Tom Greco, president and CEO of Advance Auto Parts, will deliver a keynote address at the 2018 Vision Conference, presented by the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), on March 22, at the Loews Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois.
“Tom’s discussion will be a highlight of our Vision Conference agenda and will be highly anticipated by attendees,” said Bill Long, AASA president and chief operating officer. “He brings unique insights about the industry from his perspective as a top executive of a major aftermarket auto parts retailer and his prior experience as an executive in the global food and beverage industry.”
“I could not be more excited to attend the AASA’s annual Vision Conference this year,” said Greco. “I’m humbled and honored to deliver the keynote address at this critically important event, and I look forward to being part of what I know will be another extremely successful and collaborative meeting focused on the growth of this industry.”
Prior to joining Advance in 2016, Greco served as CEO of Frito-Lay North America, a unit of PepsiCo Inc., a leading global food and beverage company. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing PepsiCo’s snack and convenient foods business in the U.S. and Canada. Greco joined PepsiCo in Canada in 1986 and served in a number of operational and sales leadership positions during his lengthy career there. Before joining PepsiCo, Greco worked at The Proctor & Gamble Co.
The AASA Vision Conference, a premiere annual event for the aftermarket supplier community, is now in its 10th year. Throughout its history, many of the industry’s top channel partner leaders have been speakers at the conference, including:
- Jeff Rachor, president and CEO, Pep Boys Auto
- Darren Jackson, president and CEO, Advance Auto Parts
- Todd Hack, president, CARQUEST Corp.
- Greg Henslee, CEO and co-president, O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Bill Maggs, president and CEO, National Pronto Association
- Tim Lee, president, Lang Distributing
- Shane Evangelist, CEO, U.S. Auto Parts Network
- Famous Rhodes, director, eBay Motors
- John Washbish, president and CEO, Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance
- Mike Odell, president and CEO, Pep Boys
- Larry Pavey, president, Federated Auto Parts
- Greg Johnson, executive vice president – supply chain, O’Reilly Auto Parts
- Ashlee Arnold, secretary/treasurer, Arnold Oil
The 2018 Vision Conference, set for Wednesday and Thursday, March 21-22 at Loews Chicago O’Hare, Rosemont, Illinois, is focused on the theme: “Exceeding Expectations, Driving Growth.” It will begin with a day of AASA council meetings and a networking reception on March 21, followed by the Vision program on March 22 and conclude with the AASA member-only MAP Workshop and more council meetings on Friday, March 23.
AASA President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Long will open the conference on the morning of March 22. His welcome address will set the stage for members and their strategic channel partners to engage, discuss critical issues and learn about industry, economic and technology trends to help forward their business interests.
Other Vision speakers and presentations include:
- Impact of new vehicle technologies on supplier opportunities: results from a new AASA landmark study on “Profitable Growth 2025/2030” – presentation and roundtable discussions by Evan Hirsh, vice president, Strategy, PWC
- Implications of autonomous vehicles on the aftermarket by futurist Gary Silberg of KPMG
- Vision panel discussion, “Software Makes Cars Smart: A Look at DMCA, OTA Downloads, Cybersecurity, Data Privacy,” moderated by Brian Daugherty, MEMA chief technology officer
- “The Three Dragons: Three Competing Views of How Our Market Will Unfold in 2018-2019,” a panel discussion moderated by Daron Gifford of Plante Moran and featuring Greg Melich, partner, MoffettNathanson, exploring the competing viewpoints on automotive aftermarket development in 2018 through 2019 by an economist, a Wall Street analyst and an aftermarket analyst
The 2018 AASA Vision Conference sponsors to date include: APA Search, Corcentric, Experian, Gold Eagle, MontAd Media, Pricedex Software, Plante Moran, OptiCat, Snap36, SURYS Group, tascosalesreps and Tenneco.
More information about the AASA Vision Conference, registration, hotel accommodations and agenda are available here.
