May 10, 2017

Grocery innovator Rauch to speak at United show

Doug Rauch, former president of Trader Joe’s, will deliver the keynote at the 2017 United Fresh, International Floriculture Expo, and Global Cold Chain Expo Joint Opening General Session on Wednesday, June 14.

Rauch’s career with Trader Joe’s spanned 31 years, where he served as a company president for the last 14 years of his tenure, playing a pivotal role in the Southern California-based chain growth from nine stores to more than 340 stores in 30 states. Before retiring from Trader Joe’s in 2008, he developed the company’s buying philosophy, created its unique private food label program and wrote and executed the business plan to make Trader Joe’s a national chain. He championed the development and execution of Trader Joe’s University and the customer experience orientation.

“Trader Joe’s national popularity with consumers is thanks in large part to the innovative mind of Doug Rauch,” said United Fresh President & CEO Tom Stenzel. “He was able to scale a brand in a competitive marketplace and created a unique and self-sustaining culture of innovation. With three decades of retail experience and a conscious driven new venture, Doug will inspire us all across supply chains.”

Currently the co-CEO of Conscious Capitalism – which looks at how higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership and conscious culture can simultaneously build stronger businesses and improve society as a whole – Rauch is a recent senior fellow at the Harvard University Advanced Leadership Initiative. During this experience, he focused on the challenges of food waste, hunger, and obesity, which motivated him to become the founder and president of Daily Table. With Daily Table, he developed a way to provide both grab-n-go meals and basic groceries at pennies on the dollar for Daily Table, bringing affordable nutrition to those living in food insecurity.

Rauch received his executive MBA from the Peter Drucker School of Management at Claremont University, where he won several honorary awards, including the Early Career Outstanding Entrepreneur Award. He also is a trustee at Olin College, chairs the board of overseers at WBUR, and serves on the board of several for-profit and non-profit companies.

The United Fresh 2017 joint opening general session will take place on Wednesday, June 14, from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The event is open to all attendees of United Fresh, Global Cold Chain Expo and the International Floriculture Expo.

Once again, United Fresh will co-locate with the Global Cold Chain Expo and the International Floriculture Expo – all converging onto one show floor in the West Hall of the McCormick Place Convention Center – with the debut of United FreshTEC and United FreshMKT. Registration is available at www.unitedfreshshow.org.