Greg Sleter
Store Brands
Associate Publisher/Executive Editor
Welcome - Let's Network!
Closing Remarks
Greg Sleter is the executive editor/associate publisher of Store Brands, overseeing the direction of the brand’s editorial coverage through its digital and print channels. He is also host of the Store Brands Spotlight podcast that was launched in 2022.
With more than 25 years of experience covering retail, Greg has reported a number of monumental changes seen in the industry that includes the growth of digital shopping, the latest product trends across a number of key categories and the ever-changing behavior of consumers.
Store Brands
Associate Publisher/Executive Editor
Welcome - Let's Network!
Closing Remarks
Greg Sleter is the executive editor/associate publisher of Store Brands, overseeing the direction of the brand’s editorial coverage through its digital and print channels. He is also host of the Store Brands Spotlight podcast that was launched in 2022.
With more than 25 years of experience covering retail, Greg has reported a number of monumental changes seen in the industry that includes the growth of digital shopping, the latest product trends across a number of key categories and the ever-changing behavior of consumers.
Mary Ellen Lynch
Circana (formerly IRI/NPD)
Principal
Keynote - The Consumer and Store Brands
Mary Ellen Lynch has more than 25 years of experience in analyzing consumer demand, behavior and attitudes. Her expertise combines big data, nuanced, small data and the contextual environment to understand how the consumer thinks, shops, buys and consumes. With a current focus on store brands, Mary Ellen leverages her understanding of consumer and shopper behavior to bridge consumer motivation, expectation and behavior to generate growth opportunities. Her work has supported retailers and brands, and she also collaborates with top marketing information firms and varying industry partners on behalf of clients.
Circana (formerly IRI/NPD)
Principal
Keynote - The Consumer and Store Brands
Mary Ellen Lynch has more than 25 years of experience in analyzing consumer demand, behavior and attitudes. Her expertise combines big data, nuanced, small data and the contextual environment to understand how the consumer thinks, shops, buys and consumes. With a current focus on store brands, Mary Ellen leverages her understanding of consumer and shopper behavior to bridge consumer motivation, expectation and behavior to generate growth opportunities. Her work has supported retailers and brands, and she also collaborates with top marketing information firms and varying industry partners on behalf of clients.
Allison Bentley
GNC
Senior Director, Merchandising Initiatives and Consumer Insights
In-Store vs. Online
Allison Bentley, Senior Director, Merchandising Initiatives and Consumer Insights at GNC, is an accomplished merchandising and digital transformation professional with 15 years of experience driving top-level brand strategy, sales, and consumer-centric strategies for global companies. In her role at GNC, Bentley has a dedicated focus on driving categorical innovation and differentiation to deliver increased revenue, market share growth, and heightened consumer relevancy and loyalty.
Noted for her ability to develop, lead, and implement successful multi-channel merchandising approaches, Bentley has led similar engagements at well-respected brands and retailers including Cintas, Follet Higher Education, Hemp Synergistics, EssilorLuxottica, and most notably, Zappos.com (part of Amazon). During her decade with one of the world’s largest and most respected retailers, Bentley led merchandising efforts for the e-commerce giant across its Women’s Fashion division leading merchandising for the online retailer, achieving year-over-year increase in sales and operating profit, while reducing inventory costs.
A graduate of Ohio University, Bentley is also a recognized industry speaker.
GNC
Senior Director, Merchandising Initiatives and Consumer Insights
In-Store vs. Online
Allison Bentley, Senior Director, Merchandising Initiatives and Consumer Insights at GNC, is an accomplished merchandising and digital transformation professional with 15 years of experience driving top-level brand strategy, sales, and consumer-centric strategies for global companies. In her role at GNC, Bentley has a dedicated focus on driving categorical innovation and differentiation to deliver increased revenue, market share growth, and heightened consumer relevancy and loyalty.
Noted for her ability to develop, lead, and implement successful multi-channel merchandising approaches, Bentley has led similar engagements at well-respected brands and retailers including Cintas, Follet Higher Education, Hemp Synergistics, EssilorLuxottica, and most notably, Zappos.com (part of Amazon). During her decade with one of the world’s largest and most respected retailers, Bentley led merchandising efforts for the e-commerce giant across its Women’s Fashion division leading merchandising for the online retailer, achieving year-over-year increase in sales and operating profit, while reducing inventory costs.
A graduate of Ohio University, Bentley is also a recognized industry speaker.
Jean Ryan
Daymon
Vice President, Strategic Advisory
In-Store vs. Online
Jean Ryan is the Vice President, Strategic Advisory for Daymon, with over 10 years of experience building consumer-centric brands for retailers across North America. In her current role, she oversees teams focused on analytics, brand strategy, category solutions, thought leadership, and marketing to drive growth, innovation, and differentiation across global private brand programs. Jean has also been recognized in the industry for her leadership in the private brand space, including as a Woman of Influence in the Food Industry by The Shelby-Griffin Report and a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer.
Daymon
Vice President, Strategic Advisory
In-Store vs. Online
Jean Ryan is the Vice President, Strategic Advisory for Daymon, with over 10 years of experience building consumer-centric brands for retailers across North America. In her current role, she oversees teams focused on analytics, brand strategy, category solutions, thought leadership, and marketing to drive growth, innovation, and differentiation across global private brand programs. Jean has also been recognized in the industry for her leadership in the private brand space, including as a Woman of Influence in the Food Industry by The Shelby-Griffin Report and a Top Woman in Grocery by Progressive Grocer.
Josh Rizzo
Topco Associates
Director, Category Insights
The Post-Pandemic Consumer
Josh Rizzo is a seasoned retail veteran with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. He currently serves as the Director of Category Insights at Topco Associates, where he leads Topco’s insights division supporting grocery retailers and wholesalers across America. He and his team support a $17.6 billion dollar business and a portfolio of more than 40,000 products available across the U.S. At Topco he utilizes his extensive understanding of the retail industry to develop strategies that optimize the assortment and strategic solutions for the organization. He believes in leveraging information across a variety of sources to tell relevant, comprehensive and compelling stories that result in actional recommendations, which drive Topco's overall business strategy. Prior to his current role, Josh was the Beer and Milk buyer at Walgreens, where he managed the strategies, assortment, and promotional planning for all products across the retailer. In addition to his buyer role, he worked in their Insights department supporting personal care products and devised new approaches for their reset process and clustering.
Topco Associates
Director, Category Insights
The Post-Pandemic Consumer
Josh Rizzo is a seasoned retail veteran with more than 10 years of experience in the industry. He currently serves as the Director of Category Insights at Topco Associates, where he leads Topco’s insights division supporting grocery retailers and wholesalers across America. He and his team support a $17.6 billion dollar business and a portfolio of more than 40,000 products available across the U.S. At Topco he utilizes his extensive understanding of the retail industry to develop strategies that optimize the assortment and strategic solutions for the organization. He believes in leveraging information across a variety of sources to tell relevant, comprehensive and compelling stories that result in actional recommendations, which drive Topco's overall business strategy. Prior to his current role, Josh was the Beer and Milk buyer at Walgreens, where he managed the strategies, assortment, and promotional planning for all products across the retailer. In addition to his buyer role, he worked in their Insights department supporting personal care products and devised new approaches for their reset process and clustering.
Morgan Drummond
Misfits Market
Senior Director of Private Label
My Generation: Who is Gen Z?
Morgan Drummond is the Senior Director of Private Label at Misfits Market, overseeing the company’s private label strategy and product development. Previously, Morgan was on Whole Foods Market’s private label team, managing various categories and team members for over a decade. She is deeply passionate about creating win-win partnerships with suppliers in an effort to creatively challenge the inefficiencies that exist in food manufacturing, while advancing sustainable product development. Morgan has degrees in Nutrition and Food Science and is trained in sensory evaluation. She is an olive oil expert, having achieved her certification as an Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savante in 2019.
Misfits Market
Senior Director of Private Label
My Generation: Who is Gen Z?
Morgan Drummond is the Senior Director of Private Label at Misfits Market, overseeing the company’s private label strategy and product development. Previously, Morgan was on Whole Foods Market’s private label team, managing various categories and team members for over a decade. She is deeply passionate about creating win-win partnerships with suppliers in an effort to creatively challenge the inefficiencies that exist in food manufacturing, while advancing sustainable product development. Morgan has degrees in Nutrition and Food Science and is trained in sensory evaluation. She is an olive oil expert, having achieved her certification as an Extra Virgin Olive Oil Savante in 2019.
Elizabeth Lafontaine
EnsembleIQ
Chief Retail Analyst
The Post-Pandemic Consumer
Elizabeth Lafontaine is the Chief Retail Analyst at Retail Leader Pro, an EnsembleIQ brand. Backed by nearly a decade of retail experience, she uncovers emerging trends in consumer behavior to help retailers and brands tap into new insights and create winning strategies in the ever-evolving world of commerce. Her analyses and commentary help businesses deepen their industry knowledge while also identifying ways to win with an ever-evolving consumer.
Lafontaine’s previous experience in the broader retail industry included roles at The NPD Group, Stein Mart and Macy’s. She helped to develop and grow NPD’s thought leadership offering, and most recently served as an industry analyst for its Juvenile Products, Toys and Entertainment division.
Lafontaine is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in retail management. She was a 2021 Legacy Award Honoree by Women in Consumer Technology.
EnsembleIQ
Chief Retail Analyst
The Post-Pandemic Consumer
Elizabeth Lafontaine is the Chief Retail Analyst at Retail Leader Pro, an EnsembleIQ brand. Backed by nearly a decade of retail experience, she uncovers emerging trends in consumer behavior to help retailers and brands tap into new insights and create winning strategies in the ever-evolving world of commerce. Her analyses and commentary help businesses deepen their industry knowledge while also identifying ways to win with an ever-evolving consumer.
Lafontaine’s previous experience in the broader retail industry included roles at The NPD Group, Stein Mart and Macy’s. She helped to develop and grow NPD’s thought leadership offering, and most recently served as an industry analyst for its Juvenile Products, Toys and Entertainment division.
Lafontaine is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in retail management. She was a 2021 Legacy Award Honoree by Women in Consumer Technology.
R.J. Hottovy
Placer.ai
Head of Analytical Research
My Generation: Who is Gen Z?
R.J. Hottovy, CFA is Head of Analytical Research for Placer.ai. He has covered the restaurant, retail, and e-commerce sectors for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as a Fund Manager for Aaron Allen Capital Partners. He has held several analyst positions in the past, including Global Consumer Equity Strategist at Morningstar and equity analyst roles at William Blair & Co. and Deutsche Bank. Hottovy also brings a wealth of experience with early-stage investments as an investor and member of the investment committee for the IrishAngels/Vitalize venture capital group. Over the past three years, he has worked with more than 50 consumer and technology companies, advising on more than $200 million in early-stage capital raises and other buy- and sell-side M&A transactions. Hottovy is also a member of the Chicago Seed Co. network, a group of Chicago-area investors focused on early-stage food & beverage companies.
Hottovy's efforts have been recognized by several financial and trade publications, including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Barron's, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and The Economist. He is an active member of the CFA Society of Chicago and maintains a regular teaching schedule through the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business and the Girls Who Invest program. He was also a finalist for Crain's Chicago ""40 Under 40"" award in 2011. Hottovy graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Finance and a second degree in Computer Applications.
Placer.ai
Head of Analytical Research
My Generation: Who is Gen Z?
R.J. Hottovy, CFA is Head of Analytical Research for Placer.ai. He has covered the restaurant, retail, and e-commerce sectors for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as a Fund Manager for Aaron Allen Capital Partners. He has held several analyst positions in the past, including Global Consumer Equity Strategist at Morningstar and equity analyst roles at William Blair & Co. and Deutsche Bank. Hottovy also brings a wealth of experience with early-stage investments as an investor and member of the investment committee for the IrishAngels/Vitalize venture capital group. Over the past three years, he has worked with more than 50 consumer and technology companies, advising on more than $200 million in early-stage capital raises and other buy- and sell-side M&A transactions. Hottovy is also a member of the Chicago Seed Co. network, a group of Chicago-area investors focused on early-stage food & beverage companies.
Hottovy's efforts have been recognized by several financial and trade publications, including CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, Barron's, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and The Economist. He is an active member of the CFA Society of Chicago and maintains a regular teaching schedule through the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business and the Girls Who Invest program. He was also a finalist for Crain's Chicago ""40 Under 40"" award in 2011. Hottovy graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame with a BA in Finance and a second degree in Computer Applications.
