Featured Experts

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  Aaron Parker

  Director, Development and Production Services, Flavorman
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  Arthur Flores

  Co-Founder, LA Distributing Company
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  Bill Foley

  CEO, Tampa Bay Copack CEO, Tampa Bay Copack and Creative Water Concepts
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  Bob Bloom

  Director of Business Development, WILD FlavorsBob Bloom, Director of Business Development at WILD Flavors, Inc., has been in the flavors business since 1976. Bob returned to Cincinnati to join what was at the time a small flavor company founded by his grandfather. Bob and his family sold that company in 1986, and the company to which they sold was acquired by WILD in 1994. It has been since the acquisition by WILD that Bob has become immersed in the beverage business. As Director of Business Development, Bob takes a comprehensive consultative role with many of the start-up beverage opportunities supported by WILD. Bob received his BA in Economics from The American University and his MBA from Xavier University. Bob is married with two grown children.
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  Bob Burke

  Founder, Natural Products ConsultingAs a consultant since 1998, Bob Burke provides assistance in bringing natural, organic and specialty products to market across most classes of trade. This includes work in strategic planning, growth strategies, writing sales, marketing and business plans, budgeting, pricing, building distribution, broker selection and management, organizational development, strategic options, branding and trade spending management. He is also the co-author and co-publisher of the Natural Products Field Manual, Fourth Edition and The Sales Manager’s Handbook. Prior to consulting, Bob was with Stonyfield Farm Yogurt for 11 years as Vice President, Sales & Corporate Development and Vice President, Marketing & Sales. He has held marketing positions with Colombo, Inc. and Sperry Top-Sider. He received an MBA from Babson College.
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  Bob Occhifinto

  President and CEO, NVE Pharmaceuticals
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  Brad Barnhorn

  Barnhorn Growth AdvisorsMr. Barnhorn was an early pioneer in the healthy beverage category as Founder and CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Company culminating in its sale to North Castle Partners in late 2000 and merger with Naked Juice to form a leading national brand subsequently acquired by Pepsi in 2007. He currently serves as an active Board Member to operating companies in the healthy food and beverage space and as an advisor to consumer-focused private equity funds. Operating companies for which he serves on the Board of Directors include KeVita (probiotic beverages), Zola (acai and coconut water), Krave Jerky (premium jerky), Pint Size (leading frozen DSD distributor in Hawaii), Coba (aguas frescas), Red Rabbit (NYC-based healthy school lunch provider) and Envizio (mobile payments platform for the retail grocery industry). Additionally, Brad is an Operating Advisor to consumer products focused private equity groups Encore Consumer Capital and Winona Capital as well as a Food/Bev Industry Advisor to investment bankers Silverwood Partners.
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  Danny Stepper

  Co-Founder, L.A. LibationsBeverage Entrepreneur and Entertainment Executive having worked with Blue Chip organizations such as THE COCA-COLA COMPANY, DISNEY, ADIDAS, and ANHEUSER BUSCH. Produced films with DISNEY and SONY, closely affiliated with FIFA & DANONE WATERS OF AMERICA
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  Darryl Williams

  Processing Technical Specialist, Oregon Tilth, Inc.Darryl graduated with a degree of Culinary Arts from Western Culinary Institute in Portland Oregon in 1998. He then went on to achieve a degree in Food Science from Oregon State University with a minor in chemistry, he also is a certified Pastry Chef and has many years of experience working in the restaurant industry. Darryl has worked with <a href="http://tilth.org">OTCO</a> since 2008 in various capacities including reviewer and inspector. Darryl has first hand, on-the-ground knowledge of food processing as well as technical expertise in this area. Darryl is committed to customer service and helping customers get their technical questions answered. In his free time he enjoys cooking and brewing beer and hard cider with Pacific Northwest Profiles. Darryl can be reached at darryl@tilth.org
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  David Ames

  Owner, Sovereign Flavors
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  Debbie Wildrick

  Founder, Growing Innovative Brands Skilled in all areas of business operations, planning, and management with particular skills in consultative sales, marketing, personnel management, contract negotiations, category management, and relationship management. Successful at developing marketing strategies for new product introductions, new business development, and managing the continued growth of both regional and national businesses. Specialties Consumer Goods Sales; Retail Category Management; Sales Training, Mentoring, Team Building
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  Donald Wilkes

  CEO and Chairman, Blue Pacific FlavorsAs President and CEO of Blue Pacific Flavors, Donald Wilkes brings more than 35 years experience to the food and beverage industry through his creative work in innovative food flavor development in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Donald founded Blue Pacific Flavors in 1993 after establishing the global food technology and technology transfer, brand IP consultancy Wilkes and Associates, Inc. in 1992. Donald is an active Professional Member of the Institute of Food Technology and sits on the working committee for the Nano Food Science IFT group, Chemists Club, Cereal Chemists Association. He has been quoted in industry round-up articles in top tier consumer and business publications such as the New York Times and Entrepreneur magazine and is a scholar consultant for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a management consultancy firm.
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  Edgar Stewart

  Founder, Edgar Stewart Design & IllustrationRaised on a farm in rural Vermont and educated at Rhode Island School of Design, Edgar has taken his insight and skill from both experiences to help grow some of the world’s most memorable brands. His studio is now a buzz of well-known and emerging brands all with common threads of quality, innovation and conscience.
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  Glenn Hewson

  Vice President, Global Marketing, Avure TechnologiesGlenn is Avure’s Vice President of Global Marketing. He joined the company in 2005 and is responsible for the world wide development and execution of Avure’s product line and go-to-market strategy. Glenn play’s an active role in Avure’s Total Solutions Team, often providing branding and product launch assistance to Avure’s customers. Glenn has more than 20 years of marketing, product line management and business development experience in the capital goods and high tech industries. His career spans mature companies, start-ups, coordinated business units and global organizations. He began his career at IBM, and has served in senior management roles at Gupta Corporation Peregrine Systems and at The Gores Group.
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  Gregg Romanzo

  Principal/Broker Agent, Sunteck Transport GroupGregg Romanzo is a graduate from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. After 3 years at CH Robinson, he opened an office for Sunteck Transport in the New York area. The business has grown to become Sunteck’s largest office, moving more than 150 shipments each day for customers in all industries throughout the US and Canada.
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  Ian McLean

  Founder and Creative Director, McLean DesignBest known as the creators of Monster Energy, McLean Design is a small but dynamic branding and packaging design firm that has helped build some of the world’s leading beverages. For over 20 years, founder Ian McLean has been involved in the creation and development of hundreds of national brands, many of them with powerful name recognition and enviable household penetration. Ian believes that effective consumer packaging cultivates meaningful connections between real-world products and the consumer’s elusive desire for an ever-improving lifestyle – a relationship that can only be encouraged, not exploited. Beverage clients include Nestle, Lipton, Pepsi-Cola Company, Coca-Cola Company, SoBe, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Beringer Blass, Hansen Beverage, Sunsweet, Muscle Milk, Tetley North America, and an array of wines and spirits. ----- http://www.mclean-design.com/
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  Jack Brennan

  Managing Partner, GBS Growth PartnersEntrepreneurial executive with Fortune 500 corporate pedigree (20 years). Extensive track record of building early stage divisions or companies to achieve planned exit strategy. Successful start up CEO with expertise in business development, strategic planning, marketing, capital raising, and team building. Knowledge of all aspects of the beverage industry including distribution, retail sales, marketing and finance.
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  Jeff Hilton

  Chief Marketing Officer, Co-founder, IMG (Integrated Marketing Group)Jeff Hilton is partner and co-founder of Integrated Marketing Group, a leading national branding agency providing strategic planning and execution to its clients in the consumer packaged goods and healthy lifestyles categories. Jeff has been recognized by Advertising Age as one of the nation’s Top 100 Marketers. He has over 30 years of broad-based marketing and business experience, including 20 years spent within the natural healthcare industry. Over his career, Jeff has helped build a wide range of major national brands including Continental Airlines, Major League Baseball, Boy Scouts of America and Nature’s Way.<div><br></div><div>Jeff has been an invited speaker at healthy lifestyle events worldwide, including Natural Products Expos East and West, NutraCon, NBJ Newport Summit, All Things Organic, Fancy Food Show, Vitafoods and IFT.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Jeff was recently awarded the Personal Service Award from Nutrition Business Journal in recognition of his ongoing outreach including editorial contributions, pro bono work, webinars, and speaking engagements.</div>
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  Jeff McClelland

  CEO, CA Aseptic Beverages
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  Jim Tonkin

  Founder, Healthy Brand BuildersFor more than 37 years, James Tonkin has served the private-sector as a brand and marketing development professional. He directs the building and design of national infrastructures for food and beverage industry clients. Mr. Tonkin has successfully created and implemented business and financial strategies for domestic and international players—focusing from production to branding, marketing through sales implementation and distribution, to include exit strategy. Mr. Tonkin has focused branding initiatives in soft drink, bottled water, functional foods and beverages, and non- carbonated ‘new age’ beverage verticals. His extensive “hands on” expertise stretches across many sectors including domestic cheeses to natural potato chips; bottled waters for people and pets; and nutraceutical-functional-cosmeceutical enhanced beverages. Mr. Tonkin serves as a popular keynote speaker covering new beverage trends as well as successful branding insight.
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  Josh Wand

  Founder, BevForceFounder & Motivator in Chief at BevForce, the first-ever beverage industry staffing agency providing online and executive recruiting staffing solutions. A beverage industry veteran, I founded BevForce in an effort to transform the way beverage industry professionals seek employment opportunities and employers identify talent. BevForce has access to thousands of beverage professionals and is working with companies, large and small, including Pernod Ricard USA, Remy Cointreau USA, Voss Water, illy caffe, Red Bull, Riedel, Jose Cuervo International, Sierra Nevada, St-Germain, Vita Coco, VeeV Spirits, Beam Global Spirits & Wine, The Boston Beer Company, Steaz, The Patron Spirits Company and Evian, to name a few. Prior to creating BevForce, I held positions at Southern Wine & Spirits, AV Imports and Sidebar Spirits. My roles included business development, management of a national sales and distribution network, staffing the organization and instituting educational training programs for hotels and restaurant groups. I received a BS in Hotel Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas known for its renowned hospitality program.
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  Joyce Longfield

  CEO, JL Nutrition and FoodJoyce Longfield - The new kid on the block in the beverage industry. Coming into my second year in the beverage industry, and my third year in the High Pressure Processing industry. As new as I may be to these industries, I am a veteran in the field of science. I passionately pursued &nbsp;an education in Plant Science, starting with a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology at the University of Guelph, followed by a Masters of Science in Molecular Biology at the University of Toronto. All through my education I have been dedicated to a nutritious lifestyle. As part of this lifestyle I have studied the biochemistry of food and how it pertains to our health and physical fitness. My background is a natural fit for the HPP food and beverage industry.<div>&nbsp;</div><div>Upon working with food manufacturers using HPP I initially focused on the regulatory requirements for the USDA, FDA and Health Canada. This includes designing appropriate microbial challenge studies for validating the efficacy of HPP. This validation process is to ensure that a 5 log reduction of pertinent pathogens is met with a specific HPP treatment. &nbsp;My second area of HPP expertise involves product development. Early on &nbsp;I was exposed to using HPP with Ready-To-Eat food products. In the last year I have expand my HPP product development into the beverage sector and had the pleasure to work with a variety of companies manufacturing HPP beverages such as cold pressed juices and coconut water.</div>
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  Julie Suntrup

  SVP, Agency Marketing + Business Development, SwitchWith over 20 years of beverage industry experience, Julie Suntrup has worked across all channels and outlets: malt beverage and functional beverage brand marketing; on and off premise, c-store and national chain program development; national, geographic and field marketing programs; retail sales promotion program development; corporate, international and environmental communications. In 2006, Suntrup represented Switch during the transition of glaceau’s vehicle-based field marketing program – the largest in the country — from client side to agency. Shortly thereafter, she helped the brand more than double the size of that same program, and later transitioned it to Coca-Cola after that company’s purchase of glaceau. Her passions include mastering Bikram yoga, running without injury and traveling anywhere, anytime. A graduate of the University of Missouri – Columbia, Suntrup resides in St. Louis, Missouri where she attempts to raise two teenage daughters.
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  Justin Prochnow

  Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, LLPJustin J. Prochnow focuses his practice on regulatory and business issues primarily in the food, medical device, drug and cosmetic industries. Justin works with dietary supplement, sports nutrition, beverage, conventional food, cosmetic, medical device and OTC drug companies to ensure regulatory compliance with statutes and regulations enforced by the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory agencies. Justin prepares a wide range of business documents for industry members, including manufacturing, supply and distribution agreements. Justin also defends companies from both governmental agencies and private litigants with claims ranging from breach of contract and false advertising to RICO and Lanham Act violations. Prior to joining the firm, Justin served as an assistant city attorney in the Denver City Attorney's Office, prosecuting numerous criminal court cases. Justin also was a federal law clerk for United States Magistrate Bruce D. Pringle in Denver, Colorado.
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  Kate E. Ratliff

  Technical Director, FlavormanA Louisville native, Kate graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Biochemistry. She began her career with Flavorman and enrolled in business classes at the University of Louisville. She worked her way through the ranks at Flavorman, beginning on the bench in the laboratory. During her twelve years at Flavorman she has led many successful projects including: cost reductions, realizing over $1.2 million in annual savings; stabilizing 2g of L-arginine in aqueous solutions; whey isolate enhanced sports drink and developed a line of products that was sold to one of the largest soda companies in the US. Additionally, Kate has extensive manufacturing experience and served as the Flavorman lead on a major retrofit for one the largest carbonated soda manufacturers in the US. Kate currently works directly with prospective clients and has continues to manage some of Flavorman’s key accounts. Kate and her husband Tim reside in Louisville and have two young children. Kate enjoys civic leadership and currently serves on the Stage One Board of Directors. She enjoys the outdoors and University of Louisville athletics.
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  Lara Bandler

  Strategic PR, Branding and Buzz Marketing Consultant, Lara B Consulting, The Co-OpLara Bandler is a marketing communications expert specializing in strategy development and execution within the emerging brands space. A fourteen-year veteran, Lara has had the honor of working with some of the hottest food and beverage brands of this decade (some from inception to exit) such as Glaceau’s vitaminwater™ and smartwater™, popchips™ and Zico™ Coconut Water and now Suja Juice.<div><br></div><div>Taking her passion for building brands and her connections in the industry, Lara started</div><div><a href="http://larabandler.com" target="_blank">Lara B Consulting</a>, whose mission is to serve as In-House PR director for emerging</div><div>brands without the head count for internal PR staff. In this consulting role, Lara is</div><div>able to help build awareness for her clients by providing strategic marketing direction,</div><div>creative grassroots ideas and agency management.</div><div><br></div><div>And, for those clients in need of full service agency support and execution, Lara is a</div><div>founder of <a href="http://co-opagency.com/" target="_blank">The Co-Op</a>, a specialized full service PR agency focused on supporting</div><div>brands with all of the key elements necessary to build buzz and awareness. &nbsp;From</div><div>securing traditional press hits to writing press materials to developing message points</div><div>to advising company spokespeople on interview opportunities, The Co-Op supports all</div><div>facets of PR for its clients.</div><div><br></div><div>Bandler provides her clients with the knowledge, consult and strategy required in this</div><div>highly competitive space to cut through the clutter and emerge as a leader. She has</div><div>proven that her vision, unique buzz marketing tactics, relationships and client relations</div><div>are what set her apart from the competition.</div><div><br></div><div>Lara is an in-demand speaker, having spoken on a social media panel at BevNet’s</div><div>“Beverage School”. Someone who cares immensely about giving back, she works with</div><div>several non-profit charity initiatives such as “24 hours plays”, a benefit of The Urban</div><div>Arts Partnership tied to her personal passion points – kids and the arts and she is</div><div>forming her own non-profit called Music4Memories to raise awareness and funds for</div><div>Alzheimer's Disease.</div><div><br></div><div>After a 14-year stint in NYC, Lara moved to Los Angeles and loves it!</div>
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  Mark Mitchell

  Chief Creative Officer, Interact On ShelfMark Mitchell’s chief ability is that he gets you jazzed about the endless opportunity — for anything. With more than 30 years of package design experience, he’s the visionary who shows you how much you (and your competitors) aren’t seeing. Then he formulates the riveting, big-gain ideas that overcome your business challenges. As a leading expert on package design, Mark has spoken at Expo West, The Emerging Food Entrepreneurial Forum, Automotive Aftermarket Council and Catalog Merchants Association. Interact Packaging focuses on package design and channel marketing to help its clients outperform their category on-shelf. Interact Packaging focuses on package design and channel marketing to help its clients outperform their category on shelf. Clients include Disney Food, Noble Juice, Tru Juice, Langer Juice, Beechnut, ISBRE Water, Schwebel Bread, Breyers Yogurt, Yo Crunch Yogurt, Hickory Farms, White Castle, Marzetti and Crystal Light.
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  Mike Burgmaier

  Managing Director, Silverwood PartnersMichael Burgmaier is a Managing Director with Silverwood Partners focused on the food & beverage, Healthy Living and consumer sectors. Mr. Burgmaier has been active in venture capital and M&A for consumer companies since the early 2000s. He has raised capital for numerous companies and clients, written business plans, prepared fundraising materials, facilitated exits and served on boards of venture-backed companies.Mr. Burgmaier has an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth as well as Master of Public Policy from Duke University and a BA in Economics from Boston College.
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  Paula Grant

  Founding Partner, Flood CreativePaula Grant has designed for some of the best creative agencies in NY & London and is the founder of Floodcreative, a design agency located in Nyack, N.Y. that has been creating and refreshing brands for 10 years. Floodcreative prides itself on designing with passion with an ultimate goal of effectively communicating business strategy on shelf. This approach comes from the personal experience of creating brands from the ground up. Paula effectively built and sold the beverage brands Fuze and NOS energy with limited budgets and a lot of hard work by infusing all aspects of the business with a designer’s mindset. She feels that innovative design thinking and the creatively that follows suit, is essential to the DNA of any successful consumer Brand.
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  Pete Grego

  Director, Contract Manufacturing, Nor-Cal BeveragesPete Grego is the Director, Contract Manufacturing with Nor-Cal Beverages. Pete specializes in beverage brand building and beverage management. As well as customer development and strategic planning.
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  Richard Medina

  Relationship Development, LA Distributing Company
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  Ron Fournier

  Vice President - Sales, Great State Beverage