Food & Beverage brands continue to move forward even while most states observe a Stay at Home policy. Marketers are challenged with continuing to grow their brand while at the same time not being tone deaf. Additionally, new products that have been in the pipeline for months need to be launched but the question is when is the right time. Joel Warady will lead a lively discussion with two seasoned brand marketers.

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IANQDBtiQk27yKIDNPw-YA

Joining us for this conversation:

Joel Warady (Series Host), CFBN Chairman, Speaker & Strategic Advisor

Joel Warady recently ended his tenure as General Manager, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Enjoy Life Foods, a leading brand in the North American Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly food and snack category that experienced 18 consecutive years of growth under his guidance. In 2015, Joel was part of the two-person management team that successfully negotiated an acquisition by Mondelez International.

In the past few years, he has been ranked as one of the Top 50 CMOs on Twitter by Social Media Marketing Magazine, one of the Top 50 Most Influential CMOs on Social Media by Forbes.com, was included in Brand Quarterly magazine’s list of 50 Marketing Thought Leaders Over 50, and most recently recognized as Twitter’s Most Influential Marketers by AgencySpotter. Post-acquisition, Joel was tapped to provide valuable insights to the Mondelez management team in helping them create best practices on how best to merge the culture of emerging brands whose foundations are built on trust and transparency, while taking advantage of the global expertise that a large multinational can bring to the business. He played varying roles in Mondelez’s investments in Hu Kitchen, Perfect Snacks, and Uplift Foods.

Michelle Lorge, Vice President of Marketing, Simple Mills

Simple Mills is a Chicago-based company at the forefront of a clean food movement that is shaping the next generation of natural foods. Winner of the 2017 Chicago Innovation Awards, Simple Mills was founded in 2013 to provide a cleaner alternative to the natural baking mixes then on the market. Today, despite a crowded market space with long-established competitors, Simple Mills ranks as the #1 largest natural baking mix brand and the #2 largest natural cracker brand, by dollar volume.

At Simple Mills, Michelle has been responsible for leading the company’s marketing organization and spearheading the company’s product introductions since 2015.  Prior to joining Simple Mills, she spent 12 years with Kraft Foods in Brand Management & Innovation spanning products such as A.1. Steak Sauce, Grey Poupon, Cool Whip, Philadelphia, Kraft MilkBite and Cracker Barrel cheese.  She holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a BA from Michigan State University and a Health Coaching certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Jim Low, President, Rip Van

Jim is the President of Rip Van, a snack food start-up, based in Brooklyn, NY, but currently operating from sites across North America.  Jim’s passion is to create positive change for businesses and teams looking for a turnaround or new direction.  He is a snack brand veteran, having spent 20 years leading brands both big and  small.  He began his business career at Nabisco (now Mondelez International).  His brand work includes developing the Effie-award winning “Open for Fun” campaign for Ritz,   “Twittervention” for Wheat Thins and “Home Farming” for Triscuit.  Jim has also led confections brands like Trident Gum and Trolli Gummi Candy.  Jim was the  General Manager of Enjoy Life Foods, the nation’s leading free-from food company,  and EVP for Marketing and Sales for Schuman Cheese.  Prior to entering the private sector, Jim held roles as a Congressional staffer and as a social worker for Covenant House, a shelter for homeless kids.