The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) will kick off the new year with its Annual Membership Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township, New Jersey.
This meeting will serve as a kickoff for the group’s 2018 event calendar as well as the council’s scholarship program.
The NJFC will formally elect its 2018 slate of officers and board of directors.
Officers include:
• Chairman: Richard Saker, Saker ShopRites
• Vice Chair: Mike Murphy, QuickChek Corp.
• Treasurer: Mike Rothwell, Pennington Quality Market
• Secretary: Joe Sofia, Wegmans Food Markets Inc.
• Associate Vice Chair: Mike Biase of Mission Foods
• NJFC President Linda M. Doherty.
“The annual meeting is an important opportunity for NJFC members to learn of the organization’s priorities, major events for the upcoming year and various committees in which they can participate. It’s also a great time for members to learn about government affairs initiatives to insure that food retailers and their supplier partners continue to have a strong and dedicated voice in the Garden State under the banner of the Food Council,” said Doherty.
The event will feature keynote speaker Jeanette Hoffman, president of Marathon Public Affairs, who will speak on the “New State of Political Affairs in New Jersey.”
NJFC holds annual holiday party
In other news, the council hosted its fifth annual holiday party at Buona Sera Ristorante in Red Bank on Dec. 7, raising more than $15,000 for the NJFC Educational Scholarship Foundation. More than 130 food industry executives from around the state attended the holiday networking event hosted by the board of directors.
“The holiday celebration is a great networking event (that) also ties into our mission to invest in the future of the food industry. Our scholarship winners are a shining example of the youth of today, and their goals to succeed in today’s competitive business climate,” said Doherty.
The NJFC scholarship program was authorized by its board of directors six years ago. At that time, the board awarded three scholarships of $2,000 each to associates and family members of NJFC member companies. Over the last few years, that investment has grown exponentially, with the council’s scholarships growing to $5,000 each, while also administering numerous scholarships on behalf of board members and member companies. In early 2017, NJFC and its members awarded 20 scholarships totaling $67,000.
The NJFC represents 1,200 retail food stores, wholesalers, manufacturing and service companies that collectively employ more than 200,000 associates in New Jersey.
