BEMA - June 2018 - 72

MATCHMAKER,
MATCHMAKER
BEMA Connect brings bakers and suppliers together like never before.
by Joanie Spencer
es, BEMA membership is composed of
baking industry allieds, but it's a group that
is fully committed to serving its customers, the bakers. To achieve that goal, BEMA has
developed new programs during the past decade
to create new and enhance existing relationships
between bakers and suppliers.
One of the most successful networking endeavors has been BEMA Connect, which launched in
2015. Modeled after the "speed dating" concept,
BEMA Connect - held annually at Convention -
strategically pairs bakers with BEMA members for
15-minute speed-networking sessions to quickly
identify a baker's business needs and determine if
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Up to 200 meetings can take place inside a
2-hour timeframe.
"We were looking for new and innovative ways
to bring real business value to our members,"
recalled Paul Lattan, publisher, Baking & Snack
and 2018-19 BEMA chairman. Mr. Lattan was a
member of the 2015 executive committee that

72

BEMA100 | 2018 | www.bema.org

launched the initiative. "Service to bakers is at
the heart of BEMA members' business goals,
and by bringing them together in one setting, it
was a direct way to provide measurable value to
members and the industry."
Kurt Miller, vice-president, sales for J&K
Ingredients, was BEMA board chairman when
the concept was developed. "We wanted to
think outside the box and come up with an innovative way to bring value to members and
their customers by creating business opportunities in a totally new way," he recalled. "We've
all experienced tabletop settings at conventions
and similar meetings, and the strategy behind
BEMA Connect was to create a condensed version of that, where bakers could learn about new
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In just three years, BEMA Connect has become
a major draw for bakers to attend BEMA's annual
convention, which takes place every June.
After the inaugural event, Mario Somoza, president and CEO of Pan Pepin, Bayamon, PR, told



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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BEMA - June 2018

BEMA - June 2018
BEMA Staff and Executive Commitee
Letters from BEMA
Sharing #BEMAsmarts
BEMA's 100th Anniversary Celebration
What Happens in Vegas
Founding Fathers
Signs of the Times
Family Ties
Recognizing Individual Honors
The Future is Now
Matchmaker, Matchmaker
In the Face of Consolidation
Modern Membership
A Forum for All
Leaving a Legacy
Guestbook
Who, When and Where
BEMA - June 2018 - BEMA - June 2018
BEMA - June 2018 - 2
BEMA - June 2018 - 3
BEMA - June 2018 - 4
BEMA - June 2018 - 5
BEMA - June 2018 - 6
BEMA - June 2018 - 7
BEMA - June 2018 - BEMA Staff and Executive Commitee
BEMA - June 2018 - 9
BEMA - June 2018 - Letters from BEMA
BEMA - June 2018 - 11
BEMA - June 2018 - 12
BEMA - June 2018 - 13
BEMA - June 2018 - 14
BEMA - June 2018 - 15
BEMA - June 2018 - Sharing #BEMAsmarts
BEMA - June 2018 - 17
BEMA - June 2018 - 18
BEMA - June 2018 - BEMA's 100th Anniversary Celebration
BEMA - June 2018 - 20
BEMA - June 2018 - 21
BEMA - June 2018 - 22
BEMA - June 2018 - 23
BEMA - June 2018 - 24
BEMA - June 2018 - 25
BEMA - June 2018 - 26
BEMA - June 2018 - 27
BEMA - June 2018 - 28
BEMA - June 2018 - 29
BEMA - June 2018 - 30
BEMA - June 2018 - 31
BEMA - June 2018 - 32
BEMA - June 2018 - 33
BEMA - June 2018 - 34
BEMA - June 2018 - 35
BEMA - June 2018 - 36
BEMA - June 2018 - What Happens in Vegas
BEMA - June 2018 - 38
BEMA - June 2018 - 39
BEMA - June 2018 - 40
BEMA - June 2018 - 41
BEMA - June 2018 - 42
BEMA - June 2018 - Founding Fathers
BEMA - June 2018 - 44
BEMA - June 2018 - 45
BEMA - June 2018 - 46
BEMA - June 2018 - 47
BEMA - June 2018 - 48
BEMA - June 2018 - Signs of the Times
BEMA - June 2018 - 50
BEMA - June 2018 - 51
BEMA - June 2018 - 52
BEMA - June 2018 - Family Ties
BEMA - June 2018 - 54
BEMA - June 2018 - 55
BEMA - June 2018 - 56
BEMA - June 2018 - 57
BEMA - June 2018 - 58
BEMA - June 2018 - 59
BEMA - June 2018 - 60
BEMA - June 2018 - 61
BEMA - June 2018 - 62
BEMA - June 2018 - 63
BEMA - June 2018 - Recognizing Individual Honors
BEMA - June 2018 - 65
BEMA - June 2018 - 66
BEMA - June 2018 - 67
BEMA - June 2018 - The Future is Now
BEMA - June 2018 - 69
BEMA - June 2018 - 70
BEMA - June 2018 - 71
BEMA - June 2018 - Matchmaker, Matchmaker
BEMA - June 2018 - 73
BEMA - June 2018 - In the Face of Consolidation
BEMA - June 2018 - 75
BEMA - June 2018 - Modern Membership
BEMA - June 2018 - 77
BEMA - June 2018 - 78
BEMA - June 2018 - A Forum for All
BEMA - June 2018 - 80
BEMA - June 2018 - Leaving a Legacy
BEMA - June 2018 - 82
BEMA - June 2018 - 83
BEMA - June 2018 - Guestbook
BEMA - June 2018 - 85
BEMA - June 2018 - 86
BEMA - June 2018 - 87
BEMA - June 2018 - 88
BEMA - June 2018 - 89
BEMA - June 2018 - 90
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BEMA - June 2018 - 95
BEMA - June 2018 - Who, When and Where
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BEMA - June 2018 - 100
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