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USC Food Industry Management Program & WAFC 53rd Annual Awards Banquet

Shelby Report of the West Grocery News
The Food Industry Management Program at the University of Southern California is unique in its dedication to providing a ­concentrated management development program for high-potential managers of proven ability from food industry companies.

The Food Industry Management (FIM) Program at the University of Southern California is unique in its dedication to providing a ­concentrated management development program for high-potential managers of proven ability from food industry companies.

This year’s graduating class comprised seven women and 13 men ranging in age from 24-56 (average age 38). They came from Alaska, New York, California, Oregon, Illinois and Texas. Two had masters ­degrees; 14 had bachelor’s degrees; two had associate degrees; and two were transfer students.

Members of the 2011 graduating class:
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  • Greg Barnhart, Costco Wholesale
  • April Canepa, Hidden Villa
  • Linh Chau, Fred Meyer Inc.
  • John Gilbo, Safeway Inc.
  • Debbie Gilboy, Albertsons
  • Brian Gilman, Albertsons
  • Tonie Harrison, Food 4 Less
  • Anthony Hofer, Smart & Final
  • Kimberly Johnson, Safeway
  • Rob Johnson, Unified Grocers
  • Tyler Kidd, Mar Val Food Stores
  • Ian Lavallee, Farmer John
  • Adam McKenzie, Unified Grocers
  • Steve Neilson, Safeway Inc.
  • Amy Nordstrom, Nestle USA
  • Seth Novick, Kitchen Table Bakers
  • Lynnette Pierce, Kraft Foods
  • Jerry Retamoza, Northgate Markets
  • Casey Rodacker, Mar Val Food Stores
  • Rubby Zapata, Food 4 Less
  • [/star_list]

     

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    Shelby Report of the West Grocery NewsKevin Davis of Bristol Farms was the keynote speaker, having won the USC Marshall Executive of the Year award. Davis spoke of how the USC program teaches individuals to work together as a team and ultimately teaches each individual how to be a leader. He gave examples of how when a company ­succeeds, the credit should go to the people instead of the “company.”

    He urged the graduating students to stay in touch with their USC professors, other ­students in the program and all the valuable contacts they have made throughout the 14-week program. Davis said that was a key element in his successful career after leaving the FIM program in the ’80s.

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    Capstone Presentations Top Off FIM Graduation Day

    Shelby Report of the West Grocery News
    Adam McKenzie of Unified Grocers ­presents his group’s capstone project.

    A portion of the graduation day activities for the 53rd class to complete Food Industry Management Program at USC is the presentation of the capstone project. The ­presentation is made to executives from their sponsor companies, scholarship donors, family members and university faculty and staff.

    At the beginning of the semester the class is divided into teams, and each team researches a topic of significant impact to the industry and presents practical solutions that can be implemented by retailers and/or suppliers. The project is designed to aid their learning process in research and teamwork.

    The topics this year included:

    • GLUTEN INTOLERANCE—The growing number of individuals, and households, that have a member who has an inability to process gluten in their systems. The presentation included discussion of the symptoms, the number of individuals who are gluten intolerant now and the exponential growth of this segment during the next 10 years. Also presented were examples of what retailers and manufacturers are doing to respond to this rapidly growing consumer segment.
    • BABY BOOMERS ARE HERE—For years, the arrival of the Baby Boomers—and the surge in their segment of the population—was widely discussed by retailers and manufacturers. Now that the Boomers have arrived, this team presented insights on the size and importance of this customer segment. Included in their presentation were three specific suggestions on how to attract and retain this customer.
    • SOCIAL MARKETING—Not the usual chatter about the growth of social marketing but rather some surprising statistics and insights on the changing dynamics of how to connect with your customers and some real world examples of how retailers and manufacturers are performing in the digital age.
    • GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS—It is no secret that many natural resources are being depleted at an alarming rate. This presentation addressed the global food crisis and its impact on everyone in the room. They identified the challenges and showed examples of how supply has been increased through the unique application of collaboration and emerging technologies. They also introduced the term “coopetition,” where industry members are working with groups such as Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund to find and implement steps to replenish natural resources.

    The presentations are posted on the USC Food Industry Management website, www.marshall.usc.edu/fim.

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