Baking Management’s Influential 20 issue is a tip of the cap to the people who made a real impact on the volume baking industry in 2011. Educators, associations, bakers and allied trades are represented. There’s a certain nod to legislators who are writing and rewriting the rules by which we all operate. And in its third year, the list of 20 has an international feel, as associations partner across borders and improve global lines of communication.
Mark Kirk
Member, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) thinks sugar is too expensive, and he’s not afraid to say it. Government price supports for the sugar industry keep the cost of U.S. sugar artificially high, which causes significant additional costs for consumers and sugar-using industries. They also are responsible for the loss of 112,000 jobs in the sugar industry between 1997 and 2009.
On Jan. 25, 2011, Kirk and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the SUGAR (Stop Unfair Giveaway and Restrictions) Act, a bipartisan bill that would phase out the price supports that make American sugar twice as expensive as sugar from other countries. This fall, the senators published an op-ed on the SUGAR Act in Politico and sent a letter to other senators asking for their support of the bill.
“The sugar program benefits about 4,700 growers of sugar cane and sugar beets nationwide. But it hurts more than 600,000 people working in sugar-using industries nationwide–from candy makers to bakers,” the senators wrote.
Jim Munyon
President and CEO, AIB International,
Jim Munyon brings more than 30 years of experience in the food industry, ranging from plant supervisor to president of a $1.3 billion food organization. He has had responsibility for manufacturing, quality assurance, research and development, strategic planning, joint venture management, international development and marketing and sales during his career, and is thus well equipped to lead an institution that not only educates so many people throughout the baking industry, but helps protect the safety of the industry’s food supply chain.
Munyon is a key driver in upholding AIB’s mission of delivering high value technical and educational programs. Through independent inspections, audits, training and shared expertise the organization empowers its clients to lower their business risk and strengthen their reputations.
He and his staff serve as valuable resources for bakers concerns regarding food safety, sanitation and the growing need for food defense programs.
Debbie Stabenow
Chairwoman, Senate
Agriculture Committee
Agriculture committee chair Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) continues to influence the baking industry by coordinating efforts to preserve agricultural research in the federal budget.
Stabenow, along with Sen. John Thune, introduced a bipartisan bill that will spur new agricultural research and improve American agriculture by creating charitable partnerships between universities and private entities. The bill, The Charitable Agricultural Research Act, amends the tax code to allow for the creation of a new type of charitable, tax-exempt agricultural research organization.
A champion of agriculture in her home state of Michigan, Stabenow also has actively worked to develop more food processing business and showcase agricultural products as an economic force in the state. When she was a member of the House of Representatives, the first bill she authored was the Wheat and Barley Protection Act of 1997 to combat the destructive agricultural disease wheat and barley scab. Stabenow and her staff also worked hard on the 2008 farm bill to make sure there were new provisions specific to specialty crop farmers in Michigan and throughout the United States.
Kent Van Amburg
Executive Director, American Society of Baking
Kent Van Amburg, CAE, heads the American Society of Baking (ASB), which has about 2,000 members in 43 countries. He has more 25 years of experience in the association management industry, including government affairs, research development and executive management. He began his career in Washington, D.C., with the Foreign Agricultural Service. He then spent 10 years representing the U.S. grain industry in international trade negotiations as the director of government and industry affairs for the Grains Council.
In 2012, ASB plans to focus on ways to take the benefits of membership directly to the members through social media. Increased opportunities for networking and education will be readily accessible through ASB’s Facebook page, LinkedIn group and the free monthly webinar series. ASB also will be developing separate educational tracks and social events for young baking professionals during BakingTech and throughout the year.
Linda Hoskins
Executive Director, American Pie Council
Linda Hoskins has served as executive director of the American Pie Council® (APC) for 12 years. The APC is dedicated to preserving America’s pie heritage and promoting the country’s love affair with pies. Together with a strong board of directors, Hoskins successfully brought together all aspects of the pie baking industry for the National Pie Championships, the Great American Pie Festival and the Pie Industry Seminar.
Earlier this year, consumer trends prognosticators and consultants, including the Perishables Group, pegged 2011 as the “Year of the Pie.” Hoskins and the APC adopted the battle cry and captured the pie zeitgeist, using it to build momentum and consumer interest in pies.
Hoskins has been a pie judge for the Food Network and the Travel Channel, and is working on compiling recipes for a pie cookbook due for release on Thanksgiving of 2012.
Judi Adams
President, Grain Foods Foundation
and Wheat Foods Council
Judi Adams, MS, RD, brings more than 35 years of nutrition education experience to her position as president of both the Grain Foods Foundation, a role she has held since 2004, and more recently, the Wheat Foods Council, an organization that she previously led for 13 years.
“The past year has been very challenging and rewarding working with both the Grain Foods Foundation and Wheat Foods Council,” she says. “Both organizations have been strengthened by this partnership.”
Adams is a registered dietitian and holds a master’s degree in foods and nutrition. She has published several peer-reviewed journal articles on the importance of grains and whole grains in a healthful diet, and has spoken at numerous professional and industry association meetings. Adams also has served as president of the North Dakota Dietetics Association and secretary of the national Society for Nutrition Education.
Adams is a member of the Colorado and American Dietetic Associations, American Association of Cereal Chemists International (AACCI), Society for Nutrition Education and the Society for Bakery Women.
Richard Scalise
chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, Hearthside Food Solutions LLC
Rich Scalise is a 32-year veteran of the industry, having served as president of Ralcorp Frozen Bakery Products Division and president/COO of ConAgra Foods Refrigerated Foods Division. In these and other industry roles, he shaped a management philosophy that led to the formation of Hearthside Food Solutions LLC.
Scalise saw that contract manufacturing was ripe for reinvention. As a former customer of contract manufacturers, he knew the shortcomings, and devised a way solve them. Along with the private equity firm Wind Point Partners, he melded the speed and flexibility of a lean start up with the structure, resources and capabilities of a major provider.
After only two years of operation, the company has 12 plants and revenues approaching $1 billion.
J. Ramon Rivera-Cota
Sr. Vice President of Operations, Bimbo Bakeries USA
Ramon Rivera-Cota began at Grupo Bimbo in 1981 as a manufacturing trainee and grew with the company. He now is responsible for BBU production facilities and a cost reduction and simplification initiative for Grupo Bimbo. He also participates in the executive committee of Grupo Bimbo.
Rivera-Cota holds an MBA from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and Arizona State University, and graduated in chemical engineering from Mexico’s National University (UNAM). He attended the advanced management program at El Instituto Panamericano de Alta Dirección de Empresa (IPADE), as well as the management manufacturing program at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. He also graduated from AIB.
Gary Gensler
Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Since being confirmed as chairman of the CFTC, Gary Gensler has worked to address the volatile markets. Current market volatility represents millions of dollars daily in undue financial risk to the industry. In October, Gensler pushed through a measure that will impose position limits on index funds operating in the wheat market, as well as remove the ability for index funds to continue receiving exemptions from these limits. This new rule received the support of the baking industry and will be instrumental in addressing volatility in the wheat futures markets.
Todd Jones
President, Publix supermarkets Inc.
Todd Jones is committed to emphasizing both branded and in-store bakery offerings as core strategies. He provides constructive assessments on performance as a way of improving the customer experience. “We look to Todd Jones for insight into the retail world–a key relationship for bakers,” says Robb MacKie, ABA. “He brings a unique style of management to the table, and we are constantly impressed by his innovation and outside-the-box thinking. The guidance we have received from him has helped strengthen and streamline the work between bakers and our retail partners.”
Dirk Maier
PhD and head, department of grain science and industry, Kansas State University
Dirk Maier, an award-winning researcher and educator, has secured more than $10 million in research, technology transfer and extension education grants. His research focus is on engineered technologies for the protection of stored products and the delivery of identity-preserved, traceable and biosecure quality grains to the food, industrial, biofuel and feed processing industries.
“Dr. Maier is a resource for our industry both in research and in developing the next generation of leaders,” says Robb MacKie, ABA. The Grain Science and Industry Department at Kansas State celebrated its centennial last fall.
Julie Miller Jones
PhD, LN, CNS
Julie Jones is a board certified nutrition specialist and licensed nutritionist. She is an emeritus professor and distinguished scholar of food and nutrition at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minn. Her expertise lies in whole grains and dietary fiber, carbohydrates, sugars, glycemic index, gluten-free and food safety and fad diets. She served as president and board chair of the American Association of Cereal Chemists–International and chair of the IFT nutrition division. She is a scientific advisor for the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition of the FDA and the University of Maryland, the International Life Sciences Institute, and the Grains Food Foundation.
“She knows grains nutrition better than most anyone and is always available to help the industry,” says Judi Adams. “She is currently chairing the Whole Grains Working Group, which is no small task.”
Kerwin Brown
President and CEO, BEMA
The past 12 months for BEMA and the baking industry have been about growth. IBIE kicked off a period of buying by bakers that has resulted in a growth year for many of BEMA’s members. BEMA is growing its influence internationally by partnering with the Kallman Group to bring the BEMA U.S. International Pavilion to the iba show in Munich next September. BEMA will have a presence at the ISB-MEA show in Oman in December and will sponsor the opening reception there. Involvement in the Oman show will give members exposure to bakers throughout the Middle East and Africa regions. “I have enjoyed being a part of the early brainstorming, formation and now fruition of planning the first ISB-MEA conference,” Brown says. “I know it will be a can’t-miss event for our industry.”
Jim Skinner
CEO, vice chairman, McDonald’s Corp.
Serving 64 million customers daily with most meals featuring a bun, it’s hard not to impact the baking industry. As CEO and vice chairman of McDonald’s, Jim Skinner leads the world’s largest foodservice company with 33,000 restaurants in 119 countries worldwide. As CEO since 2004, he helped build a global revitalization plan for the company that focused on customer strategies, business disciplines and close global alignment. It seems to be paying off, as Skinner and his company continue to pile up accolades for innovation, leadership and financial soundness.
Bret Weaver
President and CEO, CSM Bakery Supplies North America
Throughout his 15 years with CSM, Bret Weaver has held a number of senior positions with CSM’s North American operating companies, including president and CEO of BakeMark East and, more recently, president and CEO of CSM Bakery Products. In 2010, Weaver was appointed as president and CEO of CSM Bakery Supplies North America (BSNA), the North America division of CSM. Currently, he serves as both the president and CEO for CSM BSNA and for CSM Bakery Products.
Weaver has been a key contributor to the success of CSM, now the largest division of CSM. He has been instrumental to the growth of CSM BSNA through the management of acquisitions, chief executive responsibility for several of the company’s core businesses and as a team participant in the consolidation of acquisitions.
More recently, CSM has made substantial investments in understanding consumer and shopper insights and in innovation resources to accelerate product development in the industry. CSM recognizes health and wellness as a segment driving innovation in bakery and Weaver served as the first global sponsor for CSM’s health and wellness initiatives.
Allen Shiver
President, Flowers Foods
Allen Shiver has been president of Flowers Foods since January 2010. He oversees the company’s operations and is involved in strategic growth planning. He also leads the company’s national sales teams and marketing efforts.
Shiver served successively as bakery president, regional vice president and executive vice president of operations. In 2002, he was promoted to president and chief operating officer of Flowers’ foodservice and snack cake operations. In 2005, he took on the additional responsibility of providing direction for the company’s marketing and new product development efforts. In 2007, Shiver was named executive vice president and chief marketing officer and took on the added responsibility for Flowers’ national sales teams.
Shiver is an American Bakers Association (ABA) board member and currently serves as ABA’s chairman of the board. He also serves as co-chair of the Grain Foods Foundation Board of Trustees, and on the Grocery Manufacturers Association’s President’s Advisory Council and Industry
Affairs Council.
Peter Pardoel
Pcdata B.V.-Logistic Automation
Peter Pardoel is a chemical engineer, MBA and is six-sigma master black belt in charge of strategic networking-partners and marketing at Pcdata. He is active in BEMA, ASB, ABA, and a member of the Middle East Counsel of the International Society of Baking, trying to bridge the industry gap between continents. “I believe we can learn a lot from each other, exchanging know-how is beneficial for everyone in the baking industry,” Pardoel says. To that end, he organized the first and second International Bakery Exchanges in conjunction with iba in 2009 and IBIE in 2010.
“Peter has been active the last few years in promoting global connectivity and idea exchange between bakers and allied companies worldwide, particularly between European, Middle Eastern and North American organizations,” says Jim Munyon, AIB. “He has been instrumental in organizing the upcoming ASB Event schedule for December 2011 in Muscat, Oman.”
Tom Vilsack
chairman, U.S. Department
of Agriculture
With his instrumental role in introducing the new MyPlate dietary icon along with his continued efforts to address the dual issues of obesity and hunger, U.S. Department of Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack is an important figure to watch in the baking industry.
President Obama named Vilsack secretary of agriculture in January 2009, after he had two terms as governor of agriculture-centric Iowa. Under Vilsack’s leadership, the department’s ongoing efforts to implement First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative have put the USDA front and center in the nation’s fight against childhood obesity. Moreover, MyPlate has given the outdated food pyramid a much-needed makeover. It places heavy emphasis on whole grains, though the grain category isn’t featured as prominently it was in the pyramid. Additionally, the USDA is focusing on educating U.S. families about safe food handling in an effort to reduce cases of foodborne illness.
Vilsack met with baking industry representatives at an American Bakers Association board of directors meeting this summer to discuss issues that directly affect the industry, including commodity volatility, sugar supply, front-of-package labeling, nutrition issues and food safety compliance.
Robb MacKie
President, American Bakers
Association
Robb MacKie is a known leader in Washington where he serves as the chief advocate for the baking industry and its interests. The year held a great deal of change for bakers, including June’s release of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans and accompanying MyPlate food icon. The transition from the Food Pyramid was a significant development for the industry, and MacKie and ABA successfully led the unified response of the “Grain Chain.” Both MacKie and ABA worked to address other serious industry issues this year, including volatility in the wheat markets, labeling and food safety regulations, even leading an industry-wide effort to Energy Star certify bakeries.
“I am proud of the progress we have made this year and look forward to continuing the fight for the grain food industry’s interests,” he says. “Although we are staring down significant challenges and onerous government regulations, I know the support and hard work from our members and partners will make 2012 another great year.”
Mike Duke
CEO, Walmart
One of the most powerful men in retail naturally has a good deal of influence on the baking industry. Duke serves on the board of directors of The Consumer Goods Forum, the executive committee of the Business Roundtable and the executive board of Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. Since joining Walmart in 1995, Duke has had a hand in expanding the company’s reach from a traditional discount department store toward supermarket-style food retailing.