ORLANDO, Fla. — Food Marketing Institute on Tuesday said it has honored former Campbell Soup executive Douglas R. Conant with its William H. Albers Industry Relations Award for his excellence in trading partner relations. FMI also honored retailer Art Potash with its Glen P. Woodard, Jr. Award recognizing outstanding contributions on behalf of the food industry in government and public affairs. The awards were presented at FMI’s annual Midwinter Executive Conference here.
Conant, Campbell’s former president and chief executive officer, was honored for helping Campbell Soup reverse declining market value behind strategic investments in leadership, marketing and products. Conant, FMI said, was instrumental in working with retailers to augment store experiences and trading partner relations, developing the innovative, in-store iQ Maximizer racks aimed at improving shopper experiences by organizing soups into “Shoppable Chunks.” This customer improvement translated to improvements in retail operations, as supermarkets witnessed a decrease in both labor needed for restocking shelves and loss from expired foods.
Potash, CEO of Chicago’s Potash Markets, received the Woodward Award for his efforts in representing independent operators on Capitol Hill. During the initial process of swipe fee legislation in 2010, Potash and Potash Markets answered the call to action against big banks in support of Main Street businesses, hosting two press conferences on the subject in Chicago and Washington, D.C., FMI said.
Potash serves as vice-chair of FMI’s Public Affairs Committee. FMI lauded his “bipartisan spirit … evident in his service on several retail committees and his dedication to battling Wall Street on behalf of the industry.”
