC, an international school based in Paris, France. Kevin made his way to the United States and established his home in Tampa, Florida. Kevin is the father of two adult children. As a former drummer in a band, Kevin is still a big fan of music, along with hockey and his local curling club.
Ed Collupy
Ed Collupy, Principal
Collupy System Solutions LLC
Ed has more than 40 years of retail systems experience in the convenience/petro (The Pantry) and grocery (Purity Supreme & Shaw’s) retail channels, including as a consultant at W. Capra Consulting Group providing strategic, operational, and project leadership to retailers, emerging businesses, and technology companies. His involvement in the industry continues as a Facilitator for various groups and as an independent consultant through Collupy System Solutions. He has served the Convenience/Petro industry as Chairman of the Board of Advisors of Conexxus and as a member of the NACS Convention Content Committee. Ed writes for trade publications, leads, and participates in on-line and in-person forums focused on retail technology. A New Englander at heart, he graduated from Suffolk University in Boston, attended Harvard’s Executive Education session, Delivering Information Services, and now living on Cape Cod he is very active in the community serving on various boards and committees.
Jon Bratta
Jon Bratta, SVP - GM
Rock Solid Capital Investments
Jon Bratta is a 30 -year CPG veteran holding various Senior Leadership positions within Marketing, Merchandising, Category Management, and Private Brand Development for Convenience Retailers such as 7-Eleven, ampm, and Kangaroo Express, as well as West Coast Alcohol retailer: BevMo. Jon also spent nearly 5 years at Core-Mark, leading Marketing, Merchandising, and Advertising.
Sheila Bennett
Sheila Bennett, Founder
Sheila Bennett Consulting
Strategic business development and operations leader with 20+ years of experience in the foodservice industry and nonprofit space in driving revenue growth and organizational impact. A trusted relationship builder with a deep hospitality background and a proven track record of building and scaling programs within both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Experience working in full-service food and beverage service operations, in national accounts and purchasing in foodservice distribution, as VP Development for an e-Marketing technology and analytics company and creating national fundraising programs and leading a national nonprofit. Known for developing high-performing teams, strengthening franchise and partner performance, and delivering value for operators, buyers, sellers, and communities nationwide.
Frank Beard
Frank Beard, Head of Marketing
Rovertown
I'm a Des Moines, Iowa-based marketer, speaker, and writer who focuses on the convenience retailing industry. I'm currently the Head of Marketing at Rovertown, the leading app platform for convenience retailers. Past affiliations include Standard AI and GasBuddy.
I frequently speak at events where I focus on 1) convenience retail trends, 2) retail technology, and 3) lessons from having visited thousands of convenience stores across the United States and internationally. Past presentations include the NACS Show, National Restaurant Association Show, Summer Fancy Food Show, NACS CEO Summit DACH, Handel & Wandel, AACS Convenience Leaders Summit in Sydney, and numerous regional and corporate events.
My analyses and commentary have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NPR, Bloomberg, Grocery Dive, the Washington Post, Atlas Obscura, and more. I currently write a monthly column for C-Store Dive called "The Road Ahead."
On a personal level, I once spent a month eating at convenience stores to prove that healthy on-the-go options do exist. I'm also an active cyclist and enjoy participating in RAGBRAI—the nation’s oldest, longest, and largest organized bike ride.