Harold is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago.  He has been the president of a company with 1000 employees and 14 stores and was a franchisee of a 3-unit, award-winning family restaurant group. 

For the last 34 years, Harold has been the featured speaker at the food industry’s most popular events.  He has created 30 top rated seminars and written 4 books.  He has also created and currently facilitates nine industry related share groups.

Harold is a proud father of 3 and grandfather of 2 and lives in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife, Deanna.

Harold says, “I’d rather see the audience taking notes than to hear their applause.”  This remark speaks to his intense desire to make a meaningful connection with his audience, which is his ultimate objective.

Dr. Volpe was born and raised near Boston, Massachusetts. After finishing his Ph.D., he spent four years working as an economist at the USDA Economic Research Service in Washington DC. While there he researched a variety of topics, including food price formation, competitiveness in the food industry, and the healthiness of grocery purchases in the U.S. Ricky was also responsible for forecasting retail food price inflation at the national level.

Now at Cal Poly, Ricky teaches courses on food retail and supply chain management, transportation and logistics, and data analysis. He also maintains an active research agenda using a variety of large scanner data sets to study issues related to market structure, firm performance, food prices, consumers’ food choices, and health outcomes. He also works closely with industry leaders in food retailing, wholesaling, and distribution to facilitate collaboration on public-private partnerships, student internships, and scholarships.

Andrew S. Harig currently serves as Vice President, Tax, Trade, Sustainability & Policy Development.  In this position, he is responsible for lobbying Congress and the Administration on behalf of FMI’s members, with a primary focus on sustainability, agriculture, taxes, trade and pensions.

Prior to joining FMI, Harig was an associate trade advisor and speechwriter for the Senate Finance Committee under its Chairman, Max Baucus (D-MT).  From 1999-2001, he was the senior research associate for the Global Economic Policy Project at the New America Foundation, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

Harig holds a B.A. from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

Elizabeth has worked with every segment of the food industry, including manufacturers, distributors, retailers, restaurants, and food service operators, as well as their trade associations.

Her work on behalf of food industry clients with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) since its inception and her understanding of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems provides her with the experience and perspective needed to counsel clients on how to comply with new requirements under the law. Elizabeth is also a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and has completed the FSPCA PCQI training.

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Harold is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago.  He has been the president of a company with 1000 employees and 14 stores and was a franchisee of a 3-unit, award-winning family restaurant group. 

For the last 34 years, Harold has been the featured speaker at the food industry’s most popular events.  He has created 30 top rated seminars and written 4 books.  He has also created and currently facilitates nine industry related share groups.

Harold is a proud father of 3 and grandfather of 2 and lives in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife, Deanna.

Harold says, “I’d rather see the audience taking notes than to hear their applause.”  This remark speaks to his intense desire to make a meaningful connection with his audience, which is his ultimate objective.

A 48 year grocery veteran, Morrow has managed Allen’s Food Market in Bella Vista, Arkansas, just seven miles from Wal-Mart’s corporate offices in neighboring Bentonville, since 1999. He was named Associated Wholesale Grocer’s inaugural National Store Manager of the Year in 2015, chosen from over 3,400 stores. A master of social media, community connection, and shopping experience, he’s shared his unique passion and enthusiasm with grocers all over North America. His “no holds barred, 100 miles per hour” style will have you on the edge of your seat and will inspire you to look at your store, staff, and shoppers in a whole new way.

Veronica Colas counsels clients on the regulations and policy issues affecting food companies from farm to table.

Using her keen awareness of today's class action litigation environment, Veronica helps develop new products, label claims, and advertising materials. She has a deep understanding of both current and forthcoming food labeling and production requirements ranging from nutrition and menu labeling, to the regulatory issues surrounding bioengineered foods and organic food production.

Veronica provides clear advice and practical solutions for compliance with labeling, advertising, and safety regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Consumer Product Safety Commission. She has significant experience in helping clients navigate regulatory enforcement challenges, such as recalls, Warning Letters, import detentions, and investigations by the Federal Trade Commission. Veronica works closely with trade associations and food companies to craft comments and develop strategies in response to public policy issues such as agency rulemaking and nutrition policy. She represents all segments of the food industry, including manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, and food service companies.

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Coy Garrison, a former SEC counsel and career staffer, advises private fintech companies, public companies, and financial institutions on how to navigate challenging legal and regulatory issues related to crypto and blockchain technology. Drawing on more than eight years of experience at the SEC and his technical understanding of federal securities laws, he provides regulatory counsel and unique insights to clients on the securities law implications of their business plans. He also advises public companies and their boards on compliance with SEC reporting and disclosure requirements, including the growing area of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters.

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Joe Dages helps clients successfully navigate the complex US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements that apply to food, food additives, and food contact materials. He advises companies on all aspects of the premarket review requirements and pathways to market for these materials, as well as post-market compliance, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), labeling, marketing, risk, and litigation avoidance issues. In addition, he provides advice to clients seeking to establish the compliance of their products in other jurisdictions, including Canada, the European Union, and South America.

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Surya Kundu focuses her practice on retailers and manufacturers, including leading fashion brands, emerging retailers, department stores, cosmetics, e-commerce retailers, and other consumer products companies. She advises clients on a range of retail issues including pricing, promotional advertising, and the FTC’s green marketing guidelines. She litigates false advertising, unfair competition, and consumer class actions in state and federal courts.

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