Bedford, PA (May 15, 2025) — The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) successfully concluded its 2025 Annual Conference this week at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa, bringing together leaders from across the food and beverage industry for two days of valuable networking, engaging education sessions, and special recognitions.
The event opened with a dedicated wholesaler meeting, providing a focused platform for critical industry discussions and collaboration. Attendees also explored the latest products and services during the mini tradeshow, where vendors showcased innovative solutions designed to support and grow Pennsylvania’s food and beverage businesses.
One of the conference highlights was the presentation of the newly renamed Lisa Dell’Alba Food Industry Trailblazer Award to Tom Charley, co-owner of Charley Family Shop ’N Save. The award was recently renamed in honor of PFMA’s former Chair and dear friend, Lisa Dell’Alba, who passed away earlier this year. Tom was honored for his commitment to the food and beverage industry and his steadfast leadership as a PFMA Board Member.
The evening celebration featured a special message from First Lady of Pennsylvania Lori Shapiro, who praised the food and beverage industry’s vital role in supporting Pennsylvania communities and driving economic growth.
Educational programming at the conference included two standout sessions. The first, “Supporting a Neurodivergent Workforce,” offered expert insights from Wawa, Popcorn for the People, the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation on creating more inclusive workplaces. The second session, “From Response to Recovery: Crisis Communication & Coordination,” featured panelists from C&S Wholesale Grocers, PEMA, PA DHS, and Northeast Shared Services, who shared practical strategies for business resilience and disaster preparedness.
“The PFMA Annual Conference continues to be the premier event for our members to make meaningful connections, share ideas, and celebrate the incredible work happening across our industry,” said Alex Baloga, PFMA President & CEO. “We’re proud to bring our members together for these important conversations and to honor leaders like Tom Charley, whose dedication has made a lasting impact on Pennsylvania’s food and beverage industry.”
With strong attendance and active engagement throughout, the 2025 conference reinforced PFMA’s mission to support and advocate for the state’s food and beverage industry.
Save the Date: PFMA’s next major event, the 2025 Fall Legislative Conference, will take place October 7–8, 2025, at the Hershey Country Club. Stay tuned for more details on this important gathering focused on legislative issues impacting Pennsylvania’s food and beverage community.
For more information about PFMA and upcoming events, visit www.pfma.org.
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About PFMA
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, a statewide trade association, advocates the views of more than 600 convenience stores, supermarkets, independent grocers, wholesalers and consumer product vendors. PFMA members operate more than 3,000 stores and employ more than 300,000 Pennsylvanians. For more information on PFMA, visit pfma.org.
