14 Dec BIF | New Members & 2018 Projects Announced

Seven new members joined BIF, the Baking Industry Forum, expanding the team to 18 members. The group is comprised of bakers and suppliers and they work together to explore common issues within the baking industry.  New members joining in 2018 include bakers:  John Mulloy (151 Foods), Audrey St. Onge (SK Foods), and Luis Vargas (Bimbo Bakeries, USA). Joining as new suppliers are: Rowdy Brixey (Brixey Engineering), Sergio Caballero (FoodTools, Inc.), Delia Justable (Forbo Siegling, LLC), and Jeff Dearduff (The Austin Company), Jeff Dearduff and Rowdy Brixey have both served previously on BIF as bakers and are now continuing their commitment on the supplier side.

The BIF team and BEMA staff outside Intralox in New Orleans.

Returning for another term to serve on BIF and representing the baker segment are Brandon Heiser (Roskam Baking), Mike Porter (Genesis Baking Company), Mario Somoza (Pan Pepin), Karl Thorson (General Mills), Pat Wilkens (Highland Bakeries), and Robert Benton (Flowers Foods) in an advisory role. Mike LaValle (Intralox), Nick Magistrelli (Rademaker USA, Inc.), Vince Tamberello (ProMach), Brandon Woods (LeMatic), and Matt Ungashick (Shick Esteve) will continue to serve representing suppliers.

Recently, the expanded BIF team met in New Orleans,  in a half-day working session to plan their projects for the current term. The key topics of relevance in  2018 include analytics, lean manufacturing and the GMA checklist for sanitary design. Additionally, the team is  working to update the list of certification and association acronyms knows as “alphabet soup.” This list is an important resource for newcomers to the industry.

Also, while in New Orleans, the team toured Intralox and met with the owner, Jay Lapeyre who shared insights around corporate culture.