Agenda 12:00 – 1:00pm – Networking Lunch 1:00 – 1:30pm – An Industry Perspective Alexia Howard, Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Food, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC
1:35 – 2:20pm – Strategic Growth through Partnering –A C-Level Perspective Matt Matros, Founder & CEO, Protein Bar Elizabeth Doyle, CEO & President , Vegetable Juices, Inc. Joseph Ward, President & COO, Hot Mama’s Foods
2:20 – 2:30pm – Networking Break 2:35 – 3:20pm – Supply Chain Partnering Jason Hecker, VP of Marketing & Innovation, PureCircle Rebecca S. Kalis, President & CEO, Keyes Packaging Group
3:25 – 4:10pm – International Partnering Strategies Moderator: Alexia Howard, Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Food, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC Angelique Gunderson, Health & Wellness Platform Leader, Tate & Lyle More Panelists to Be Announced
4:15 – 5:00pm – Brand Building Sherman Wright, Founder, commonground Ken Wegner, President, Jel Sert Julie Smolyanski, CEO & President, Lifeway Foods
5:00 – 7:30pm – Networking Reception
Speakers are still being added to some of the sessions. Check back for updates on new speakers. Thank you to our 2014 Food Conference Committee 1|Page
An Industry Perspective Alexia Howard Senior Research Analyst U.S. Food, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC Alexia Howard is the U.S. Foods analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. She was named to Institutional Investor's All-America Research Team every year since 2008. Before joining Bernstein in 2005, Alexia was a consultant with Marakon Associates, working with leaders of consumer products companies and retailers to develop strategies, improve organizational capabilities and allocate resources to enhance shareholder value. She has over 10 years of consulting experience based in London, continental Europe, Chicago and on the west coast. Her experiences in the food and beverage sectors have included developing corporate acquisition strategies, optimizing the allocation of marketing spend across regions and media types, embedding strategic decision-making capabilities and streamlining product portfolios. Alexia earned her BA with honors in economics at Cambridge University, England, in 1991 and her MBA from INSEAD, France, in 1998. She moved to the U.S. from the U.K. in 1999 and now lives in New York.
Strategic Growth through Partnering –A C-Level Perspective Matt Matros Founder & CEO Protein Bar Matt Matros, founder of Protein Bar (www.theproteinbar.com), created the go-to destination for individuals seeking quick and delicious menu options they need to live a healthy, active lifestyle. He developed his concept after practicing a highprotein diet himself that resulted in a 60-lb weight loss. After spending three and a half years in brand management for Kraft Foods, Matt decided to venture out on his own, applying his own personal health achievements and food industry expertise to this original business concept. From experience, he knows that a high-protein and active lifestyle can dramatically affect a person’s health and weight, and he hopes to help people achieve their lifestyle goals with Protein Bar. Protein Bar currently has 14 locations open – 11 in Chicagoland and 3 in Washington D.C. – with another 7 under construction or in development set to open by the end of 2014. Prior to Kraft Foods, Matt was a Boston-based consultant for East Coast health-club chain Town Sports International and was an Associate Sports Agent for Beverly Hills Sports Council, baseball’s leading sports agency. In 2008 while working at Kraft, Matt liquidated his entire life savings to launch Protein Bar.
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Matt is on the Associate Board of Common Threads, which aims to educate children of diversity, nutrition and physical well-being through fundraising and sponsorship development. Matt has a passion for food, fitness and helping young aspiring entrepreneurs. Matt was the inaugural recipient of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce’s James Tyree Emerging Business Leadership Award in 2012 and was named to Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” class of 2012. Matt completed his MBA the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 2005 and holds a BA degree from the University of Southern California.
Elizabeth Doyle CEO & President Vegetable Juices, Inc. Liz Doyle is a second generation owner and currently is President at Vegetable Juices, Inc in Bedford Park, IL Vegetable Juices, Inc. manufactures vegetable products for the food and beverage industry. Products include single strength juice, concentrates, purees, blends and diced vegetables. The company is celebrating its 80th birthday and employs 140 people. Liz is focused on delivering sustainable growth by investing in new capabilities and has reiterated the company’s commitment to continue to build a portfolio of innovative products. She is committed to the skill development of her employees and to provide them a great workplace. She is committed to her business relationship with the growers of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Liz has been CEO since 2011 and prior to that she was Director of Marketing and has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2002. Liz has a BS in English from the University of San Diego and attended graduate school at DePaul University. Liz is a member of National Association of Women Business Owners, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, and Women’s President Organization.
Joseph Ward President & COO Hot Mama’s Foods Mr. Ward is the President & COO of Hot Mama’s Foods, Inc., a team of passionate, innovative and vibrant individuals driven by the love of great food. Hot Mama’s was founded in central Massachusetts in 1984 and is one of the largest manufacturers of hummus, salsa, dips and spreads in the world. It currently operates facilities in Springfield, MA and Wheeling, IL and is largely focused on the Private Label and Copack industries. Since January 2013, Mr. Ward has led the company from a private entity to a publicly traded company, has rebuilt the leadership team to position it for future growth and has lead the construction of and movement to a new factory in the Chicagoland area; all while maintaining impressive annual growth. Hot Mama’s Foods is a 3|Page Table of Contents
company on the rise and seeks to enhance its sustained growth through product diversification and strategic acquisitions. Mr. Ward is a highly driven, “roll-up-the-sleeves” visionary and synergist of people and opportunities, who leads by example, encourages candor and delivers results. He began his career with PepsiCo as a member of the initial launch team of the Direct Division of Frito Lay. From there he advanced through the ranks of Auntie Anne's, Inc., and then Pine Valley Foods, Inc. where he led the creation of the retail and food service divisions of both companies. Joe then moved on to Hanover Foods Corporation where he successfully turned around the Spring Glen Fresh Foods division. Mr. Ward earned his BS in Economics from the University of Scranton and his MBA from the University of Miami (FL). Joe resides in Ephrata, PA with his wife (Laurie) and three children (Megan, Michael and Madison).
Supply Chain Partnering Jason Hecker VP of Marketing & Innovation PureCircle Jason Hecker is President of the Commercial Division for PureCircle Limited, the world’s largest producer and marketer of stevia ingredients for the global food and beverage industry. Prior to this appointment he was the Vice President of Global Marketing and Innovation for the Company. Since joining PureCircle in 2009, he has been a member of the senior leadership team that has built PureCircle’s global commercial operations aimed at driving the development of the stevia market from a niche ingredient to a global mainstream sweetener. Jason has held such responsibilities as driving PureCircle’s global business, consumer, and key opinion leader marketing programs, defining the company’s innovation pipeline and technical support infrastructure as well as pioneering the development of a market leading corporate responsibility and sustainability program. Prior to joining PureCircle, Jason held a number of senior positions in management consulting and brand management with some of the world’s leading consumer packaged goods companies. Most recently, with Kraft Foods, he developed business strategies and drove new product development on such brands as DiGiorno Pizza and Kraft Natural Cheese. Mr. Hecker earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
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Rebecca S. Kalis President & CEO Keyes Packaging Group Ms. Kalis joined Keyes Packaging Group, a molded fiber packaging company owned by Arbor Investments, as President&CEO in 2009. Prior to joining Keyes, she spent eight years at Tree Island Industries where her responsibilities ranged from general management of K-Lath (stucco reinforcing mesh company) to the President of Tree Island Wire USA (group of 5 steel products manufacturing companies). She has held management positions at various other manufacturing companies with a broad experience base in operations and sales. Ms. Kalis has a Masters in Business Administration from University of California, Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Hollins College.
International Partnering Strategies Moderator Alexia Howard Senior Research Analyst U.S. Food, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., LLC See Profile Above
Angelique Gunderson Health & Wellness Platform Leader Tate & Lyle Angelique Gunderson is a highly effective and energetic business leader with over twenty years of experience in Strategy, Consulting, Marketing, Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Development. Ms. Gunderson works closely with organizational leadership from the C-level to line management to develop and execute clearly defined strategies which position the business for sustainable, profitable growth and positively impact operational performance. She has helped several companies amidst complex and challenging environments to reinvent, optimize and renew their business models with quantifiable results. Ms. Gunderson has worked with companies from $150M to $30B in CPG, Energy, Financial Services, Health & Wellness, Insurance, Legal Services, Manufacturing, Publishing, Retail Merchandising and Telecommunications. Ms. Gunderson holds a Bachelors of Science in Business Marketing from Northern Illinois University, an MBA in International Business & Marketing from Loyola University, Graduate School of Business Executive Program Accreditation from University of Chicago, and a Lean Six Sigma 5|Page Table of Contents
Black Belt Certification from the George Group. She currently works for Tate & Lyle, a global provider of distinctive, high quality ingredients and solutions to the food, beverage and other industries, as the Leader of their Health & Wellness line of business.
More Panelists to Be Announced…
Brand Building Sherman Wright Founder commonground Sherman Wright is co-founder and managing partner of award-winning marketing agency, Commonground. The Chicago-based agency was recently honored by Advertising Age with the Small Agency of the Year Gold Award for agencies with 11 to 75 employees and named one of the 13 most successful companies to watch in 2012 by Black Enterprise Magazine. Sherman sits on several corporate and non-profit boards including A Better Chicago, Kohl Children's Museum, Near North Montessori School and Chicago Urban League. He was inducted into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame and featured in Inc. Magazine. Sherman has been recognized as the 2012 Advertising Executive of the Year by Target Market News, received the National Association of Market Developers President’s Award and top honors from the Chicago Urban League for being an exceptional Chicago Innovator. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Sherman is part of Texas A&M's Aggie 100, which recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.
Ken Wegner President Jel Sert Profile coming…
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Julie Smolyanski CEO & President Lifeway Foods Julie Smolyansky became the youngest female CEO of a publicly held firm when she took over her father’s kefir business, in 2002 at the age of 27 after his sudden death. Since being named CEO and director of Lifeway Foods (NASDAQ: LWAY) Julie has continued the company’s growth trajectory with creative product development and marketing, bringing an Eastern European product into the U.S. mainstream and boosting annual company revenues to nearly $90 million by 2012 from $12 million when she took over. Julie and her family were one of 48 families allowed to settle in Chicago from the Former Soviet Union in 1976 when she was just a one year old. Her mother Ludmila opened the first Russian delicatessen in Chicago’s Rogers Park in 1978 and eventually owned 5 locations giving the Smolyansky family its entry into the food industry. Julie has vivid memories of being an early “guinea pig” for the kefir business founded by her parents in 1986 whether sampling new flavors and formulations, or traveling to food shows to help her parents build Lifeway into the first U.S. company taken public by a Russian immigrant. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago (B.A., 1996), where she majored in Psychology and minored in Women’s Studies. Julie began her career as an in home family counselor for Care Works, an agency that supported Department of Children & Family Services. She left the social service field to support her father at Lifeway Foods in 1997. Julie serves on the board of directors for the Anti-‐Defamation League, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (a division of Jewish United Fund), Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Rape Victim Advocates, University of Illinois Alumni Association, International Probiotics Association, and Bia Sport (advisory board member). She is also a member of the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council, Economic Club of Chicago, Young Presidents Organization, The Committee of 200, The Chicago Network and is a Summit Series and Fortune Most Powerful Women community member. She has presented research at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Meeting (1996), and is a frequent speaker for various organizations including Nutracon’s annual Anti-‐Aging Nutraceutical Conference, ChicWIT, the Nutrition Biz Journal Conference, the University of Illinois at Chicago Honors College, New Hope Natural Media, GE Leading and Learning Conference, Womenetics, JUF Women’s Leadership Division, Women’s Funding Network and is frequently asked to participate in panel discussions for organizations on a variety of topics ranging from healthy living to innovation, entrepreneurship, leveraging social media, and increasing women’s participation and leadership roles. Julie recently joined Christy Turlington Burns as a maternal health advocate traveling to Bangladesh with her and Every Mother Counts and participating in a series of screenings and panel discussions for the film ‘No Woman No Cry’. Julie frequently travels to the White House, including her 2011 visit to support young entrepreneurs with the non-‐profit organization Our Time and advocates for Violence Against Women issues in the Vice President’s Office. Julie has been featured on multiple media outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, Fortune and was named to Crain’s Chicago Business ‘40 under 40’ in 2005, Today’s Chicago Woman ‘Rising Stars’ and was a finalist for Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010, and was the recipient of the Anti-‐Defamation League 2013 Woman of the Year Award. Fast Company named her one of the “Riskiest in Business” in 2011 and New Hope Natural Media named her as one of top ten natural food executives to follow on Twitter. In 2013 Julie co-‐founded a non-‐profit, Test400k, an organization dedicated to advocating ending the backlog of 400,000 untested rape kits in the United States. 7|Page Table of Contents
Julie lives in Chicago and is the mother of two girls. She is never without crayons, baby wipes or her iPhone. She is also an avid marathoner, Pearl Jam devotee (she has been to 30 shows in multiple states and countries), reader/writer, cupcake connoisseur and frequent user of lavender sea salt body scrub for relaxation. Follow Julie on Twitter at @JulieSmolyansky
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Thank you to our 2014 Food Conference Committee James Asmussen Polsinelli PC
Richard McGrath Lockton Companies Inc.
jasmussen@polsinelli.com
rmcgrath@lockton.com
(312) 873-3697
(312) 669-6703
Paul Baisley GE Capital FB&A
Jeff Mengel Plante Moran
paul.baisley@ge.com
jeff.mengel@plantemoran.com
(312) 441-7267
(312) 602-3515
Richard Boos Arbor Investments
Peter Mulvey McGladrey LLP
boos@arborpic.com
pete.mulvey@mcgladrey.com
(312) 981-3778
(312) 634-3923
Rachel Cheatham Foodscape Group, LLC
Kurt Roth Robert W. Baird & Co.
rachel@foodscapegroup.com
kroth@rwbaird.com
(312) 970-0312
(312) 609-4689
Frederic Floberg The Chicago Corporation
Todd Southwell Freeborn & Peters LLP
fred.floberg@thechicagocorp.com
tsouthwell@freeborn.com
(312) 283-0802
(312) 360-6565
Daniel Harvey Wintrust Commercial Banking
Alistair Stewart TBM Consulting Group, Inc.
dharvey@wintrust.com
astewart@tbmcg.com
(312) 431-6589
(312) 730-5246
David Heinke Grant Thornton LLP
Elizabeth Williamson Frontenac Company
david.heinke@us.gt.com
ewilliamson@frontenac.com
(312) 602-8952
(312) 368-0044
Jay Leonard Bernstein Global Wealth Management jay.leonard@bernstein.com
(312) 696-7889 9|Page Table of Contents