01 Sep Chairman’s Message

My wife, Michelle, and I are lucky enough to have traveled the world – most often with an extra suitcase. We fill that suitcase with diapers, medicine, tooth brushes, clothing and even dog treats and Mardi Gras beads. We have walked through streets of places from Thailand to Cuba sharing the contents. I know that many BEMA families and companies find ways to share time, talent and treasure as well.

Like recognizes like. In the case of BEMA, we not only find similarities in what we do and the customers and industry we serve, but in how we do it. BEMA members conduct business with an integrity that extends beyond business deliverables. We seek ways to give back and make the world better whether in our own facility, our hometown, or across the globe.

From BEMA’s beginning this has been our way. We were founded with the goal of bringing companies together to support the World War I effort. BEMA and its members’ willingness to contribute to something larger than ourselves took root in an industry that has helped to feed the world, created jobs supporting countless families including mine, and provided financial support, totaling millions, for industry initiatives.

We’re celebrating our 100th Anniversary in many ways this year. First, we’re asking you to share your company’s most significant contributions to baking at www.bema.org/100years. Throughout the year, industry press will feature stories on BEMA’s contributions and future plans. At Summit, we’ll celebrate with a gala for the entire industry, and at Convention we’ll work side-by-side at our first-ever “service day” to give back a little from all that we have received. You are invited to come along for this year-long celebration, and don’t forget to bring that extra suitcase.