We have a tremendous amount of activity underway at the Snack Food Association, all of it intended to provide solid value for our member companies.

On the political front, we continue to work hard to represent the industry on key legislative issues, and our Day in D.C. program in mid-May was an important part of that effort. It was a tremendous opportunity to meet with members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, visit the U.S. Supreme Court, and hear a fascinating presentation from a top official at the U.S. Defense Department. Our members met face-to-face with men and women whose decisions can affect our bottom lines and the course of our businesses.

In those meetings, we were able to discuss our positions on relevant legislation, and if we didn’t like the response, we were able to say so. If you haven’t read the article in this section about that event, I invite you to do so. For more photos and information, please check the SFA Web Site at www.sfa.org.

Now, we are looking ahead to additional important events throughout the remainder of the year, many of which focus on management issues.

In September, the SFA will partner with the National Confectioner’s Association to co-sponsor the 2007 All Candy Expo. Buyers, brokers and distributors of candy and other snack foods from around the country participate in this show each year, and we hope you will be able to participate.

The SFA again will offer a Total Quality Management Course, Sept. 10-14, at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Over four full days, TQM will include classroom presentations, hands-on labs and a plant tour.

The 2007 SFA Management Workshop will be held Oct. 21-23 at the Wyndham Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Pa. Dovetailing with the Management Workshop will be the Pretzel and Baked Snacks Seminar, also to be held at the Wyndham Gettysburg, October 23 and 24.

Check out our new online education programs developed through Saint Joseph’s University (marketing) and Ohio State University (food science). Visit www.sfa.org for detailed program and registration information. Credit goes to our Education Task force for guiding the development of this program, and I’d like to encourage all members to take advantage and let us know what you think.

Finally, I am committed to continuing the growth of our association and increasing its value to even better serve our membership. One of the SFA board’s major focuses this year will be to continue to look for ways the SFA can work more closely with other food industry associations and organizations that strengthen our industry, whether it’s in partnering on programs, sharing knowledge or pooling resources.

I look forward to your participation and encourage you to do everything you can to support the SFA and its efforts.