The 2026 Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience Conference strengthened its value to food retail professionals through new cybersecurity and safety content, a technology pitch competition, expanded industry recognition and strong networking and partnership opportunities.
By: Tom Cosgrove, Director, Industry Relations, FMI
Now in its fourth year, the Asset Protection and Grocery Resilience (APGR) Conference has earned its reputation as the “can’t-miss” event for professionals in the food retail industry. This year’s conference introduced several enhancements driven by conference attendees and council members, including two new educational tracks focused on cyber security and safety, further strengthening the grocery resilience component of the program.
Technology Pitch Competition
Another new addition to the conference agenda was the Technology Pitch Competition, showcasing cutting-edge solutions designed to support the APGR community. Following submissions from earlier this year, a panel of industry experts narrowed the field down to three great candidates: Alpha Vision, Checkpoint Systems and Reveal Media. All three pitched live on the main stage, and the conference attendees voted for their favorite solution. Congratulations to Jason DeVinney and Checkpoint Systems for earning top honors with the winning pitch.
Industry Recognition and Awards
The conference also expanded its recognition program by introducing the inaugural Rising Stars Class of 2026, honoring emerging leaders in the industry:
- Robert Bohen, Sr. Region Asset Protection Manager at Amazon Worldwide
- Dan Lucas, Asset Protection and Safety Specialist at Brookshire Grocery Company
- Kathleen Mathie, Director of Loss Prevention at Hy-Vee
- Brad Zaretsky, Region Asset Protection Manager, Amazon Worldwide Grocery
Additionally, this year’s conference featured two awards, the recipients of these awards are determined by a vote of the Asset Protection Executive Council. One of the two awards is new this year, the Excellence in Partnership Award, recognizing an individual that supports the industry and is an all-around good trading partner. This year’s APGR Excellence in Partnership award winner is Rhett Asher, of ALTO.
The Council also continued the tradition of the APGR Legend Award. This award celebrates leaders who have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding retail operations, people and profits, as well as making a positive impact on the industry. This year’s winner is Mike Gulli, of Northeast Shared Services for his years of service to the industry.
Signature Experiences and Continued Success
Alongside these new additions, the conference continued to deliver the experiences attendees value most. The proprietary Business to Business (B2B) program provided opportunities for retailers and solution providers to connect and explore potential partnerships.
The conference’s networking events, made possible through the support of our sponsors, once again created valuable opportunities for attendees to strengthen their relationships and exchange ideas with peers from across the industry.
We are in the final stages of identifying the date and location for our 2027 conference, with more information coming soon. For the latest information and updates, visit FMI.org/apgr
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