Food Processing - June 2008 - (Page 37)

NEW CEOs merses more than 900 employees in cross-functional teams in the intricacies of building and maintaining strong brands. For just over a year now, General Mills’ Worldwide Innovation Network (G-Win) has sought outside partnerships with entrepreneurs, inventors, universities and other food companies to generate new product ideas. Yoplait’s Fizzix carbonated yogurt started out on the Brigham Young University campus. Progresso Light, the ﬁrst consumer packaged product in any grocery category to carry the Weight Watchers endorsement with 0 Points value per serving, also resulted from the G-Win program. On the international front, Powell has targeted opportunities in central and Eastern Europe, Saudi Arabia and the lower Gulf States, Latin America and expansion in China. Gary Rodkin, ConAgra Foods Inc. GARY RODKIN Perhaps no new CEO in any category had to face as much adversity in his ﬁrst two year as ConAgra Foods’ Gary Rodkin. First on his to-do list was the halving of the company. Early last year, a leaky roof at a plant caused salmonella in Peter Pan peanut butter and a huge and painful recall. Later in 2007, the bug was in Banquet pot pies. Despite all the bad press, the Omaha, Neb., company still stands. ConAgra Foods is, in fact, a shadow of its former self … and most analysts and investors are pleased. e company was $25.4 billion in sales as recently as 2002, but last year recorded just $12 billion. More importantly, net income last year was $765 million, just $18 million shy of the $25 billion days. Rodkin was considered a marketing whiz at PepsiCo and General Mills. Before joining ConAgra, he served as chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Beverages and Foods North America (consumer products and manufacturing), and before that he led Pepsico’s Tropicana unit. Earning a BA from Rutgers University in economics and an MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, he held marketing and general management positions of increasing responsibility at General Mills. He participated in the successes of many of its leading brands, from Cheerios to Betty Crocker, with his last three years at General Mills as president of Yoplait-Colombo. When he took the ConAgra helm in late 2005, the company was besieged with underperforming brands and decentralized management. For two years, Rodkin commuted, ﬂying in every week from his Connecticut home, because he didn’t want to uproot his daughter, a junior in high school. Digging in his heels, Rodkin found $100 million in cost savings by closing nine manufacturing plants, replacing senior management and cutting bureaucracy. He restructured the company’s business focus on its best-selling brands and supported them with marketing dollars. Rolling out products every six months was also at the top of Rodkin’s list. A year after he settled into the job, ConAgra sold its iconic Butterball brand and its turkey business, then its Singleton seafood unit, Swissrose cheese unit, Armour, Eckrich, Cook’s hams and Louis Kemp seafood brand. Just in the past month, the Knott’s Berry Farm brand went to FOODPROCESSING.COM http://www.blueberry.org http://FOODPROCESSING.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Food Processing - June 2008

Food Processing - June 2008 Editor's Plate NewsBites Show Report The Trends Rollout Food Biz Kids Consumer Taste Test A Bevy of New CEOs Ingredients Packaging Plant Operations MRO Q&A New Supplier Products Toops Scoops Contents

Food Processing - June 2008

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