Breez AI Corporation, a white-label AI platform powering personalized grocery experiences for regional and independent retailers, has appointed David Smith, former president and CEO of Associated Wholesale Grocers, as chairman of its board of directors.
The appointment comes as Breez AI has moved from pilot into commercial scale with the company’s consumer-facing assistant, now live at over 100 AWG member stores and rolling out to Harps Food Stores and other leading independents in the coming months.
Smith brings nearly five decades of leadership across grocery retail and wholesale distribution, including more than eight years as president and CEO of AWG, the largest retailer-owned grocery cooperative in the U.S. During his tenure, AWG grew from roughly 1,200 stores and $3.2 billion in wholesale sales to serving more than 3,400 retail locations across 31 states, with wholesale sales exceeding $12 billion and member retail sales above $24 billion. Smith was inducted into Shelby Publishing’s Food Industry Hall of Fame in 2023 and is among the most widely respected figures in the independent grocery industry.
“Independent grocers are facing the most consequential technology shift of my career,” Smith says. “AI is going to redefine how shoppers plan meals, build baskets and choose where to shop. What drew me to Breez AI is that it puts that capability in the hands of the independent retailer, branded as theirs, while keeping the data and loyalty relationship where they belong. That is exactly the kind of infrastructure independents need to compete, and I want to help build it.”
“David has operated at every level of this industry and earned the trust of thousands of independent operators over a career most of us can only aspire to,” says Tal Zlotnitsky, founder and CEO of Breez AI. “Having him as chairman is a signal to the market, to our customers and to our team about where we are headed. He has been investing his time and counsel in Breez AI for some time, and formalizing his leadership role reflects how serious this moment is for the company.”
Smith’s appointment caps a period of accelerating momentum. Breez AI is now deployed at over 100 AWG member stores and was selected in March by Harps Food Stores, the 160-store employee-owned chain based in Springdale, Ark., to deploy its solution, which will be branded as Harps across its entire footprint. Harps is one of the most widely respected independent grocers in the country, led by Chairman and CEO Kim Eskew.
“David understands what independents need better than almost anyone, and I agree with him that this moment is different,” Eskew says. “As independents, we need to do a better job of attracting younger shoppers and helping all shoppers save time, meet family dietary goals and save money. We believe Breez AI will help Harps achieve these goals by delivering a highly personalized experience under our own brand, connected to our loyalty program and our shelves. We’re thrilled to work closely with David and Breez AI team to make that happen.”
As chairman, Smith will work with the executive team on strategic growth, industry relationships and governance as Breez AI scales. The company’s retail media network product, GroceryAIsle, extends the platform into monetization, allowing independent grocers to capture retail media revenue that has historically flowed to the largest chains. Breez AI Version 2.0, scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2026, expands the platform beyond meal planning into a broader generative AI assistant that helps shoppers throughout the full grocery journey.
