Boot Camp Registration & Networking

Introduction

The Day to Day of Food Entrepreneurship

• Shane Emmett

  CEO, Health Warrior
• Dan Gluck

  Co-Founder & Board Director, Health Warrior

• Shane Emmett, CEO, Health Warrior
• Dan Gluck, Co-Founder & Board Director, Health Warrior

Go To Market Like a Pro

• Mike Movitz

  Founder & Managing Partner, The Movitz Group

• Mike Movitz, Founder & Managing Partner, The Movitz Group

Contracts for Your Contract Manufacturer

• Jeremy Halpern

  Partner & Director of Business Development, Nutter

  

  Jeremy Halpern

  Partner & Director of Business Development, Nutter

  Jeremy Halpern is a partner and co-chairs and serves as the Director of Business Development for Nutter’s Emerging Companies Group. Jeremy’s practice focuses on emerging companies, private equity, venture capital and angel financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, executive and team compensation matters, and general start-up support. Serving as the firm’s entrepreneur-in-residence, Jeremy often works on strategy and corporate development matters with companies, investors, and executives in technology, life sciences and the food and beverage industry. Jeremy is an active angel investor and is a member of the board of The Capital Network, a Boston based non-profit serving entrepreneurs seeking high growth capital. Jeremy serves on the Advisory Board and the Executive Education Committee of the MBI Health Program and on the Advisory Board of Pintley, a MassChallenge 2011 finalist company providing marketing solutions to the craft brewers and bars. He continues to serve as a mentor at MassChallenge and LearnLaunch, an expert advisor at the Innovation Hub at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as a speaker, reviewer, judge or mentor for MIT HackingMedicine, HackingPediatrics, the Mass Tech Transfer Center, the Mass Life Science Center, M2D2, BranchFood and Startup Institute. Previously Jeremy served on the Board and Investment Committee of MassVentures, an early stage venture capital fund funding technology companies in Massachusetts. Jeremy taught entrepreneurial leadership at Tufts University for nine years and cofounded a company in the mobile technology synchronization space. Jeremy received his B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, Berkeley, and his J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

• Jeremy Halpern, Partner & Director of Business Development, Nutter

Networking Break

Competing with the Big Brands: Founders' Stories

• Jeff Sampson

  CEO & Co-Founder, Upside Commerce

• Jeff Sampson, CEO & Co-Founder, Upside Commerce

Bargaining with Brokers, Dealing with Distributors

• John Maggiore

  Founder, Maggiore Sales and Marketing

  

  John Maggiore

  Founder, Maggiore Sales and Marketing

  John has been in the grocery business for over 25 years, he founded Maggiore's Sales & Marketing in 2003, as a consultant and broker to the Natural/Specialty trade, with a primary focus on grocery, dairy and frozen in the Supermarket Channel. Prior to setting out on his own John was the Category Manager of Natural Food for Stop & Shop Supermarkets based in Boston, MA. John pioneered the store with-in-a-store Natural Food departments at Stop & Shop, creating over 150 departments in less than five years. Natural Food sales grew at Stop & Shop from $6 million when John took over responsibility for the department to $67 million when he left. Before John became Category Manager of Natural he had buying responsibilities in numerous categories including Specialty Cheese, Specialty Crackers, Gourmet Coffee, and Specialty Pasta as well as Frozen and Dairy Foods. Currently John is working with some leading manufacturers in the Natural Food channel including Pirate Brands, Justin's, Green Mountain Gringo, Seapoint Farms, R.W. Garcia and Angie's Popcorn, and has worked with other leading companies in the past including Bear Naked Granola, Larabar, Vita Coco and Ian's Natural Foods.

• John Maggiore, Founder, Maggiore Sales and Marketing

Investors and Early Stage Brands

• Bob Craig

  Founder & CEO, Centerman Capital

  

  Bob Craig

  Founder & CEO, Centerman Capital

  Bob founded Centerman Capital in 2012 with a commitment to provide early stage strategy and private equity to natural food, beverage and exceptional Founder led companies. Centerman Capital leads private equity investments through “The Power Play Fund I & II” with Bob executing the General Partner role. Prior to Centerman Capital, Bob was the CFO/VP of Finance at Food Should Taste Good. The first hire by the company’s founder, Bob was the right-hand man in growing the company by 5,000% over 6 years. Food Should Taste Good was sold to General Mills in 2012. Bob was also a co-founder and CFO of Delivered Dish restaurant delivery service based out of Portland, OR that in December 2015 sold to GrubHub after a successful process. Centerman Capital harvest events over the last 6 years have combined to create over $330 Million of shareholder value. Bob brought more than two decades of finance, operational and strategic experience building small businesses prior to the successes with Food Should Taste Good and Delivered Dish. In his senior management career Bob served as the Controller of Great Eastern Seafood, a $25 million fresh seafood wholesaler, the Controller of a $300 million Wood Procurement Organization at Sappi Fine Paper, the COO of Dining In, then the nation’s largest restaurant delivery service, and the COO at Movers Specialty Service, the nation’s leading specialty moving services company. Bob holds a Bachelor of Science/Accounting degree from Lehigh University, and was captain of the cross-country team. Bob currently resides in Needham, MA with his wife of 25 years, Elizabeth, and their 9-year- old daughter, Carly Rose. Bob is an avid golfer, Advance level USA Hockey Coach and his favorite centerman is Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.

• Bob Craig, Founder & CEO, Centerman Capital

Intro to E-Commerce

• Betsy McGinn

  Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

  

  Betsy McGinn

  Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

  McGinn eCommConsulting provides expertise in eCommerce strategy for CPG companies ranging from launch stage to $3 billion in sales. With over 11 years of experience with Amazon.com and other strategic eCommerce partners, Betsy works with clients on launch and business optimization strategy, product and pack develop, problem resolution and ongoing management of their eCommerce business. With eight years of eCommerce leadership at Seventh Generation, Betsy provides a unique perspective through the brand lens to guide clients in this complex channel. Additional multi- channel experience in both the US and Canada enhances the development of eCommerce strategy that balances the interests of all sales channels in order to manage channel conflict.

• Betsy McGinn, Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

Networking and Expert Tables

• Zachary DeAngelo

  EVP of Operations, FDM Sales Management
• Tim Pollak

  Operating Partner & Head of Strategy, Factory LLC

• Zachary DeAngelo, EVP of Operations, FDM Sales Management
• Tim Pollak, Operating Partner & Head of Strategy, Factory LLC

Breakfast & Registration

Welcome

• Jeffrey Klineman

  Editor-in-Chief, BevNET

  

  Jeffrey Klineman

  Editor-in-Chief, BevNET

  As Editor-in-Chief of BevNET, Jeffrey Klineman oversees the organization's reporting across all of its web sites, as well as BevNET Magazine. Jeffrey is also responsible for developing the content for conferences like BevNET Live and Food and Beverage University (FBU). Jeffrey previously worked as a newspaper reporter for the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune, the Boston TAB and the Metrowest Daily News, and has freelanced for publications like Slate, Boston Magazine, Self, George, Commonwealth, and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Jeffrey is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. A frequently-cited expert on the beverage industry, Jeffrey has also been named in Forbes as one of the 25 Most Influential Kingmakers in Consumer and Retail Companies. He is still trying to live that one down.

• Jeffrey Klineman, Editor-in-Chief, BevNET

Roles Meet Revenue: Developing Company Culture

• Peter Burns

  President & CEO, ONE Brands

  

  Peter Burns

  President & CEO, ONE Brands

  A seasoned food veteran with a knack for accelerating sales, Peter Burns joined the ONE team in 2017 as a next step in his impressive career in the food and beverage industry. Most recently, Burns led Justin’s Nut Butter as President and CEO. Working hand-in-hand with founder and namesake Justin Gold, Burns developed and executed a successful 2-year plan culminating in a $286 million acquisition by Hormel. Prior to this, Burns left a trail of success in positions such as President of Celestial Seasonings and CSO of Hain Celestial USA, where he performed CEO-like responsibilities and focused on sales growth and volume forecasting in dominant retailers across the US, leading to 20 consecutive quarters of top and bottom line growth. Burns was tapped as a leader for ONE by renowned venture capital fund CAVU, founded by CPG veterans Rohan Oza, Clayton Christopher, and Brett Thomas. His 20+ years of experience is anchored in sales, most notably as President of Sales and Marketing at Jones Soda Co, and before that as the Vice President of Sales at IZZE Beverage Company. At IZZE, Burns developed a long-term strategic plan that achieved $20 million in sales in less than two years. He also held senior executive positions at the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation and The Hershey Company. Burns is a graduate of Randolph Macon College and currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.

• Peter Burns, President & CEO, ONE Brands

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From the Frontlines: Biena Scales Up

• Poorvi Patodia

  CEO & Founder, Biena Snacks

  

  Poorvi Patodia

  CEO & Founder, Biena Snacks

  Poorvi Patodia launched Biena Snacks in 2012, when the plant-based protein snack trend was still in its infancy. Inspired by a favorite childhood snack, she started experimenting with roasted chickpeas in her own kitchen, and ultimately came up with a unique roasting process that resulted in a light and crispy texture, that maintained the protein, fiber and nutrients of a whole chickpea. Today, Biena Snacks has reached national distribution with availability in over 14,000 retail locations, secured dozens of "best snack" awards and recently introduced a first-of-its-kind line of chocolate-covered roasted chickpeas, which includes a Girl Scout Cookie™-Inspired Thin Mints™ flavor that launches in June. Poorvi has been recognized as an emerging business leader, being featured as a "Rising Star" CEO among the Inc. 5000 fastest growing companies in 2017, and one of Food Navigator USA’s “Entrepreneurs to Watch. Poorvi has her MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business, and lives in Boston with her husband and two daughters. She frequently mentors other budding food entrepreneurs in the Boston area, offering guidance to help grow and produce more successful local businesses.

• Poorvi Patodia, CEO & Founder, Biena Snacks

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Strategic Profile: Partnering with Hershey

• Will Lisman

  President, Emerging Brands Unit, The Hershey Company

  

  Will Lisman

  President, Emerging Brands Unit, The Hershey Company

  Will Lisman is the President of the Emerging Brand Unit at The Hershey Company. Formed in 2017, the Emerging Brand Unit is a new independent operating division at Hershey that includes barkTHINS, KRAVE, Brookside along with other incubator snack brands. In this new leadership role, Will is spearheading Hershey’s snacking transformation by building a new unit to cultivate its emerging brands and a platform for future M&A. Prior to leading the Emerging Brand Unit, Will was General Manager of barkTHINS following Hershey’s acquisition of the business in 2016. At barkTHINS, Will worked hand-in-hand with its founder, Scott Semel, and management team to accelerate growth, build the brand, and upgrade its supply chain. Prior to this, Will held executive roles in Marketing and Corporate Strategy at Hershey. Will joined Hershey in 2012 from the The Parthenon Group, a management consulting firm in Boston, where he advised consumer private equity and venture capital firms and their portfolio companies on critical issues in strategy, operations, and M&A. Will holds an MBA with distinction from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.S. in Management from Boston College.

• Will Lisman, President, Emerging Brands Unit, The Hershey Company

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New Category Development: Challenges and Changes

• Bill Keith

  CEO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar

  

  Bill Keith

  CEO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar

  You could say Perfect Bar, LLC's CEO and Co-Founder Bill Keith was born a leader. After all, he’s the eldest of 13 siblings known for producing The Original Refrigerated Protein Bar on the market. Bill’s quest to create Perfect Bar began in college, when he submitted a business plan for a class project, outlining his concept for a first-of-its-kind refrigerated protein bar made with whole food ingredients — a concept hatched from a childhood recipe, created by his father. Over the next 13 years, Bill and his younger siblings worked tirelessly to turn the crowded, $6-billion protein bar industry upside down, leading consumers away from the highly-processed, non-perishable snack aisles, to the fresh and functional snack and beverage coolers where Perfect Bar continues to carve out desirable, high-velocity fridge real estate in some of the largest grocery store chains nationwide, including Costco, Target, Kroger, Safeway, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Starbucks and 7-Eleven. Learn more at www.perfectbar.com.

• Leigh Keith

  COO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar

  

  Leigh Keith

  COO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar

  Leigh Keith is Perfect Bar, LLC’s Co-founder and COO, who at 19 years old launched the brand that revolutionized the highly-competitive functional foods category by producing The Original Refrigerated Protein Bar. Alongside older brother and CEO Bill, and their 11 siblings, Leigh has played an integral role in the continued success of Perfect Bar with functions spanning all facets of the company, including marketing, accounting, operations and human resources; having grown the company, today, to nearly 100 employees. Over the course of 13 years, Leigh has been consistent in her leadership style, grounded in the family culture and work-life balance on which the brand was founded. As COO, she remains steadfast in building healthy communities from the inside out, which is evident by the Perfect Bar’s clean ingredient labels, industry accolades, employee volunteer and benefits package, and regular donations to hundreds of charities each year. Learn more at www.perfectbar.com.

• Bill Keith, CEO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar
• Leigh Keith, COO & Co-Founder, Perfect Bar

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Networking Break & Livestream Studio

Big Deal! Bringing RXBAR and Kellogg Together

• Janica Lane

  Managing Director, Piper Jaffray

  

  Janica Lane

  Managing Director, Piper Jaffray

  Janica Lane is a managing director at Piper Jaffray focused on providing investment banking and M&A advisory services to consumer companies in healthy, active and sustainable living industries, with a focus on food and beverage, as well as nutritional supplements. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, Lane was a partner at Partnership Capital Growth, a boutique investment bank providing M&A and private placement services to health and wellness-oriented businesses. Prior to investment banking, Lane was a researcher at Stanford University’s Center for Environmental Science and Policy (CESP) and an equity research associate on Prudential Securities’ energy team. Lane has a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She received dual bachelor's degrees (international relations and Spanish) with Phi Beta Kappa honors from Stanford University. She spent six months living in Santiago, Chile, as part of her undergraduate education and is fluent in Spanish.

• Peter Rahal

  CEO & Co-Founder, RXBAR
• Jared Rosenbaum

  Senior Director, Corporate Development & Strategy, Kellogg

• Janica Lane, Managing Director, Piper Jaffray
• Peter Rahal, CEO & Co-Founder, RXBAR
• Jared Rosenbaum, Senior Director, Corporate Development & Strategy, Kellogg

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Good Time or Hard Time: Innovating at the Right Time

• Joel Clark

  CEO, Kodiak Cakes

  

  Joel Clark

  CEO, Kodiak Cakes

  Joel Clark began selling homemade flapjack mixes out of his red wagon at just 8 years old. Years later, Joel’s brother Jon took the family pancake recipe and started Kodiak Cakes in 1995. Joel took over the company in 1997 while going to college and working other jobs to keep the fledgling pancake business alive, and has been running the company ever since. Headquartered in Park City, Utah, Kodiak Cakes has grown into a multimillion dollar business with products in multiple grocery categories. Joel went to school for his undergraduate degree in economics at the University of Utah, and then went on to get his MBA at Oxford University in England.

• Joel Clark, CEO, Kodiak Cakes

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Lunch & Livestream Studio

Pitch Slam Volume 4 Presented by 301 INC

Pitch Slam Volume 4: Sara's Snacks

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Pitch Slam Volume 4: Watermelon Road

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Pitch Slam Volume 4: Bohana

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Pitch Slam Volume 4: Grateful Sons

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Pitch Slam Volume 4: SimplyFuel

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Innovation and Emerging Brands in Convenience

• Ashley Borden

  Product Director – Center of Store, 7-Eleven

  

  Ashley Borden

  Product Director – Center of Store, 7-Eleven

  Ashley Borden joined global c-store retailer 7-Eleven Inc. in 2012 and assumed her current role as Center of Store Product Director in February of 2017. During her 5 years with 7 Eleven, Ashley has successfully managed a variety of food and non-food categories: Senior Category Manager of Confectionery as well as the Category Manager for Wireless. As a member of the Merchandising team, Ashley has spearheaded initiatives which focus on managing external relationships with vendors, improving internal collaboration between cross-functional business units and developing extensive merchandising plans which emphasize customer segmentation and exclusive brand product launches. Ashley has a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas Christian University. She enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family.

• Ashley Borden, Product Director – Center of Store, 7-Eleven

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The Wrap-Up: A Special Discussion on the Changing Food Business

• Gary Hirshberg

  Co-Founder & Chief Organic Optimist, Stonyfield Farm

  

  Gary Hirshberg

  Co-Founder & Chief Organic Optimist, Stonyfield Farm

  Gary Hirshberg is Co-Founder and Chief Organic Optimist of Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yogurt producer, and the author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World (Hyperion, 2008). Gary frequently speaks on topics including sustainability, organic agriculture and the profitability of green business. Gary serves on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Blue Apron, Forager, Orgain, Peak Organic Brewing, and UNreal chocolates as well as Advisory Board member for Applegate. He has received 12 honorary doctorates and numerous awards for corporate and environmental leadership including a 2015 Champion for Children Award from Mount Sinai Hospital’s Children’s Environmental Health Center and a Lifetime Achievement Award by the US EPA.

• Shazi Visram

  Founder & ChairMom, Happy Family Brands

  

  Shazi Visram

  Founder & ChairMom, Happy Family Brands

  Shazi Visram is an entrepreneur and mother committed to bettering the world through business that is socially, financially, and environmentally enlightened. Visram is the Founder and ChairMom of Happy Family Brands, which she led to become the #1 organic baby food company in the US market with disruptive innovations that have democratized organic food for new families. Visram's business focus is rooted in an unflinching dedication to the health and wellness of children and families around the world. As an advocate of social entrepreneurship, Visram is actively engaged as an investor and advisor to companies innovating for a brighter future, including EpiBone, Bulletproof, Ovia Health, Frontier Nutrition, and Recycle Track Systems. Additionally, Visram holds a seat on the board of Environmental Working Group and serves on the Board of Overseers at her alma mater, Columbia Business School.

• Bill Weiland

  Founder & CEO, Presence Marketing

  

  Bill Weiland

  Founder & CEO, Presence Marketing

  Bill started working in a natural food store when he was 16 and began reading books on nutrition and healthy living at a fervent pace. Paavo Airola, Norman Walker and Paul Bragg were some of the early natural food enthusiasts who influenced his lifestyle choices, along with the inimitable Dr. John R. Christopher, an early pioneer in herbal medicine. After nearly a dozen years of working in the Natural Products Industry, in varied roles within the sales and retail sectors, he launched Presence Marketing in January, 1990. He is surrounded by a dedicated cast of creative and intelligent people who carry out the mission of bringing healthy products to consumers, with great energy, passion, and resolve. With nearly 35 years of industry experience, he is uniquely qualified to lead Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence during booming as well as unstable economic times. His passion for sustainable agriculture, healthy foods and integrated medicine are key drivers behind his commitment to continue building Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence, the only independently owned, national - natural products brokerage in the United States.

• Gary Hirshberg, Co-Founder & Chief Organic Optimist, Stonyfield Farm
• Shazi Visram, Founder & ChairMom, Happy Family Brands
• Bill Weiland, Founder & CEO, Presence Marketing

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Pitch Slam Winner Announcement & Conference End