CPG School Planned Nov. 13 in Rogers

Retail consulting firm Selling to the Masses will host its first CPG School speaker series on Nov. 13 in Rogers.

The event is a one-day conference — from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. — for founders and leaders of early-stage consumer product companies who are deemed ready to begin selling their products to retailers.

Matt Fifer, founder and CEO of the firm, said he expects companies from across the country to be represented at the event, to interact with STTM mentors and others who have expertise relevant to the retail and CPG industry.

“The idea is to get the leaders of these early-stage companies an idea of what’s coming, what to expect and how to prepare,” he said in an interview earlier this year. “It’s a tremendous networking opportunity and these relationships will be critically important to them.”  

The inaugural event will be held at the Rogers headquarters of shopper marketing agency Collective Bias.

There will be 15 speakers through the course of the day, including John James, CEO of Acumen Brands and Country Outfitter, Darrin Robbins, senior category director at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Roger Collins, chairman and CEO of Harps Food Stores, and Doug Keller, founder and president of Infinity Product Group Inc.

The conference will conclude with a networking reception for attendees, representatives from major retailers and investors.