The American Bakers Association is excited to announce a dynamic lineup of speakers for this year’s ABA 2019 Convention: Power of Bakery. Here is a closer look at one of the four key sessions at this year’s Convention:

Tapping into the Power of Bakery Panel
Monday, April 8, 2019, 11:15 am – 12:45 pm

Featuring representatives from e-commerce, foodservice, and retail grocery, experts will address the needs of their respective segments, the trends they are seeing, and how the baking industry can help them succeed.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Robb MacKie, president & CEO of the American Bakers Association, and Leslie Sarasin, president & CEO of the Food Marketing Institute.

“It’s important for our members to understand how to tap into Power of Bakery’s findings,” said Robb MacKie, president and CEO, American Bakers Association. “We hear how critical it is to understand trends around topics such as block chain and e-commerce. We are blessed to have experts from various retail segments at Convention to present specific challenges, successes, and trends from their real-world experiences.”

Panelists:

Rainer Glaubitz, SPAR International
Sam Mayberry, Sam Mayberry Consulting LLC
Matthew Riddleburger, Firehouse Restaurant Group

More on the Panelists and Moderators:

Rainer Glaubitz is responsible for the International Commercial & Food Services Support at SPAR International, headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. SPAR is the world’s leading voluntary food retail chain with a network of 12,777 stores and a presence in 47 countries worldwide. He joined the SPAR organization in 2006 as National Fresh Bakery Product Development Manager for SPAR South Africa Limited. In 2010 he took on the responsibility for the SPAR Group Bakery Portfolio for Southern Africa.

Rainer is equipped with a German Master Baking Degree and Bachelor of Arts (Honors) European Business from Cambridge, UK. His passion is global food retailing and, in specific, building HERO Categories through innovative 'plug & play' in-store concepts within the domains of Fresh Foods & Food Services. Since 2018, Rainer is an active FMI Fresh Foods Leadership committee member.

Robb MacKie has served as president and CEO of the American Bakers Association (ABA) since 2006. Mr. MacKie serves as the baking industry’s chief advocate and spokesperson and oversees all aspects of the administration and operations of ABA. He previously served as ABA vice president of government relations. 

A recognized leader of the Washington business community, Mr. MacKie serves as the co-chair of the Food and Beverage Issues Alliance and facilitator of the food and beverage association CEOs forum. In addition, he is active in the prestigious U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100 and the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations. Mr. MacKie also provides strategic guidance as chair of the Kansas State University Grain Sciences and Industry Advisory Committee and serves on the Food Marketing Institute’s Fresh Leadership Council.

Sam Mayberry has spent more than 30 years building and leading teams to develop cutting edge business strategies in the retail, wholesale and eCommerce channels. He has held executive positions in merchandising, operations, and private label at Supervalu, Albertson’s and most recently at Amazon, as the Head of Product Development.

At Amazon, he helped launch Wickedly Prime, a flavor and trend forward brand with a global focus. A central theme throughout his career is creating and launching powerful strategies that drive business growth. Whether it’s launching a mega brand like Essential Everyday, creating national consumer segmentation strategies or leading a merchandising startup, his vision, passion and ability to communicate concepts continues to help companies differentiate their business strategies.

Matthew Riddleberger is the vice president of supply chain services (Procurement and Distribution, and Product Development) at Firehouse Restaurant Group, a fast-casual restaurant brand. Since 2006 he has been responsible for all procurement and distribution for this 1,100+ unit $800+ million dollar chain. Mr. Riddleberger spent over 10 years with a Fortune 100 broadline distributor managing merchandising and marketing for a $325 million dollar operating company. He is experienced in developing strategic plans and executing them. Mr. Riddleberger also has over 15 years of operational experience in the hospitality industry.

Mr. Riddleberger sits on two industry boards. He is a current board member and past vice chairman of the National Restaurant Association Supply Chain Study Group and has been a member of the board since 2012, and an advisory board member of the International Food Manufacturer Association. He is also a member of the National Council of Chain Restaurants Supply Chain Committee In all three roles, Mr. Riddleberger works to identify and find solutions for industry-wide issues as well as advocating for the interests of the industry.

Leslie G. Sarasin is the president and chief executive officer of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), which proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education, health and wellness and industry relations. FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to almost 1,000 ­­­food retail and wholesale member companies and serves 85 international retail member companies. Under her leadership, FMI has emerged as a member centered organization helping food retailing venues find new and future facing ways of feeding families and enriching lives. A committed collaborator, Sarasin has infused FMI with a vision of cooperative action that amplifies the association’s ability to assist its members in addressing the critical industry issues of the day.

Prior to joining FMI, Sarasin spent 19 years at the American Frozen Food Institute, serving as president and CEO for the last nine of those years. She also held positions at the National Yogurt Association, Frozen Potato Products Institute, International Frozen Food Association, National Food Brokers Association, Crest International Corporation and Salomon Brothers. Sarasin holds a JD from the University of San Diego and a BA in economics from Smith College.