Join us for an immersive educational session

CGA’s annual Symposium showcases hands-on educational experiences to inspire our guests for the year of business ahead. This January, guests will be immersed in Hawaiian agriculture with a private farm-to-table tour of Kahumana Farm, one of O’ahu’s largest sustainable farming operations.

We’ll explore the role food can play in supporting communities in need with tastings and interactive activities.

Guests will have the opportunity to taste tropical fruits, learn about indigenous crops (‘ulu, kalo), feed farm animals, and harvest crops. Following the tour, we will enjoy a 3-course meal from the on-site café and learn about the farm’s mission to celebrate the bounty of Hawaii’s natural and cultural environment while addressing some of her most pressing needs.

Join your peers January 9-16, 2022, at the Four Seasons Resort, O’ahu at Ko Olina to renew and recharge for the new year. Learn more about our educational sessions or register here.

For questions, please email Beth Wright, Sr. Director, Events & Sponsorship, or call (916) 228-4424.

Keynote Rich Bracken on Emotional Intelligence

We are thrilled to unveil our first speaker for the upcoming Independent Operators Symposium, Rich Bracken, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Foundry.

Rich will lead a discussion on “Effective Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence” to uncover game-changing tools to improve job performance, develop resilience, and benefit your business. A keynote speaker, author, and professor of leadership, Rich influences leaders and global companies, ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies, through his dynamic keynote speeches.

Be the Disruptor with Mike Maddock

Our second Symposium speaker, “disruptor” Mike Maddock, CEO and Founding Partner, Maddock Douglas.

Mike will reveal to guests the ways renowned leaders successfully “disrupt” and how you can, too, can become a disruptor in the fast-changing world of business. Mike’s passion for solving problems with disrupting ideas led him to establish Maddock Douglas, Inc., now an internationally recognized innovation consultancy that has helped more than 25% of the Fortune 100 create and launch new products, services, and business models.

About Symposium

Symposium guests will have the opportunity to unplug and reset with insightful speakers and moderated share group discussions. We hope you will join us from January 9-16, 2022 at the Four Seasons Resort, O’ahu at Ko Olina to connect with industry peers and get inspired for the year of business ahead.

Registration is open. Download your form here.

For questions, please email Beth Wright, Sr. Director, Events & Sponsorship, or call (916) 228-4424.

California grocers have proven to be community pillars throughout the pandemic.

This rings true for Southern California retailer Northgate Gonzalez Market, which has offered outstanding support to its community of largely low-income, Spanish-speaking shoppers over the past 21 months.  In efforts to simplify the endless stream of conflicting information around the virus, Northgate convened a COVID-19 Vaccine Committee to provide education and vaccine access to associates and community members. Now, the committee has hosted over 150 vaccine clinics and helped vaccinate over 8,000 individuals. The committee also coordinates transportation to vaccine appointments and creates Spanish-language PSAs and messaging to keep community members informed and build trust in the latest guidance.

For its thoughtful solutions to the public health crisis, Northgate won FMI’s 2021 Community Uplift Award in the category of Neighborhood Health Development programs. 

Read more about Northgate Gonzalez Market’s efforts to keep its community safe here.

In mid-October, dozens of independent grocers and suppliers tee’d-off at Foxtail Golf Course in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Members of California’s independent grocery community enjoyed a day out on the greens, along with the chance to reconnect in person through a bit of healthy competition.

Thank you to our sponsors for making this day out of the office possible!

Check out highlights from the tournament below.

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