George Goodwin

Fourth-Generation Grocer | Founder of Kōbu | Podcast Host | Marketing Strategist

George Goodwin is a fourth-generation grocer, marketer, and entrepreneur whose career sits at the intersection of grocery retail, CPG innovation, and modern marketing. Rooted in a century-old family business, Goodwin’s Market & Sons, George grew up immersed in grocery life—from working store aisles as “free labor” as a kid, to helping his father, Martin Goodwin, launch Goodwin’s Organics in 2008. It was the first all-organic grocery store in the U.S., and it still stands strong today, even after industry giants predicted it wouldn’t last two weeks. Martin Goodwin founded IT Retail prior when he was the first one to put a computure in a checkstand at a grocery store.

In high school, George turned the store’s slowest day of the week into its busiest by organizing a farmers market in the parking lot. The event became so popular that the City of Riverside temporarily shut it down for being unregistered, only to invite him back a year later with full city support to make it official after relizing how good farmers market are for the local community and economy.

Education and Early Leadership

At UC Riverside, George combined his love for athletics, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. As a Division I track and field athlete who set two school records in pole vault, he credits his performance partly to “organic food and good habits.” After earning degrees in English and Economics, he joined a faith-based postgraduate program where he deepened his sense of leadership and purpose.

George eventually returned to support the marketing efforts at Goodwin’s Organics before being recruited to IT Retail, a technology company founded by his father a decade prior. Under the leadership of Luke and Bob Henry, George was promoted to Marketing Director. He helped scale the company for three years, leading to an acquisition exceeding $25 million to Quilt Software. During this tenure, he helped launch several vertical brands for point of sale and grocery, including Markt POS, Cigar POS, etailpet and Bottle POS, while supporting grocery channels for POS Nation and Comcash.

Innovation in Retail Tech

George later co-founded retailMetrix, a data analytics platform, with Zach Wright a 3rd generation grocer as well whose family owns Market of Choice. Their goal was to empower independent grocers with real-time sales insights. This venture eventually evolved into Basket Point of Sale, where George supporting.

Encouraged by mentors like Bob Reeves VP of The Shelby Report, George applied to the prestigious USC Food Industry Management Program. Accepted on a full-ride scholarship to the USC Marshall School of Business a top 10 global business school, he studied under Cynthia McCloud, sharpening his expertise in global operations, strategy, and food industry innovation.