In episode 259 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jessica Ringena, senior vice president and chief digital officer at Hy-Vee, an employee-owned grocery retailer with over 250 stores in eight states, headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Listen in as Ringena discusses the challenges that the retailer has faced operating as an essential business during the COVID-19 pandemic (3:15), as well as the changes made in its stores to adapt to these challenges. Furthermore, Ringena shares why Hy-Vee recently partnered with Retail Zipline to roll out in-store communications, the business benefits realized from implementing the platform (9:15), and how the heath crisis has affected Hy-Vee's digital business (11:00). Lastly, Ringena describes how the grocery retailer is integrating its online and offline businesses to create seamless customer experiences (13:05).

Jessica Ringena is the senior vice president, chief digital officer, for Hy-Vee. She joined the Hy-Vee team in October 2015 as assistant vice president, financial reporting, and later took on additional roles. Jessica became senior vice president, chief digital officer in May 2020. In that role, she oversees the teams responsible for digital development and innovation. She previously held leadership roles on the audit teams for RSM US, LLP, in their Des Moines offices. Jessica holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Missouri State University. She is an active CPA in the state of Iowa and a member of both the Iowa Society of CPAs and the AICPA, and serves as treasurer and board member for Children and Family Urban Movement, a Des Moines-area nonprofit that supports school-age youth and adults. She and her husband, Jason, have three daughters: Evyn, Graysen and Logan.