Grocer Pod - Presented by AWG - Grocery, Marketing and more

AWG Vice President of Meat and Seafood Heather DeLuca joins Sean Kosednar in the studio on this week's Grocer Pod. The two discuss how AWG member retailers can take advantage of meat's current popularity. 

Sean Kosednar is joined by Topco Associates LLC Senior Program Manager Jeff Vetstein and Senior Category Director, Indirect Spend Program Adam Binder at the 2026 Innovation Showcase. The three discuss various Not For Resale programs TopCo offers to AWG member retailers. 

Jason Skolak, General Manager for Retail Data Systems, sits down with Sean Kosednar at the 2026 Innovation Showcase. The two discuss the benefits of electronic shelf labels. Jason also shares how AWG member retailers can save 10% on the cost of installing electronic shelf labels. 

In the first installment of episodes recorded at Innovation Showcase 2026, AWG SVP of Sales & Support James Neumann, AWG Advertising Manager Logan Bayless, and Breez AI Founder & CEO Tal Zlotnitsky sit down with Sean Kosednar to discuss the partnership between AWG and Breez AI. The four also talked about AWG launching SmartMeals™, Breez AI's new AI-powered meal planning tool, to AWG members.

Sean Kosednar was on the floor at the HGS Show talking with a variety of AWG teammates about show deals, trends, AWG Brands, Retail Marketing Network, the Hispanic category, and much more. 

January is Store Brands Month. To kick things off Sean Kosednar is joined by Cara Finger, AWG Brands Marketing Manager. The two talk about what AWG Brands is doing to celebrate.

AWG Brands' Marketing Success Kits include monthly recipes. Senior Marketing Specialist Rachel Frierdich is back on Grocer Pod to talk all about these recipes with host Sean Kosednar.

Larry Miller, Founder and CEO of Smart Retail Solutions joins Grocer Pod again this week. This time Larry and Sean discuss a new product called Scan-it® Mobile. Scan It is a cloud-based Whole-Store Ordering, Inventory Management, Shrink Loss Tracking, and Receiving System. If you are interested in learning more, contact Larry Miller today.

AWG Executive Director, Deli, Bakery, & Food Service Michael Pursell and FMI Senior Manager, Industry Relations Andrew Brown join Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod. The three discuss how AWG member retailers can either add food service to their stores or enhance their current food service offerings. To read the white papers mentioned in today's episode, click HERE for Framework for Retail Foodservice Success 2025 and HERE for The Power of Foodservice at Retail 2025.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and customers are looking for ways to save on their Thanksgiving spread. AWG Vice President, AWG Brands Emily Detwiler joins Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod to talk about all the Thanksgiving products offered by AWG Brands.

Since 2010, AWG has participated in 13 trips with Cruise Holidays. The 14th trip will take AWG members to Italy, Greece, and Croatia. Mark Comfort, co-owner of Cruise Holidays of Kansas City, Comfort Tours and Travel, joins Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod to talk about all the details about the 2026 AWG Member Trip. 

 Q4 2025 is fast approaching. That means AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger joined Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod to discuss the success of some previously launched items and introduce the additions to the AWG Brands lineup. Click here to learn more about the the new items being launched.

 In this episode of Grocer Pod, Ana Velazquez—Vice President at the Retail Learning Institute and IGA Coca-Cola Institute—returns to share how AWG University can help retailers cut costs and boost performance through effective staff training. Ana and host Sean Kosednar dive into the wide range of learning resources available, from onboarding to advanced retail strategies. If you're ready to elevate your team's skills and efficiency, reach out to Ana to get started with AWG University.

Recent changes allow states to apply for SNAP waivers modifying, state-by-state, what products will be SNAP eligible. AWG Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel Stephanie Becker is in the studio breaking down what this mean for AWG member retailers. Get the latest update of SNAP waivers for you state HERE.

On this week's episode, we share a Learning Lounge presentation from AWG Innovation Showcase 2025. BRdata President John Abbene presents the ways AWG members can harness the power of AI to help their business.  

Digital media is crucial to AWG member retailers. Sean Kosednar sat down with ShoptoCook President and CEO John Thompson at the AWG Innovation Showcase in March. Thompson explained how AWG members can use digital media to not only get new customers but maintain their existing customers as well. 

AWG Brands Senior Marketing Specialist Rachel Frierdich joins Sean Kosednar in the studio to spotlight the power of AWG Brands' Marketing Success Kits. Each month, the AWG Brands team curates a fully themed, plug-and-play marketing plan designed to help AWG member retailers drive sales of private brand products. These kits make it easy to showcase the value and benefits of AWG Brands to customers—saving time while delivering results.

Sean Kosednar sat down with Founder and CEO of ProfitTrax Larry Miller at Innovation Showcase 2025 in March and learned all about how AWG members can harness the power of centralized data to improve their business.

On this week's episode of Grocer Pod, we're diving into another exciting quarterly product launch from AWG Brands. Every quarter, the team rolls out a fresh wave of new products—carefully designed to help AWG member retailers stay competitive, meet shifting shopper needs, and keep shelves stocked with high-quality, value-driven items. AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger is back in the studio with Sean Kosednar to discuss the success of new AWG Brands items and introduce the latest items launched in July.

Big changes are coming to AWG Grocer's Kart. AWG intern Miller Brown joins Sean Kosednar in the studio on this week's Grocer Pod to talk about these exciting enhancements. Learn why Grocer's Kart is your one-stop shop for textiles and signage.

GiveX's loyalty program can help AWG member retailers retain customers, increase basket size, and, most importantly, drive extra trips. Sean Kosednar sat down with GiveX's VP of Community Rewards Andy Ruff at the Innovation Showcase to hear all about it. 

Hello World by Best Choice is the new baby line from AWG Brands. Vice President of AWG Brands Emily Detwiler is in the studio with Sean Kosednar to discuss the new product line.

Sean Kosednar sat down with Matt Swanson from North Country Business Solutions at the AWG Innovation Showcase. The two talked about how North Country can help AWG members better integrate their data. 

This week Sean Kosednar is joined in the studio by Robert Austin and Jesse Himango from Empower Fresh. The three discuss how AWG member retailers can harness the power of AI in their fresh departments.

On this week's Grocer Pod, AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger is in the studio with Sean Kosednar to discuss the new AWG Brands items launching in Q2.   

Celebrate National Pet Month by learning about Pure Wonder by Best Choice. Vice President of AWG Brands Emily Detwiler joins Sean Kosednar in the studio on this week's Grocer Pod to talk all about the new pet focused brand.   

This week we have Sean Kosednar's conversation with Ideal's Adam Zimmerman. The two sat down at Innovation Showcase to talk about the company's rebrand as well as how AWG member retailers can harness the power of digital circulars.   

Sean Kosednar talks with Caroline Catoe and Brittany Benton from ECRS during AWG Innovation Showcase 2025.   

AWG Marketing Services Specialist Maggie Wilson and Sean Kosednar discuss some of the latest food trends sweeping social media on this week's Grocer Pod. They also talk about ways you can take advantage of these trends in your store.

This week is the first installment of conversations recorded at AWG Innovation Showcase 2025. Carey Berger from Crossroads is back on Grocer Pod to lead things off. Sean Kosednar talks with him about what AWG member retailers can do to increase the pool of potential buyers when it comes time for them to sell their stores.

We are all excited for AWG Innovation Showcase 2025. To get ready, here is a look back to last year's keynote speaker, Daniel Burrus. 

On this week's Grocer Pod, AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger is in the studio with Sean Kosednar to discuss the Q1 new items and what is still to come from AWG Brands this year.

AWG members will soon be able to take advantage of a new cross-dock program with KeHE. Group Vice President of Center Store Merchandising & Sales Scott Evans joins Sean Kosednar in the studio this week to explain the new program and how it will help AWG member retailers. 

Sean Kosednar took his microphone around the HGS Spring Show in early February to give everyone who wasn't in attendance a feel for what the show had to offer. 

Credit card skimming has come to grocery stores and Jeff Klaus from Retail Data Systems is here to share how it's happening and how to prevent it. On this week's Grocer Pod, Jeff explains to Sean Kosednar how AWG member retailers can protect their stores and their customers from these devices. 

AWG President and CEO Dan Funk joins Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod. They discuss Dan's first year as President and CEO. Dan also lays out what AWG members can expect in 2025.

AWG Brands has big plans for 2025 and AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger is in the studio to tell host Sean Kosednar all about them. 

AWG Brands has been stacking up the awards as of late. Cara Finger, AWG Brands Marketing Manager, is back in the studio to tell everyone about which brands and products won. 

Cara Finger, AWG Brands Marketing Manager, is in the studio with Sean Kosednar talking about AWG Brands digital coupons on this week's Grocer Pod. 

Executive Director of Design and Construction Joel Riggs joins Sean Kosednar in the studio this week to tell AWG member retailers how Store Engineering can help them access public funds to pay for new store builds or even remodels. 

 On this week's Grocer Pod, several AWG teammates talk to host Sean Kosednar about what they learned, as well as the benefits of attending the Groceryshop 2024 conference. 

Doing everything from site selection to lease management, market research and store engineering, AWG's Real Estate department can help every member retailer. AWG's Director of Real Estate, Michael Galiga, joins Sean Kosednar on this week's Grocer Pod to get the word out about the Real Estate Department.

Stacy Leeton, AWG Sr. Category Manager for Health & Wellness, is back on Grocer Pod. This week she tells Sean Kosednar about what is going on in the Cough and Cold medicine category.

AWG Brands has revamped its vitamin category. Stacy Leeton, AWG Sr. Category Manager for Health & Wellness, joins Sean Kosednar to discuss the new offerings on this week's Grocer Pod.

On this week's Grocer Pod, Sean Kosednar walks the show floor at the 2024 Kansas City Food Show. He talks with vendors and AWG teammates about some of the food show offerings. 

AWG University is here to help our member retailers provide comprehensive employee training for their staff. Learning Solutions Director Ana Velazquez talks with host Sean Kosednar about how retailers can get the most out of the program. 

Salty Snacks is a $60.5 Billion a year category. Category Manager Jared Grieve and AWG Brands Product Manager Tyler Olinger join host Sean Kosednar in the studio to help introduce new AWG Brands offerings to the category. 

We couldn't wait until Wednesday to bring you Category Manager Ernesto Otero's conversation with Sean Kosednar about the new General Mills cereal Kelce Mix. 

September is FMI's Family Meals Month. AWG Brands' Senior Marketing Specialist, Rachel Frierdich and Kaylee Keane, RMN Marketing & Data Specialist, join Sean Kosednar in the studio to talk about all the ways AWG can help member retailers celebrate Family Meals Month.

On this week's Grocer Pod, AWG Brands Senior Sourcing Manager Robert Fahr and Daymon Senior Director Emma Bryan join host Sean Kosednar to discuss the evolution of the AWG Brands paper program. Learn about the new offerings across the AWG Brands' lines in the paper category.