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Las Vegas –
The American Bakers Association (ABA) (Booth #2) will discuss leading companies in an environment of accelerated change at the NextGenBaker Leadership Forum on Tuesday, September 20, at 5 pm in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention. Center, Room 326. The baking industry has been forced to move quickly since IBIE 2019, and this discussion with executives in the commercial baking industry aims to provide guidance and perspective to up-and-coming leaders in the industry.
Attendees included Cordia Harrington, CEO and Founder, Crown Bakeries; Paul Backus, President, North America, Puratos; A. Ryals McMullian, President and CEO, Flower Foods; and Tyson Yu, CEO, Aspire Bakeries. They discuss how they approach attracting and retaining top talent, building and retaining high-performing teams, and fostering a culture of innovation and community.
“NextGenBaker’s mission is to develop emerging leaders in the baking industry and provide them with the tools to succeed,” said Lily Economakis, NextGenBaker and Division Vice President, Customer Development Non-Business, Aspire Bakeries. “The insight this panel of industry leaders brings to the table will help advance the goals NextGenBaker is trying to achieve.”
Topics around building teams, adapting to change, and developing culture reflect the major challenges facing commercial bakers today. As conversations continue around these challenges, NextGenBaker provides a platform to hear from leaders in the industry.
“We’ve had peer-to-peer discussions in virtual rounds and in-person events about communicating change, accelerating change and the culture needed to attract and retain employees,” said Christina Donnelly, director of industry relations and strategy. Initiative, ABA. But it’s valuable for our rising leaders to hear directly from these accomplished executives and understand how they are solving these issues in their own companies.
The Leadership Forum panelists have all led their companies through the Covid-19 pandemic, recent supply chain issues and current workforce challenges. As Ms. Economics points out, the industry looks completely different from IBIE 2019.
“We hear how they got into the industry, where they came from and where they are today,” she says. “It’s been different since you started in the industry. From supply chain to labor to transportation, nothing is the same, so it will be interesting to hear how that affects them and how they get started.
Through the panel discussion, the ABA hopes to take home insights and lessons that participants can immediately apply in their companies. NextGenBaker not only aims to create strong leaders in the baking industry, but also strives to create strong bakery companies as a result.
“All of the topics we discuss are central to a company’s overall health and team performance,” said Campbell Williams, chairman and co-president of NextGenBaker, BC Williams Bakery Service and BCW Food Products. “They can have a direct impact on business performance. It would be wise to hear and learn from the panelists on these pressing issues.”
The NextGenBaker Leadership Forum at IBIE 2019 focused on leading a multigenerational workforce. With today’s labor challenges, this year’s forum will deepen that conversation by exploring effective teams and culture.
“The workforce conversation is not new, and it’s not going away,” Ms. Donnelly said. But the conversation is changing in terms of the topics we can bring to emerging executives: the tools they need to lead their teams, what’s changing with technology, and what company culture expects from employees. How do we equip them with the skills to manage that new environment? I am confident that this discussion will give them new insights on these topics that they can take back to their companies.
Attendees of the Leadership Forum will have the opportunity to network with other baking industry executives at a cocktail reception prior to the panel. Tickets can be purchased online at www.americanbakers.org/events or at the ABA booth in the West Hall, booth number WL2.
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