DALLAS — The first-ever Future Connect leadership development conference, staged here last week by Food Marketing Institute, covered a range of topics over a three-day span, and SN was on hand reporting live throughout the day on its website via the Total Access blog.
Following is a sampling of comments made at the conference as reported by SN, found within stories available online at http://total-access.supermarketnews.com:
• “Great [corporate] culture, while important and necessary, is insufficient,” said Bob Whitman, chairman and chief executive officer, FranklinCovey, Salt Lake City, in a presentation on leadership.
• “Us dinosaurs have to be willing to learn,” said Don McGeorge, the soon-to-be-retired president of Kroger Co., Cincinnati, in a presentation on projecting a positive image. “I don't tweet, but I am going to learn.”
• “Private label has caused manufacturers to become more accountable and invest in brand equities,” said Patty Ahlert, vice president, KUSA Category Management and Shopper Insights, Kellogg Co. “We call that renovation, or true innovation rather than line extensions.”
• “If you have a career that lasts five days or five years or 25 years, no two days will be the same,” said Malcolm Calhoun, director of marketing for Calhoun Food Markets, Montgomery, Ala.
• “You need to develop multicultural competencies,” said Trudy Bourgeois, president and CEO of the Center for Workforce Excellence, a consulting firm specializing in minority and women personnel matters. “Your employees are going to be global, and you need to have allowances for that.”
• “Corporate dietitians must build trust relationships with consumers,” said Karen Buch, director of Lifestyle Initiatives, Weis Markets, Sunbury, Pa. “They have to advocate for consumers even though they work for retailers. Our goal is to guide consumers to make healthier choices.”
