Webinar Registration

Speaker List:

Sue Flake, Avery Dennison
Patti Blessing, Zebra Technologies
Ryan Richards, GS1

Webinar Date and Time:
March 26 at 12:00 p.m. EST (9am PST)

Webinar Description:
In 2023, the US Food Supply Chain Industry grew to $114 Billion USD. The rapid growth of the industry, as well as socio-economic issues have increased the myriad of challenges impacting the market from retaining labor to increased regulatory compliance requirements. From farm to fork, the impact of these obstacles increases the risk of meeting customer expectations and reduced operational efficiencies. Join GS1, along with Avery Dennison and Zebra Technologies to learn more about the complexities of the Food Supply Chain and how savvy organizations are turning to technology to improve their bottom line.

Key takeaways will include:

How the food industry is addressing urgent business needs to remain profitable and increase market share
Learn what technologies are being deployed to improve inventory visibility and back of house operations
Understand the importance of traceability in the Food Supply Chain and its impact on food safety and recalls

Speakers

Ryan C. Richard
Vice President, Community Engagement, GS1 US

As Vice President of Community Engagement, Ryan Richard develops engagement strategies that drive the adoption, use, and adherence to global standards to solve common business problems. With a focus on the retail grocery and food service sectors, Mr. Richard manages collaborative industry efforts to help GS1 US members meet the needs of today’s consumers, including improving supply chain visibility, food traceability, and product information transparency. Additionally, Mr. Richard aligns the organization’s member support and sales efforts with community engagement strategies to further achieve the common goal of building long-term relationships with members and supporting their growth.

Prior to joining GS1 US, Mr. Richard spent two decades with three top multinational corporations—Kraft Foods, Inc., Mondelēz International, and Philip Morris. In these roles, he focused on business process harmonization, global data synchronization, and the implementation of GS1 Standards to make the companies’ retail grocery supply chains more efficient. Mr. Richard received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Leadership and Change Management from DePaul University in Chicago, IL, and received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.

Susan Flake
Avery Dennison, Global Director, Business Development Food

Susan Flake, Global Director, Business Development Food has over thirty years of experience in retail, the last 20 of which have focused on expanding item-level RFID initiatives in both retail and hospitality. Named as one of Progressive Grocer's 2023 Top Women in Grocery and AIM's 2022 Professional of the Year, Susan is also a contributing member of GS1's Food Industry group helping to drive next-generation solutions with a focus on inventory visibility, transparency, labor efficiencies, and food waste reduction through sustainability.

Patti Blessing
RFID Engagement Manager Hospitality Industry, Zebra Technologies

Patti Blessing, Zebra Technologies, is the RFID Engagement Manager in the Hospitality Industry Vertical. Clients include the Professional Sports Industry, Restaurant Chains, Amusement Parks, Cruise Lines, Banking and more. Patti has broad experience in all aspects of technical solution sales, sales management, and event and trade show management, and direct experience with retail, manufacturing, and healthcare delivering automation solutions including RFID, Sensor Technologies, Temperature Management, and Data Analytics. Today, Patti is the Vice Chair of AIM and serves on committees within GS1.