Snack World - May 2013 - (Page 59)

Meeting Preview Real-World Solutions Snack School program will tackle case studies. BY BOB GATTY T eam building and problem solving will be the take-home results of the 2013 Snack Food Association Snack School Oct. 13-15 at Saint Joseph’s University (SJU), Philadelphia. The second annual Snack School includes a two-part session on developing a highly effective team and solving actual problems submitted in advance by attendees. Ron Dufresne, PhD, associate professor in SJU’s School of Management, will lead that program. SFA leaders and SJU staff fine-tuned last year’s program, which attracted about 40 sales, marketing and operations executives, to create the 2013 Snack School agenda. This year’s goal is at least 60 attendees, said Doug Meyer-Cuno, president, Carolina Ingredients, who chairs the event for SFA. “It’s in a company’s best interest to provide an opportunity for employees to sharpen their saws,” he noted. “Management wants middle managers to understand and be aligned with the core culture of their organizations. But sometimes we don’t train our people on what we want them to do.” Attendees will return home with improved team-building and problem-solving skills that can be applied in the workplace, said Robert R. Higgins, executive director of SJU’s Academy of Food Marketing. “Everybody who plans on attending will send in issues, concerns and opportunities,” Mr. Higgins explained. “We will collect them in three or four different buckets based on theme. In the first morning session, we will talk about the theory of team function. Then, as they break out into teams on the second day, they’ll work on those actual problems and try to come up with solutions. By end of day, everybody in the program will have information on how to go about making improvements in their own local environment.” Last year, Dr. Dufresne conducted leadership and motivation sessions and received high ratings for his classes. “I want to go back to school. Listening to Dr. Ron rekindled that thirst for knowledge,” commented Don Cartusciello, director of creative services at Herr Foods, Inc., Nottingham, PA. “I want to learn more. This was awesome.” Dr. Dufresne will lead the initial Monday morning session on “Blending the right ingredients to make a highly effective team.” The session will review foundational concepts about teams, team dynamics, climate, roles and responsibilities, team leadership, and a team’s alignment with organizational goals. Following lunch, all attendees will tour Herr Foods’ manufacturing plant, distribution center and quality assurance lab. SJU’s Food Marketing faculty will facilitate the tour. The group also will visit a new prototype Wawa Food Market, the largest c-store chain in Greater Philadelphia. Tuesday morning the group departs for a study tour of large Philadelphia retailers such as Costco, Giant Foods, Target and Wegmans. Retail executives will be on hand to discuss their snack sales and marketing strategies. A closing session with Dr. Dufresne builds on the teambuilding program. Participants, working in small groups, will examine the problems attendees submitted in advance. Each team will present its findings and recommendations. “Executive education is a significant commitment of individuals’ time, company time and money,” Mr. Higgins noted. “At Saint Joseph’s, we want to make sure that our executive programs clearly have value and that the learning that takes place in the classroom can be immediately applied back on the job. This program is centered on giving the theory behind concepts and applying them in the companies back home.” The event also features classroom presentations by retail executives about how they market, merchandise and sell savory snack food products and a governmental affairs update. sw www.sfa.org Ron Defresne, PhD, associate professor at Saint Joseph’s University‘s School of Management, will lead a two-part session on team building and problem solving. May 2013 Snack World 59 http://www.sfa.org

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Snack World - May 2013