RETAIL EXECUTIVES HEADLINE FORUM

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Executives of Wal-Mart Stores, Albertsons, Safeway and Target Corp. will make presentations during the 11th annual Executive Forum sponsored by the Food Industry Leadership Center at Portland State University.

versity for Hispanic markets, Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark.; Mike Clawson, senior vice president, food operations, Albertsons, Boise, Idaho; Greg Cunningham, manager of community relations marketing, Target Corp., Minneapolis; Mike Hansen, vice president, customer development group, Nestle Purina PetCare, Minneapolis; Junki Yoshida, chairman and chief executive officer, Yoshida Foods International here; and Todd Hale, senior vice president, consumer insights, ACNielsen, Schaumberg, Ill.

Syd Hannigan, operations manager for the Oregon division of Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., will participate in a lifestyles panel with Laurie Demeritt, president and chief operating officer of The Hartman Group, Seattle; representatives from McDonald's and General Mills are also expected to participate.

SN will conduct a panel on the state of the industry and also present two awards: the first-ever SN Whole Health Enterprise Award to Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, Va., for focusing on consumer health and wellness, and the Retail Excellence Award. Previous winners of the Retail Excellence Award have been H.E. Butt Grocery Co., San Antonio, and Kroger Co., Cincinnati.

Preceding the Executive Forum on Oct. 17 will be the third annual Women's Leadership Forum, sponsored by Portland State and the Network of Executive Women, featuring a keynote address by Trudy Bourgeois, CEO, The Center for Workforce Excellence, Plano, Texas, and a panel with Natalie Ream, vice president, Fred Meyer Stores here, and Mitzi Short, vice president, multicultural marketing, PepsiCo.

The FILC conducts programs for Portland State students majoring in business and pursuing a food certificate; oversees ongoing executive education; conducts research; and, as part of its newest initiative, develops programs to increase diversity in the industry.

The conference raises money for student programs and also gives 35 to 40 students an opportunity to attend a real industry event and to learn how to network with executives from companies that might be their employers, said Molly Deady Washburn, associate director of the FILC.

She said registration for this year's Executive Forum is running about even with last year, noting that last year's attendance represented a 65% increase over the prior year.