June 23, 2025 | News & Press Releases
Hy-Vee, Inc. today announced that it will host its Opportunity Supplier Impact Summit in Central Iowa, expanding the event's format to provide more small businesses and entrepreneurs with valuable resources and pitch their products directly to Hy-Vee category managers. The summit is scheduled for September 18 and 19, 2025, and will take place at Hy-Vee’s corporate headquarters in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Hy-Vee will accept submissions for small businesses to attend the summit online at https://www.rangeme.com/opportunitysupplierimpact. Entrants must offer retail products in one of the following categories: grocery, produce, deli, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, beauty, or health and wellness. Hy-Vee will select 80 small businesses from all applications to attend the summit in person. Deadline for all submissions is 11:59 p.m. PDT on July 14, 2025.
Over the course of the two-day event, the Opportunity Supplier Impact Summit will offer comprehensive insights about doing business with Hy-Vee, along with industry-specific educational sessions and opportunities for networking with key Hy-Vee leaders across various sectors, including procurement and retail store management.
“At Hy-Vee, our focus is on supporting the communities that support our stores, which means elevating the businesses and entrepreneurs who call those communities home,” said Tina Potthoff, Senior Vice President of Communications. “We are elevating our commitment to entrepreneurs by offering capital, coaching and connections so these brands can grow and succeed.”
This newly expanded event is designed to support emerging brands by connecting small businesses with key Hy-Vee decision-makers. Attendees will gain insight into Hy-Vee's supplier operations, receive strategic guidance for growth, as well as access critical tools for successful scaling that may include short-term cash infusions and long-term revenue through on-the-spot contract purchases.
Live Pitch Competition for Emerging Suppliers
A live pitch competition will be featured on the first day of the event, open to all small businesses across the country that are in the early stages of building their operations. From all applications, three businesses will be chosen to participate in the live pitch competition. Hy-Vee is providing a $30,000 prize pool to the three pitch participants.
Category Manager Meetings & Expo
All selected attending businesses will meet one-on-one with retail and supply chain leaders to pitch their products and explore opportunities for potential partnerships with on-the-spot item approval and increased visibility within the Hy-Vee market. Select suppliers will be able to participate in a supplier expo demoing products with key Hy-Vee decision-makers. A resource roundtable will also be made available to all attendees that includes discussions with Hy-Vee leaders on topics from distribution and food safety to finance, merchandising and marketing.
For decades, Hy-Vee has embraced small businesses by growing relationships with new suppliers and providing the opportunity for these brands to expand, as well as offer Hy-Vee customers with products and solutions to make their lives easier, healthier and happier. To see a selection of products from past summit attendees now on Hy-Vee shelves, visit https://www.hy-vee.com/discover/spotlights/support-local-at-hy-vee.
WHAT:
Hy-Vee Opportunity Supplier Impact Summit
WHEN:
September 18 & 19, 2025
WHERE:
Ron Pearson Center at Hy-Vee Corporate Headquarters
5820 Westown Parkway
West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
DETAILS:
Cost to attend is free. Application deadline is July 14, 2025
Participants will be selected and notified by July 29, 2025
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Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 570 business units across nine Midwestern states with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee was recently named the No. 1 grocery store in America by USA TODAY. The company’s more than 75,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.