Register for the Spring 2026 Supply Chain Expert Exchange Conference

Join us in Chicago May 14 - 15, 2026 for the Supply Chain Expert Exchange Spring Conference.

REGISTER HERE

AGENDA

Thursday, May 14, 2026

11:00 a.m.   Registration Desk Open

11:00 a.m.   Headshots Available

1:30 p.m.    Conference Welcome & Kick Off

 

1:45 p.m.   Breakthrough Leadership: Supply Chain Through the Lens of Brand, Market and Mission
                   Kelli Valade, CEO, Women's Foodservice Forum

 

2:35 p.m.  Hot Topics & Emerging Issues in Supply Chain

                  MODERATORS:
                  Jeff Dorr, Senior Division President - SaaS, Buyers Edge Platform
                  Kristi Kingery, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Tropical Smoothie Cafe

 

3:05 p.m.    Networking Break 

 

3:20 p.m.   Curated Roundtables — Networking & Problem Solving, 3 Turns

                   MODERATORS:
                   Rachel DeMers, Senior Director of Supply Chain, City Barbeque, LLC
                   Megan Posenato, Vice President of Supply Chain and Quality Assurance, Naya

 

5:00 p.m.   Day One Wrap-Up

5:05 p.m.   Headshots Available

6:00 p.m.   Reception & Dinner 

 

Friday, May 15, 2026

7:30 a.m.   Breakfast

8:30 a.m.   Opening Remarks

 

8:35 a.m.   Keynote: Built for Turbulence - Leading Organizations That Strengthen Under Stress

                   Pascal Finette, Co-Founder & Chief Heretic, radical Author, Built for Turbulence (2026)

 

9:25 a.m.   Pork Under Pressure: Market Outlook and What it Means for Operators

                  Jeff Pigott, Vice President of Industry Relations, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)

 

9:55 a.m.   Networking Break

 

10:15 a.m.  Beef and Poultry Outlook: What's Driving Costs and What to Expect

                    Michael Irgang, President and Owner, Global Risk Management Corp.

 

10:45 p.m.   Supply Chain Pressures & the Nutrition Trends Reshaping 2026

                     Laura Abshire, Director of Food & Supply Chain Policy, National Restaurant Association

 

11:15 a.m.   A Conversation with Tim McEnery

                    Scaling the Experience: Growth & Culture at Cooper's Hawk

                    Tim McEnery, Founder & CEO, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants

                    MODERATOR:
                    Dan Gould, Director of Procurement and Supply Chain, Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants

 

12:05 p.m.   Lunch

 

1:20 p.m.    Upstream Intelligence: AI and the Future of Farming and the Global Food Supply Chain

                   Tim Marquis, Senior Product Manager for Data Science and Analytics, John Deere

 

1:50 p.m.   New Owners, New Rules: Private Equity, Consolidation, and the Supply Chain Reality

                   MODERATOR:
                   Chris McNutt, Chief Supply Chain Officer, GoTo Foods

                   PANELISTS:

                  Yianny Caparos, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Bakeries

                  Kirsten Michulka, President and Chief Executive Officer, Independent Purchasing Cooperative, a Subway Franchisee-owned Organization
                  Joel Neikirk, Chief Executive Officer at Restaurant Services, Inc. 

 

2:30 p.m.   Networking Break

 

2:50 p.m.   AI in Foodservice Supply Chain: Where it's Working and How to Get There

                   Deborah M. Matteliano, Global Head of Restaurants, Amazon Web Services

 

3:45 p.m.   Closing Remarks