left to right: Jesse Levine,
Derrick Price, Ed Rohena
There was no shortage of compelling presentations at the 2017 Loss Prevention Conference & Exhibition, as food industry leaders discussed many pressing loss prevention and safety issues. Celebrated was Wakefern Food Corporation’s Vice President of Loss Prevention, Steve Hoptay, who was honored with the 2017 Loss Prevention Professional Award.
The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), in partnership with the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association, hosted the 2017 Loss Prevention Conference and Expo at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township on Thursday, November 2 at 8 a.m. Approximately 100 Loss Prevention professionals attended the annual conference with 23 vendor exhibitors.
Linda Doherty, President & CEO of NJFC, said the event tackled all aspects of loss prevention, ensuring security professionals have all the latest information to preserve and protect company resources. In addition, awards were presented to individuals and law enforcement officials committed to loss prevention. “There is no question that loss continues to have a devastating affect on our business model,” she said.
The event offered a number of compelling presentations, including:
• State Police Major Fred Fife, Commander, Regional Operations & Intelligence Center, discussed “Private Sector Partnerships: The Intelligence Age for a Secure New Jersey.”
• Jesse Levine, Ravitz Family Markets, Director of Loss Prevention & Quality Assurance, and Derrick Price, Wakefern Food Corporation, Retail Loss Prevention Manager, detailed the latest in facial recognition software and other emerging technologies.
• Mitch Cowit, a police training specialist, addressed forensic interview techniques and effective communication.
• Kris Hoffman, an area director for the federal Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provided an update on retail safety.
Awards were presented to loss prevention leaders and law enforcement agents who implement new strategies to combat loss prevention and retail theft.
Steve Hoptay, Vice President of Loss Prevention at Wakefern Food Corp., accepted the “Loss Prevention Professional Award.” In addition, the “Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award” was given to Franklin Police Captain Gregory Borlan, State Police Detective Sergeant Jamie Champ, and Gloucester Police Detective Anthony Massi.
The conference also offered three roundtable discussions: “Business Continuity and Emergency Management Planning” moderated by Mr. Hoptay, “Safety: Open Discussion” moderated by Mr. Levine, and “Using Analytics to Improve Loss Prevention Operational Outcomes” moderated by Carl Goldstein, Agilence Senior Account Executive.
There were also insightful programs on “eCommerce Fraud” by Andrew Iaci, a managing director of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; and “Private Sector and Law Enforcement: Operational Perspectives and Best Practices” by State Police Major Ron Hampton of the Intelligence & Criminal Enterprise Section and State Police Lieutenant Dan Bergin of the Interstate Theft North Unit.