CHICAGO — About 130 representatives from 60 companies attended the inaugural meeting of Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE).
The Women’s Foodservice Forum operates in the foodservice industry, and the Network of Executive Women in the national-brand consumer goods industry, so the time was right to give women in the store-brand business a voice, said Peggy Davies, chairperson of WISE and vice president of vegetable business and industrial sales for McCain Foods USA.
“Our goal is to bring diversity of thought to the table,” Davies told SN.
The first meeting was held last week at the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s trade show here.
WISE has 16 board members representing manufacturers, retailers, consultants and brokers. Both men and women are part of the group.
PLMA 2012 blog: Conscious Discipline
“We took the PLMA membership model and adapted it for us,” said Davies.
Board members include Laura Sturdevant, director for product development for private brands at Walgreens, and Jennifer Rees, account manager of new business development at Kroger’s private-label division. Other founding companies include Faribault Foods, Federated Group, Hormel Foods and Ralston Food Group.
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