Agenda

Rural Grocery Initiative

Day 1- June 24
Welcome and Opening Keynote John Ross, President & CEO, IGA Inc. The Changing Landscape of Grocery and How Independent Grocery is Positioned to Keep Up
Breakout Session #1
Track A: Rural Grocery Best Practices	Track B: Innovation		Track C: Partnerships & Community		Track D: Funding & Policy	Track E: Increasing Healthy & Local Food Access
Marketing Strategies to Drive Sales Growth Performance for Any Size Store Jeanie Wells, Columinate and Mighty Community Markets; Rebecca Torpie, Columinate and Briar Patch Co-op	10 years of grocery access solutions using a mix of online, mobile, and brick-and-mortar stores throughout Stark County, Ohio Tom Phillips, StarkFresh Farm Stop: A Novel Retail Store Model to Grow Local Food Economies Laura Matney, Argus Farm Stop		The What and the Why of Food Co-ops: An Introduction to the Co-op Model Faye Mack, Food Co-op Initiative		If you can't beat 'em, don't play by their rules: Understanding big grocery's weaknesses Alan Lewis, Natural Grocers Dollar stores and the food environment: Consumer perceptions and policy opportunities Karen Gardner, Center for Science in the Public Interest	Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Overview Andrea Gold and Shelly Pierce, USDA Food and Nutrition Service SNAP Online in Rural America Brielle Underwood and Gabrielle Rumney, National Grocers Association
Lunch and Keynote - To Be Announced!
Networking and Exhibitor Fair Visit with conference sponsors and exhibitors and learn about their offerings to support rural grocery.
Poster Session Building Equity in Rural Montana Food Systems through Rural Grocery Stores as Local Food Access Points, Maura Henn, National Center for Appropriate Technology Local Sourcing Innovation in Independent and Locally-Owned Groceries, Jacob Miller-Klugesherz, Rural Grocery Initiative Assisting Rural Grocers: Building Business Resiliency, Efficiency, and Profitability, Zachary Paige, University of Minnesota Extension Piloting a SNAP Incentive Program in Rural Communities and Small Grocers, Codie Robinson, Baylor University
Breakout Session #2
Track A: Rural Grocery Best Practices		Track B: Innovation		Track C: Partnerships & Community	Track D: Funding & Policy	Track E: Increasing Healthy & Local Food Access
Data-Driven Decision-making to Open a Rural Grocery Store Elliott Olson, Dakota Worldwide Rural Grocery Profit Simulator Duane Johnson, Iowa State University Extension		Rise Community Market: Difficulties and successes in creating a community-owned grocery store in a rural food desert Sean Park, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs; Steven Tarver, Rise Community Market; John Shadowens, University of Illinois Extension		Lessons Learned in Developing Rural and Urban Food Systems in the Black Belt of Alabama Dr. Raymon Shange, Dr. Franklin Quarcoo, and Kristin Woods, Carver Integrative Sustainability Center at Tuskegee University	Using State Industrial Policy Power to Shape Markets & Tackle Food Deserts Economic Security Project Unlocking Growth: Incentives for Cities to Attract Grocers to Rural Markets Elliott Cook, Retail Strategies	What's Fresh with GusNIP Rachel Hoh, Fair Food Network The Benefits and Challenges of Implementing a Nutrition Incentive Program in Rural Stores: A Retailer Perspective on Double Up Food Bucks Vanessa Wielenga and Lisa Franzen-Castle, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Breakout Session #3
Track A: Rural Grocery Best Practices		Track B: Innovation		Track C: Partnerships & Community	Track D: Funding & Policy	Track E: Increasing Healthy & Local Food Access
Interpreting Financial Statements to Make Better Business Decisions Joel Harper and Gene Holland, Small Business Technology Development Center of North Carolina		Rural Grocery Development and Nutrition Incentives in the Four Corners Angelina Mulholland, Common Spirit Health Mountain Division		Engaging Communities through the Cooperative Process Increases Community Vitality Charlotte Narjes, Nebraska Cooperative Development Center; Marilyn Logan, The Marmaton Market	Grants as a Financial Resource: Opportunities, Benefits, Challenges, and Strategies for Innovation in Rural Food Access Kara Newby, Auburn University Hunger Solutions Institute; Jimmy Wright, Wright’s Markets; Gray Harris,USDA Rural Development	Food is Medicine: Implications and Opportunities for Rural Grocery Karen Shore, Upstream Strategies Data-Supported Policy Recommendations for USDA Food Insecurity-Related Programs Jillian Morrison and Natalie Minton, University of Mississippi; Dr. Kara Woods, Alcorn State University
Evening Reception
Highlighting Rural & Urban Independent Grocery Operators through Visual Storytelling Documentary Screening & Panel Discussion Mari Gallagher, Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting, moderator Tom Mulholland, Mulholland Grocery James Harris, Carver Jones Markets and Harvest Midwest Charities Billy Ivey, Small Stories Studio

Day 2 - June 25
Award Ceremony & Opening Session
Breakout Session #4
Track A: Rural Grocery Best Practices	Track B: Innovation	Track C: Partnerships & Community	Track D: Funding & Policy	Track E: Increasing Healthy & Local Food Access
Wholesale Grocery Partnerships in Alabama Ellie Taylor, Alabama Grocers Association; Jay Mitchell, Mitchell Grocery Corporation; Jeff Brown, Piggly Wiggly; and Gerry D'Alessandro, Fresh Value LLC	Converting your store to a co-op: A viable path for longterm sucess Faye Mack, Food Co-op Initiative; Stuart Reid, The Co-op Consultant; Nicole Borner, Montana Cooperative Development Center	Non-profit Office of Rural Health Steps Up to Streamline State Efforts for Rural Courtney Watson and Paola Gutierrez, South Carolina Office of Rural Health	How Storytelling through Social Media Can Improve Sales David Petrie, Farmhouse Market Making the Case: How to Demonstrate Inadequate and Inequitable Food Access Using Reinvestment Fund’s Limited Supermarket Access (LSA) Analysis Michelle Schmitt, Reinvestment Fund	Innovation in partnerships: Understanding existing practices on sourcing local Courtney Long and Lisa Bates, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farmers' Perspectives of a Digital App to Build Direct to Retail Sales Channels in Rural Areas Audrey Thomas, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Breakout Session #5
Track A: Rural Grocery Best Practices	Track B: Innovation	Track C: Partnerships & Community	Track D: Funding & Policy	Track E: Increasing Healthy & Local Food Access
Reduce Operational Costs and Increase Profit through Benchmarking and Upgrading Your Store(s) Courtney Dragiff, Ratio Institute	Leveraging Non-profit Relationships to Increase Business Josh Anderegg, National Grocers Association	Grow Your Food Business Ecosystem Deb Brown, SaveYour.Town Community Building through Cooperation and Cooperatives Lyndsay Gutierrez and Nicole Borner, Montana Cooperative Development Center	How Healthy Food Financing Initiatives Can Leverage Data-Driven Strategies to Support Equitable Rural Food Access Marisol Zavaleta Martin and Rita Ouimet, The Food Trust Bringing Healthy Foods Closer to Home: An Alabama Solution to Reverse Childhood Health Trends Rhonda Mann, VOICES for Alabama’s Children	Building a Robust and Healthy Farmer/Retailer Relationship Mark Mulcahy, Organic Options
Lunch and Closing Keynote - To Be Announced!
Optional Tours (2-8 PM): Registration required East Alabama Tour: Visit one of Alabama's oldest grocery stores in Alabama's Black Belt. Carmack's Grocery is a local, family-owned and operated grocery store in Macon County, Alabama. Operating out of the same location since the early 1900s, Carmack's has established presence, credibility, and knowledge of the local market. They consistently provide a family-friendly atmosphere with low prices and a variety of fresh produce, fresh cuts of meat, and grocery items. Check out innovative agricultural practices and Farm to Table activities happening at Alabama's land-grant university. The Food U program at Auburn University immerses students in the food system by linking research, teaching, and extension projects with on-campus food production. Students employed in the FoodU program cross-train at four venues across campus including AU Aquaponics Greenhouses, AU Vertical Farms, AU Transformation Garden Raised Beds, and the Rane Culinary Science Center Rooftop Garden. Each of these venues provides students with experience growing fresh produce using differing technologies. Produce from FoodU goes directly to Auburn University Campus Dining venues and partner restaurants, including Ariccia Cucina and 1856 Culinary Residence. West Alabama Tour: Visit a variety of food outlets in some of the most rural areas in West Alabama. From co-ops to farmers markets and even farm to table restaurants, West Alabama's local and regional food system are the heart of their vibrant communities. This field trip will feature a few stops in rural Alabama towns to check out a variety of farm to consumer activities. One stop will feature Auburn University's Rural Studio, an off-campus design-build program, rooted in Hale County and part of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Rural Studio's mission is to educate students and conduct research on sustainable, healthful rural living. Check out ways Rural Studio has stimulated community and economic development through support of critical players in the local and regional food system.