Rising Stars and Legends in Asset Protection

By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations

FMI’s asset protection community recently gathered in the heart of St. Louis, steps from the iconic Gateway Arch, for the Asset Protection & Grocery Resilience Conference—and if there was ever a way to put “resilience” into practice, this was it. As more than 175 industry leaders, asset protection professionals and crisis management experts arrived, the city had a surprise for us: tornado warnings. Though St. Louis was spared from severe weather, the idea of building a crisis-ready mindset became more than just words on a screen. It was a live experience.

While the wind died down and the rain slowed to a drizzle, the stories, strategies and takeaways were electric. From combating organized retail crime to implementing new technology in loss prevention, every conversation buzzed with innovation. The collaboration across retailers and service providers, large businesses and small, was inspirational.

Some of the most inspiring moments came during the award ceremonies for the Rising Star Award and the AP Legend Award.

Vice President of Risk Management for Northeast Shared Services, Scott Ziter, was honored with the AP Legend Award. In his acceptance speech, Ziter shared, “We are part of a unique community within the retail industry where the word “competitor” usually does not exist. Asset protection professionals and solution providers work together to develop solutions that will help reduce the risks that impact the retail industry.”

In his 34 years in the asset protection industry, Ziter states one of the best decisions he made was getting involved in FMI’s Asset Protection Council, “There’s so much value that one can take from the educational and professional development components through industry associations. The knowledge one gains from networking and brainstorming alone is invaluable.”

At the other end of the career spectrum, we celebrated Parker Griebel, assistant director of asset protection at Festival Foods as the 2025 AP Rising Star. When asked about his response to receiving this award Griebel said, “This recognition means so much — not because of what I’ve done, but because of the incredible people I’ve learned from and worked alongside at Festival Foods. I’m thankful for the leaders who’ve guided me, the associates who inspire me, and the team I support every day. I’m proud to be part of an industry, and an organization like FMI, that believes so strongly in lifting up the next generation of leaders.”

As the conference concluded, we carried with us proof that this community thrives not just in ideal conditions, but in unpredictable ones too. In St. Louis, under stormy skies, we didn’t just talk about resilience—we lived it.

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