The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) will kick off the New Year with its Annual Membership Meeting Reception on Thursday, January 30th at 5:30 pm at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey. Members of the New Jersey Food Council and attendees will nominate and elect new officers and the Board of Directors along with a networking reception with the State’s leading food industry executives and professionals.

At the 2020 Membership event, Joseph Sofia, Senior Vice President/Division Manager for New Jersey and Metro New York of Wegmans Food Markets, will be elected the new Chairman of the Board. Attendees will hear remarks from outgoing Chair Richard Saker of Saker ShopRites.  There was no shortage of issues during Richard Saker’s term from standing up against government mandates, expanding our political action presence and launching our Choose to Reuse campaign.  Joining the Officer team are Andrew Kent of Glass Gardens as Vice Chairman and Suzanne DelVecchio of QuickChek as Secretary.

“Richard Saker has been an asset and a significant part of our history during his time as NJFC Chair.  It is a bittersweet moment as Richard completes his term as Chair after celebrating our 50th Anniversary. We are equally excited to start a new decade with Joe Sofia and the new Officer team leading the way.” stated Linda Doherty, NJFC President. She added “The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for new members to gain insight into what the Food Council has to offer and to share public policy initiatives that will take place in the upcoming new year.  Also, this event is the launching point for NJFC members to learn of the organizations’ updated priorities, major events, and various committees in which they can participate.”

For more information or to purchase tickets please visit our website www.njfoodcouncil.com or contact Edie Esposito at (609) 392-8899 or email at eesposito@njfoodcouncil.com.

The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden State’s preeminent trade association representing almost 400 companies including 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that collectively employ more than 200,000 associates in NJ.

The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) has named Connor Schmiegel, an experienced political organizer, as its new Associate Director of Public Affairs.

Most recently, Schmiegel completed his role as Field Organizer for the reelection campaigns of Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato. Over the summer, he served under the Director of Government Affairs at the Campbell Soup Co., where he analyzed state and federal policy affecting the company’s operations and managed the internal social media platform.

“We are very impressed with Connor, as he has extensive, bipartisan experience in politics and communications in New Jersey,” said Linda Doherty, President & CEO, NJFC. Noting Schmiegel has demonstrated talents in grassroots organizing, communicating with state and federal offices, social media management, and policy analysis.

Doherty noted that Schmiegel helped reform the Rowan University Democratic Organization and later interned for Congressman Donald Norcross. He also spent two years working in Rowan’s Office of Government & External Relations, in which he organized events, prepared testimony, and tracked legislation.

Doherty said the NJFC has an aggressive political agenda in the upcoming legislative session and is eager to have Schmiegel advocate for issues of critical importance to the food retail and distribution industry. Those issues include the disposable bag ban, workforce issues, weights and measures reform and re-adoption of the State Food Code.

Schmiegel holds degrees in Political Science and Communication Studies from Rowan University where he served as a Research Assistant to Dr. Ben Dworkin, Director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship.

To contact Schmiegel directly, please email cschmiegel@njfoodcouncil.com

The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), the state’s largest organization of food retailers and suppliers, turned 50 years old in 2019.

NJFC members commemorated the historic occasion on December 5 with a 5 with a celebration & reunion at the Park Chateau Estate & Gardens in East Brunswick.

“This event is more than just celebrating our history but creating our next chapter with members who continue to carry the torch for a healthy and prosperous NJ food distribution industry,” said Linda Doherty, NJFC’s longest serving President. “There are so many accomplishments and achievements over the past 50 years and members where eager to celebrate together.”

The evening’s highlights included a video of the association’s rich 50 year history, a
3-dimensional baked cake of the gold dome of the State House that stood nearly 6’ high donated by Calandra’s Bakery and Coke bottles specially labeled to commemorate the anniversary by Liberty Coke.

Doherty added, “We are so grateful for the support of our sponsors because 100% of the ticket sale proceeds from the celebration raised $25,000 for our Educational Scholarship fund.”

Richard Saker of Saker ShopRite, concluding his term as NJFC Chairman shared with the crowd, “The New Jersey Food Council was conceived in my father’s living room in 1969, a time when New Jersey’s supermarket industry lacked a strong, unified voice.” His father, Joseph Saker was among the NJFC’s founding members, along with Alan Bildner of Kings Supermarkets and Joe Azzolina of Food Circus Foodtown, an elected member of the State General Assembly.

“It is the vision of our Founding Fathers that has held this organization together all these years. It continues to guide us in 2019 – a time of challenges, but also of major accomplishments,” Saker added.

Doherty agrees, highlighting NJFC’s progress this year on legislation regarding issues of direct importance to the grocery industry.

This organization is incredibly well-positioned to influence policy in New Jersey, which is why the NJFC is consistently one of the `Top 25’ most influential lobbying organizations in Trenton, according to several NJ business publications.

“None of this progress would have been possible without our active and engaged member partners,” she said. “This is a special time to reflect on our hard work over five decades and I think our founding father would agree Job Well Done.”

MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ– The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC), in partnership with the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association (NJRMA), hosted the 2019 Loss Prevention Conference and Exhibition at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, NJ.

The event tackled critical aspects of loss prevention including the latest trends and updates in asset protection for today’s retail loss prevention professionals. A number of compelling presentations were highlighted including significant threats of active shooter and lockdown procedures, gift card fraud, frictionless checkout and the liabilities of medical marijuana for the retail community.

NJFC President & CEO Linda Doherty said, “Our goal with this year’s conference is to focus on the ongoing challenges of retail security and provide insight into some of the most pertinent asset protection issues facing business today. It also creates networking opportunities between industry loss prevention professionals and law enforcement officials to foster stronger partnerships.”

Awards were presented to the following loss prevention leaders and law enforcement agents who implement new strategies to combat loss prevention and retail theft:

• Carl Goldstein, Regional Sales Director for Agilence, was honored with the “NJFC Loss Prevention Professional Award.” Mr. Goldstein has been working in the Operational and Loss Prevention technology space for over 25 years. He is also active on the NJFC Loss Prevention Committee and has been an exhibitor at the NJFC Loss Prevention Conference for several years.

• Detectives Thomas Dubeau and Joseph McDonough of the Elizabeth Police Department were honored with the “Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Awards” for their work with convenience stores to successfully cite multiple storefronts in the City of Elizabeth who were buying stolen merchandise from retailers, through the use of undercover sting operations.

• Retired Major Ron Hampton of the NJ State Police was honored with a “Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award”. He served with the New Jersey State Police for 25 years before retiring and played a paramount role in building solid relationships between the State Police and the Food Council and NJ Retail Merchants Association. He also played an active role on the Food Council Loss Prevention Committee.

• Detective Michael Legg of the Ocean Township Police Department received a “Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award” for unwavering commitment to the local retail community and by going above and beyond to assist the retail community that has led to the identification and apprehension of numerous case subjects.

• Detective Matthew Stahlnecker of the NJ State Police also received a “Retail Law Enforcement Achievement Award” for his investigative work involving large-scale credit card fraud and diesel fuel in Camden County and building a significant case against the perpetrators involved in the credit card fraud.

The New Jersey Food Council is the Garden State’s preeminent trade association representing almost 400 companies including 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that collectively employ more than 200,000 associates in NJ. For more information, visit www.njfoodcouncil.com.

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