​Young industry leaders learned how one company built a culture focused on diversity and inclusion, which included leadership’s strong commitment and accountability for creating opportunities for candidates of color, expanding global and diverse talent and building a more inclusive workplace.

​Steve Forbes is chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, one of the world’s most successful business magazines for more than a century. An internationally recognized expert in global economics and finance and an advocate for businesses, Forbes shared his concerns about the most serious barriers impacting U.S. economic recovery, including inflation’s effect on the current and coming stock market; proposed tax hikes; the impending wave of antitrust actions; and regulatory blunders that are crushing American ingenuity.

​Some of the FES industry’s most successful manufacturers discussed manufacturer and dealer challenges and opportunities related to labor shortages, evolving industry technology, equipment innovation, and a focused on supply chain resiliency through sustainability, visibility and technology

​Dirk Beveridge is the founder of UnleashWD, the premier design, strategy and innovation firm in wholesale distribution. Beveridge shared the insights he gained from traveling across the United States post-COVID to gather data from distributors in a variety of industries. This culmination of insights, called “Unapologetically You,” from his We Supply America tour, asserts that independent distributors can and are competing effectively today and should be recognized as the “Noble Generation” for keeping the nation’s economy, workforce and supply chain going strong despite unfathomable setbacks over the last several years. Beveridge also discussed how dealers can overcome their own false narratives about their industry that keep them from having the confidence to forge ahead in new ways they never thought they could before.

​The conference opened by welcoming leaders working on behalf of foodservice operators, including President and CEO of the California Restaurant Association Jot Condie, who will provide an overview of the state of the foodservice industry and the policy and operational needs of its more than 22,000 members. Additionally, 30-year restaurant industry veteran and now Black Box Intelligence CEO David Cantu discussed his views on restaurant recovery and what the data on over 87,000 restaurants is telling us about the foodservice challenges ahead.

10:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Oct. 18 As dealers reach this phase of the sales process, they focus on supporting the customer and providing a smooth, seamless transition. Part six of the 2022 Live Webinar Series on value-added selling will help dealers build deeper relationships with their customers and deliver on the high expectations they have set.

10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 Part five of the 2022 Live Webinar Series on value-added selling will cover persuasion. This webinar will teach participants about polishing their image, creating distance between themselves and the competition and convincing the customer their solution is the value-added solution.

Jason Bader talks with Ben Whitlock, president of Mobile Fixture, about how he got started in the foodservice equipment and supplies industry by cold calling customers and how a background in sports can help individuals become strong salespeople. That competitive drive helped Whitlock and Mobile Fixture overcome the challenges created by Hurricane Katrina and COVID-19 and prepare Whitlock and the company’s executive leadership to take over ownership earlier this year.

Jason Bader chats with Jameel Burkett, CEO of Ohio-based Burkett Restaurant Equipment & Supplies, about joining his family business just as it began to use the internet to reach customers and pivot from a focus on used equipment to affordable equipment for operators across the entire country. As that change occurred, Burkett explains how he developed his own philosophy of leadership over management and instilled a culture where every employee could feel as if they were the CEO of their space and was empowered to make decisions.

The product glossary serves as the starting point for using the information on the FEDA Data Repository. This session, led by Infoverity’s Joe Leithauser and Norman Mackay, will teach participants how to understand all the attributes available for a product – from pricing and shipping weight to what kind of door it uses – and how to input those attributes in compliance with FEDA’s new data governance standards. Manufacturers will also practice reconciling their existing product database to more easily upload information to the repository.