Breez AI, the white-label artificial intelligence platform powering personalized grocery experiences for regional and independent retailers, says it has made key strategic appointments in naming Associated Wholesale Grocers Chief Financial Officer Gary Koch to its board of directors and welcoming David Stukus as vice president of sales and customer success.
The company says the leadership additions come at a pivotal moment as it continues accelerated growth across retailers, advances toward deployment of its next-generation artificial intelligence platform and unlocks new monetization capabilities for independent grocers.
“Breez AI is at a defining moment, not only for the company, but for the future of independent grocery,” says Tal Zlotnitsky, founder and CEO of Breez AI. “As AI continues to reshape retail, the question is no longer whether this technology will be adopted, but who will benefit. Gary and Dave each bring critical expertise that will help ensure independent grocers are not only part of that future but leading it.”
AWG was among the earliest and largest investors in Breez AI, recognizing the potential of its technology to transform how independent grocers engage shoppers and remain competitive as AI increasingly reshapes how consumers discover, navigate and shop for meals. AWG recently expanded its investment in the company, underscoring its continued confidence in the platform, its long-term vision and its ability to help member retailers compete more effectively in a rapidly evolving industry.
Breez AI says Koch’s appointment to the board further strengthens the strategic alignment between it and AWG, one of the nation’s largest cooperative grocery wholesalers serving more than 1,100 member companies and over 3,500 locations. As CFO, Koch brings deep financial and operational expertise, along with a frontline view into the evolving needs of independent grocers as they navigate an increasingly technology-driven retail landscape, according to the company.
“Gary’s appointment to the board is a natural extension of the strong and meaningful partnership we’ve built with AWG,” Zlotnitsky says. “AWG has put real operational weight behind us, not just capital, with their team working alongside ours on everything from data flows and integrations to store onboarding and marketing. Having Gary on the board extends that same hands-on partnership into how we govern the company.”
“Independent grocers are navigating one of the most significant shifts our industry has seen in decades,” Koch says. “Breez AI is delivering a white-labeled solution that allows our community to stay on the cutting edge as consumer habits shift. In my role on the board, I look forward to helping ensure the company scales with strong financial discipline, supports continued advancement of its technology platform and unlocks new monetization opportunities for retailers. Our focus will remain on delivering measurable value while equipping independent channels with the tools and capabilities that have traditionally been reserved for national chains.”
Stukus joins Breez AI as vice president of sales and customer success, where he will lead the company’s go-to-market strategy, customer engagement and partner expansion efforts. With a strong background in retail operations and customer success, Stukus brings a practical, store-level perspective that the company says aligns closely with Breez AI’s mission to deliver real-world impact for grocers.
“Breez AI is solving a real and urgent need for independent grocers, where my roots are,” says Stukus, who spent almost 15 years in various leadership roles with Finast and Tops Markets. “What excites me most is the ability to help retailers translate this technology into tangible results, whether that’s stronger customer engagement, increased basket size or deeper loyalty. I’m looking forward to working closely with our partners as we scale adoption across the market.”
“I’ve known Dave over 15 years, first as a client, then as a competitor and now as a colleague,” Zlotnitsky says. “Dave brings an incredible depth of experience across the grocery industry, having worked in multiple roles that give him a true, end-to-end understanding of how retailers operate. He’s a bit of a Swiss Army knife because of this versatility and can step into any situation and drive results. His combination of operational knowledge and adaptability will be critical as we continue scaling across new partners and ensuring our technology delivers real impact at the store level.”
Together, the company says these appointments reinforce Breez AI’s continued investment in building the leadership, infrastructure and strategic foundation needed to support rapid expansion across the independent grocery sector.
Breez AI’s platform enables grocers to deploy fully branded AI-powered shopping assistants under their own brand identity, delivering personalized meal planning, product recommendations and integrated shopping experiences. While the platform is powered by Breez AI’s underlying technology, retailers maintain customer relationships and data ownership, ensuring a seamless and consistent experience for shoppers.
As the company looks ahead, Breez AI says it is preparing to introduce the next evolution of its platform with Version 2.0, expanding beyond meal planning into a broader generative AI assistant designed to support shoppers across the full grocery journey. Launching in June, the enhanced platform will introduce new capabilities and deeper personalization. The company is also set to release an expanded retail media integration this summer for its network of retailers, creating additional revenue opportunities for independent grocers historically unavailable to them because of scale constraints.
