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NAMA’s Carla Balakgie to address virtual health summit

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April 21, 2020

Carla Balakgie

Carla Balakgie, CEO of the National Automatic Merchandising Association, will be a featured speaker at PHA 10:  Accelerating a Healthier Future Virtual Summit Tuesday, April 28, 1-2:30 p.m. ET, according to a press release.

With introductory comments from Former First Lady Michelle Obama, the event celebrates a decade of impact while launching the next wave of innovation from Partnership for a Healthy America and its partners, including NAMA. 
 
Balakgie will be joined by Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop and Jason Reiser, EVP of Dollar General, in a session entitled "Healthy Shelves: The Role of Retail in Transforming the Food Marketplace," moderated by Darci Vetter, global lead of public affairs at Edelman.

While her comments will highlight NAMA's public health commitment to increase the level of "better for you" products in vending machines to 33%, Balakgie will also discuss how the changes brought about by COVID-19 will impact the industry. This includes the view that NAMA member companies are at the forefront of developing disruptive solutions in meeting the needs faced by consumers in this "new normal." Unattended retail — including vending and micro markets — is uniquely positioned to meet these needs, according to the press release.

For an update on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting convenience services, click here.