In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the current state of worker satisfaction in foodservice.

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Todd Baker, Gordon Food Service EVP of North American merchandising, joined Food Institute advisor and special guest host Pat Mulhern for the fifth episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series. Baker shares insights about his leadership style, how to best build supplier relationships, and how to learn from employees within your organization.

More about Todd Baker:

Todd Baker is the Executive Vice President of North American Merchandising for Gordon Food Service, a foodservice distribution company with operations in the U.S. and Canada.

Todd provides strategic leadership for category management, direct and indirect procurement, brands, marketing, and merchandising operations.

He began his career at Gordon Food Service in 1992 as a Sales Representative in Grand Rapids, Michigan, followed by several leadership roles in marketing and procurement in the U.S. Todd also served on the GFS Canada leadership team as Senior Manager of Marketing and Procurement before becoming the leader of North American Merchandising.

More about Gordon Food Service:

For 125 years, we’ve delivered the excellence, expertise, and quality products our customers need to design successful food operations and experiences. We’ve grown to become the largest family-operated broad-line food distribution company in North America by upholding the same business approach since 1897—being passionately committed to the people we serve. Learn more at: https://gfs.com/.

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Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

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In the fourth episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Sysco SVP and chief merchandising officer Victoria Gutierrez joined Food Institute advisor and special guest host Pat Mulhern to discuss the importance of fostering a growth mindset and embracing digital transformation in the foodservice distribution industry. The duo also discussed the need for adaptable problem solving and resilience in the workforce.

More about Victoria Gutierrez:

Ms. Gutierrez has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer since August 2022. Previously, she served as Vice President of Category Management after joining Sysco in July 2021. Prior to joining Sysco, Ms. Gutierrez was a Partner with the Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”) from September 2014 to June 2021, serving as a lead member of BCG’s Retail, Large Scale Change and Operations practices, as well as a firm expert in transformation management, merchandising analytics, and private brands. Before joining BCG, she held several positions in the beverage industry as a certified sommelier and entrepreneur. Ms. Gutierrez holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and a B.S. with Honors from Northwestern University.

More about Sysco:

We build relationships through quality products, intelligent systems, and an extraordinary community of associates. We want to be your most valued and trusted business partner, investing in your success with fresh ideas to grow your business. Learn more at: https://www.sysco.com/.

Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO

Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO

In the third episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Independent Marketing Alliance president and CEO Rob Mould speaks with special guest host and Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern about selecting and managing suppliers, and the need for more suppliers in certain categories. The pair also discusses how leadership styles have adapted to a changing workplace, and the need for purposeful and proactive leadership in the foodservice distribution workplace.

More about Rob Mould:

Rob Mould believes in fostering a strong, collaborative company culture focused on people and solutions that deliver outstanding results. He was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and attended Washington and Lee University for his undergraduate education. He later attended the University of South Carolina where he earned an M.B.A.

Rob spent 20 years in the grocery retail industry focused on category management and all merchandising elements followed by eight years in foodservice. He began his career in private brands and moved into category management working for various top tier grocery retailers, spending the last ten years in senior level positions in center store and produce.

Rob Mould joined Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA), a foodservice buying group headquartered in Houston, in 2015 as its President and CEO. The primary company focus is “exclusive brands” or “private brands”, but a total category growth mindset is the goal.

More about Independent Marketing Alliance:

Independent Marketing Alliance (IMA) is an exclusive network of the highest producing foodservice distributors, delivering better business through its exclusive alliance. For over 20 years, members have benefited from expert category and supplier management, exclusive brands marketing, business planning, quality assurance, and more. Learn more here: https://imafoodservice.com/.

Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO

Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor, every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and is dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine the trendy Planetary Health Diet and more.

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In the second episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, special guest host and Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern welcomed Dot Foods president George Eversman to talk about his career journey and leadership style. Additionally, the pair discuss workforce management strategies and supply chain logistics for the foodservice distribution industry.

More about George Eversman:

George Eversman is President of Dot Foods. He came up through the business in both Sales & Business Development. In George’s 30 year career with Dot he has spent time in managing various aspects of Dot’s retail and foodservice businesses.

George has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa, and an MBA from Arizona State University.

George’s family consists of wife Michelle, and 4 children ranging in age from 26 to 15 years old. His two older children now reside in Austin and Dallas Texas respectively, while his two younger daughters are still at home in Quincy, Illinois.

More about Dot Foods:

Robert and Dorothy Tracy founded our company in 1960, with big dreams of starting a family business and streamlining the food supply chain.

Sixty years later, we make more products more accessible to more people than ever before. We do this by purchasing large quantities of product from the supplier and storing it in our 13 distribution centers across the country. Our distributor and food processor customers then order our food and non-food items in less-than-truckload (LTL) quantities, which we deliver in as little as two to four days.

Our business model, the talents of more than 4,000 employees, and the Tracy family's ownership have helped our company become the largest food industry redistributor in North America.

But even more importantly, the dream that took shape all those years ago is still driving our partners' businesses forward. Learn more at: https://www.dotfoods.com/.

Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO

Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation, to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

This Series is Sponsored by BMO

In the first episode of the “Foodservice Gamechangers” series, Food Institute advisor Pat Mulhern speaks with UniPro Foodservice CEO Bob Stewart who shared his thoughts on the foodservice industry’s future, including the impact of consolidation and succession planning. Additionally, Stewart emphasizes the importance of hard work, technical skills, and networking.

More about Bob Stewart:

A seasoned executive with 38 years of diversified experience in professional services, retail, manufacturing and distribution. His distribution experience included 20 years at US Foods. Bob began his professional career as a CPA in Pittsburgh, PA and worked several years in the Audit Departments of Deloitte and Grant Thornton.

Joining Kraft Foodservice in 1991, Bob advanced at both the local operating plant and HQ levels where he held roles as a SVP of Finance and Operational Strategy, CFO of US Food’s North Region, VP of Purchasing and Marketing, Reg. VP of Finance as well as a Division President. Bob also led US Foods large-scale business transformation project to redesign and functionalize parts of the business.

Bob has been the CEO of UniPro since 2015, leading the cooperative through an organizational rebranding and resurgence, significantly increasing Member and Supplier participation and engagement.

He is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania, has six children and now resides in Atlanta with his wife Maria along with their seventh child, Missy the English Bull Terrier.

More about UniPro:

With 460 members with over 1,000 locations, UniPro Foodservice, Inc. is the largest foodservice distribution cooperative in the United States. They provide nationwide access to exclusive purchasing opportunities with the country's premier suppliers. Learn more: https://www.uniprofoodservice.com/

Thanks to Our Sponsor: BMO

Whether you’re a producer, processor, retailer or distributor every company throughout the food continuum needs a financial partner that understands the factors that impact their business. From emerging consumer trends and industry consolidation, to commodity fluctuations and economic cyclicality, BMO’s Food, Consumer, and Agribusiness Group understands the issues affecting your company and are dedicated to serving the entire food industry – from farm to consumer. To learn more about how they can help, visit commercial.bmo.com/food.

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine a recent occurrence that seems to prove the business value of leaning into sustainability.

The State of Early-Stage Food Brands

Funding sources are drying up and inflation is making it harder and harder for higher-priced food brands to compete - what's an early-stage food company to do? Dr. James Richardson, owner of Premium Growth Solutions and author of Ramping Your Brand, joined The Food Institute Podcast to discuss what types of food companies are succeeding under current industry dynamics.

More About Dr. James Richardson:

Dr. Richardson is the founder of Premium Growth Solutions, a strategic planning consultancy for early-stage consumer-packaged-goods brands. As a professionally trained cultural anthropologist turned business strategist, he has helped more than 75 CPG brands with their strategic planning, including brands owned by Coca-Cola Venturing and Emerging Brands, The Hershey Company, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Conagra Brands, and Frito-Lay as well as emerging brands such as Once Upon a Farm, Mother Kombucha, Bobby Sue’s Nuts, Rebel Creamery, Zaca recovery, and others. He also hosts his own podcast—Startup Confidential. His thoughts appear regularly in industry publications such as Foodnavigator.

To learn more about Dr. Richardson and his book, Ramping Your Brand, please visit:

www.rampingyourbrand.com

In this week's food industry news in 2 minutes, we examine if the tide is turning on consumer confidence heading into the summer of 2024.