As a co-founder of Apple and a pioneering engineer who values thinking outside constraints and artificial limits, Steve Wozniak understands what it takes for companies to innovate around challenges and break their industries open. During his 60-minute fireside chat at the FEDA conference, Wozniak shared pragmatic insights into how companies can foster innovation and leverage technology to drive growth. Attendees heard about lessons Wozniak has learned over his 50-year career in technology, including how building the first Apple I prototypes and his continuing work with students have informed his perspective on the potential and trajectory of today's artificial intelligence breakthroughs.

Session from the 2026 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference.

As the FEDA Future of Distribution Council (FDC) works toward a more interconnected supply chain, the FEDA Tech Talks session assessed where technology stands today and how other supply chain segments are maximizing digital tools and data. Todd Florence, chief information officer for Estes Express Lines, shared how carriers are using AI, automation, and real-time data to improve transparency and address freight damage claims, priorities that closely mirror the FDC's own subcommittee work. Distributors and manufacturers will want to view this rare inside look into how a key supply chain partner is tackling the same challenges their organizations are working to solve.​ Following Florence’s presentation, Jason Hein, vice president of B2BEA Academy and global director of programming at the B2B eCommerce Association, shared why clean product data is more than an IT issue —it’s a business necessity. In just 20 minutes, Hein demonstrated how bad data affects search, e-commerce, customer experience, and decision-making. With more companies turning to artificial intelligence to analyze their data, Hein explained the limitations of depending on those tools to compensate for poor-quality product information. But it’s not just the shortcomings Hein covered. He also showed attendees what “good” product data looks like and provided practical steps distributors and manufacturers can take to turn their data into more reliable and usable information.

Financial professionals are frequently tasked with creating effective models that are accurate and dynamic. The power of a financial model comes from the ability to change the inputs and analyze the impact on outputs — factors that can benefit significantly from the greater data processing scale and deeper analytics offered by artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT. This three-part course, offered in partnership with the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), will equip finance practitioners in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry with the knowledge and skills needed to implement best practices for financial modeling, lead in analytics, harness AI technologies, and drive sustainable organizational change. Once they’ve mastered the tools and techniques, the course will guide participants on how to put their newfound expertise into action to build from-scratch financial models that produce baseline and dynamic outputs in response to changes in real-world scenarios.

The Tech Talks at the 2025 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference cut through the noise with high-impact, real-world insights from senior technology leaders in the industry. Andre Fidellow, chief technology officer at Mission Restaurant Supply, shared proven approaches for using automation — particularly within ERP systems — to eliminate inefficiencies, overcome data challenges and enable growth. Next, Jamie Head, chief information officer at Parts Town, explored how robotics, AI-powered SKU management and predictive digital platforms are reshaping high-volume distribution by delivering greater control and higher customer satisfaction at a faster pace than ever before. Following the Tech Talks, Erik Brynjolfsson, a digital economy expert and the special guest speaker at the 2025 FEDA Annual Executive Conference, joined Fidellow and Head for a fireside chat. The trio answered questions about how businesses are using AI and automation in their operations and methodologies for effective implementation.

At the 2025 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference, Joe Carbonara, editorial director for Foodservice Equipment & Supplies and restaurant development + design magazines, gave a presentation providing media insights into the foodservice equipment and supplies industry.

The State of the Industry presentations featured new insights from Mark Rossi, CEO and founder of Avanti, and Erik Lampe, president and CEO of The Vollrath Company, into the key challenges and trends dealers and manufacturers are tracking.

J Schneider, managing director at Dorn Group, leads a discussion about the future of the supply chain in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry. Panelists include Chad Autry, associate dean of faculty and research at the University of Tennessee's Haslam College of Business; Jameel Burkett, CEO of Burkett Restaurant Equipment; Brian Kadel, vice president of dealer sales at Refrigerated Solutions Group; and Kevin Brink, vice president of LTL solutions at Kuehne+Nagel.

Businesses are abuzz with many exciting, emerging technologies these days, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and Big Data. The Tech Talks at the 2024 FEDA Annual Executive Leadership Conference explored how to put these technologies to use by sharing the real-world experiences of high-level professionals within the foodservice equipment and supplies industry.

This two-part webinar series, presented in partnership with the Association for Finance Professionals (AFP), provides finance professionals with practical tools and techniques to improve business performance through effective financial planning, modeling, and analytics. Participants will learn how to build stronger decision-making frameworks, identify business opportunities, and leverage financial data to support organizational goals.