Milling & Baking News - November 15, 2022 - 37

their chef's smock. And we had all the suppliers
represented. We had the entire spectrum
of baking represented. And it wasn't
just that they showed up. We got things
done, around acreage in the Conservation
Reserve Program and other issues. What
was particularly satisfying was how strong
our media presence was. How important
that was, not just in terms of getting our
policy objectives, but for our members
when they talked about their input costs
with their customers.
" Bakers told me, 'I was just with customer
X to talk about their pricing. They
saw your interview, and when I went in
to discuss pricing, the ground was much
more fertile to get the job done.' "
Of the group's more recent activities,
Mr. MacKie expressed pride in the ABA's
work during the COVID-19 pandemic,
including helping tamp down public fears
there would not be enough bread and
working with the governor of Ohio's office
when truck stops in the state were being
closed down, imperiling the transportation
of bread in the state.
" We also had bakers call and say, 'My
delivery folks are delivering during peak
shopping hours, potentially exposing
themselves and shoppers - is there
anything you can do about
it?' " he said. " Because of the
relationships we had, I was able
to get on the phone with Leslie
Sarasin who runs FMI and Greg
Ferrara from the National Grocers
Association and said, 'Can
you send out communications
to your members to shift delivery
windows to off-peak times
for the benefit of your customers
and our drivers?' They did
it first thing the next morning.
It was that kind of stuff. Is it big
picture sexy? No, but it's really,
really important. "
Mr. MacKie cited the 2017
merger of the ABA and the
Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers'
Association as pivotal for
the grain-based foods industry.
" Bringing together two very
storied and strong organizations
under ABA really helped
to strengthen the industry
bakingbusiness.com
MacKie
while conserving precious industry
resources, " he said. " With very similar
cultures, ABA and B&CMA presented
very complementary value propositions
to serve the baking industry. "
It's likely no greater transformation
occurred during Mr. MacKie's tenure than
the changes that have taken place at the baking
industry's signature event - IBIE. He
had attended three Baking Expos before he
became president, beginning with 1997.
" It was an impressive show, don't get
me wrong, but it was very much an equipment
trade show, " he said. " You came, you
met with your equipment suppliers. We
were still in the four-year cycle then. "
Just before his retirement, Mr.
Abenante encouraged Mr. MacKie to
" really dig in and understand IBIE. "
Mr. MacKie continued, " As I dug in, it
just became really apparent that for us to
be successful, we needed a strong, vibrant
and growing trade show. At that point
it was chugging along, maybe in a slight
downward path. "
Mr. MacKie said he became president
only a few months after Kerwin Brown
took charge at BEMA, which partners
with the ABA in producing IBIE every
three years.
" One of my first trips was to Kansas
City (where BEMA is based), and I spent a
ton of time with Kerwin, " he said. " I found
a very willing and eager partner who
totally understood. With his experience
at Shick Tube-Veyor, what is now Shick
Esteve, he understood it in a way I couldn't
understand. Then, what we did, we agreed
we would put together for the first time
in IBIE's history a strategic planning session,
well ahead of the show so we could
map out not the next show, but the next 10
years. "
What resulted was a focus on education,
broadening the supplier base and
international.
" None of this was rocket science but it
was vitally important, " he said. " And not
accepting that we were like in years past,
fighting over a shrinking pie. It was about
growing the pie so the industry benefits. "
He said there was an entire strategy
around building out the education programming,
which has expanded dramatically
over the last several IBIE cycles. On
international, IBIE has partnered with
iba to mutually promote, and he and Mr.
Brown traveled the globe meeting with
baking groups in many countries. Partnering
with retail bakers has brought
in baking celebrities, which Mr.
MacKie said has added a new level
of buzz.
" You want the experience to be
fun and enjoyable, " he said.
Mr. MacKie credited the IBIE
committee and the event's professional
partners for the changes that
were planned and executed. Similarly,
he expressed pride in the team
of professionals at the ABA.
" I think we've created a culture
where people feel they can bring
forward new ideas as long as it helps
to serve the industry, " he said. " The
opportunity to work alongside Lee
Sanders and watching how she gets
things done in Washington, and so
many others on the staff, I have been
so blessed. We have the privilege to
wake up every day to help serve this
industry. Have we hit every pitch out
of the park? Of course not, but we
get back in the game swinging and
hitting every day. " MBN
MILLING & BAKING NEWS 37
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Milling & Baking News - November 15, 2022

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