Dec 19, 2003
WASHINGTON, DC — December 19, 2003 — Financial management, customer loyalty, team development and supply and logistics management are key issues to be discussed at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) Today’s Managers: Tomorrow’s Leaders conference, February 28 – March 4, 2004, at the Dolce Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Held in partnership with Portland State University (PSU) and their Food Industry Leadership Center, the conference is designed to help food industry executives and senior level managers, retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers gain broad perspective to make more informed decisions and strengthen their leadership positions.

“This unique program emphasizes interaction with other attendees to develop and share practical, innovative solutions to on-the-job problems,” said Kimberly Roberts, manager of education, FMI. “Food industry executives will get an in-depth look at current emerging successful business practices and make valuable industry contacts by working in cross-functional teams.”

The program offers a comprehensive look at current and emerging business practices in the food industry via the use of solution-oriented case studies, role-playing, team discussions and lectures. Throughout the week, attendees work to understand how the various segments of the food/packaged goods industry value chain are interrelated, build managerial and executive skills in creating solutions to common problems and gain insight from top-level executives from prominent and successful companies.

Specific subjects that will be addressed during the conference include:

Financial Management for Food Executives — Evaluation of strategies and tactical alternatives for analyzing trends and predicting growth. Financial statements from selected food industry leaders will be analyzed, offering a new way to interpret financial data and understand the impact of financial decisions on the organization.

Increasing Customer Loyalty — Marketing plans that increase customer loyalty and improve share of household consumption.

Key Elements in Negotiation — Primary factors that influence negotiation outcomes, such as a strategic approach and methodology.

Supply and Logistics Management — An examination of fundamentals in the supply chain and the supply and logistics functions, including perishability.

Staff Performance — Improving a manager’s ability to make hiring decisions as well as provide techniques to assist manager on a daily basis as they handle crisis situations and strive to increase employee performance.

Leadership and Team Development — New ideas for leadership, putting collaborative problem solving concepts into action with hands-on group exercises and team discussions.

Managing Change, Transition, and Conflict — A look at how food chain partners manage change, develop transitional strategies, and forecast potential conflict.

Balancing Life — New ways to break through old habits and replace them with highly effective ones that will have an immediate impact on work performance and overall quality of life.

Highlighting the conference will be visits from industry executives who will provide key insights in an informal setting outside the classroom. Past attendees have included: Warren Bryan, president, Longs Drug Stores; Al Carey, COO, PepsiCo North America; Chuck Carlbom, chairman, BPI; Mike Clawson, division president, Albertson’s; Dirk Davis, president Pacific Western division, United Western Grocers; Scott Dawson, deal, School of Business Administration, PSU; Frank Dulcich, president and CEO, The Pacific Group; David Frost, president, Frost and Partners; John Turley, vice president store operations, QFC; Ron King, president and CEO, Western Family Foods, Inc.; Mary Sammons, president and CEO, Rite Aid Stores, Inc.; Lyle Waterman, president-Oregon division, Safeway; Darrell Webb, president, Fred Meyer Stores.

For more information on the Today’s Managers: Tomorrow’s Leaders conference, contact Kimberly Roberts (202-220-0720, kroberts@fmi.org) or visit the FMI Web site (www.fmi.org).