WASHINGTON, DC — December 3, 2004 — Customer loyalty, financial management, leadership development and staff performance are among the essential topics to be addressed at Today’s Managers, Tomorrow’s Leaders, a unique executive development program presented by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and The Food Industry Leadership Center of Portland State University. Designed for executives and senior level managers from retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers, the program will be held February 27 – March 4, 2005, at the Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA.
     

“The Today’s Managers, Tomorrow’s Leaders program offers participants a practical, solution-oriented approach to today’s management issues,” said Kimberly Roberts, FMI’s senior manager of education. “The focus is on developing innovative solutions to the on-the-job challenges that tomorrow’s leaders will confront.”
     

Utilizing case studies, role-playing, team discussions and lectures, the program takes a highly interactive approach to presenting current and emerging successful business practices in the food industry. Participants will take away numerous benefits, which will include learning how the various segments of the food, beverage and packaged goods industry are interrelated; building managerial and executive skills in creating solutions to common problems; gaining insight from top-level executives from prominent companies; examining personal management and leadership strategies; and making valuable industry contacts by working in cross-functional teams.
     

Specific subjects that will be addressed at the conference include:

• Developing Corporate Strategy — Uses an integrative business case to critically examine the connection between the different functional areas of a company with the development of a growth strategy. Participants will critically evaluate different growth alternatives for a rapidly growing food company, make recommendations for a specific growth strategy, and present their recommendations to a panel of senior executives, who will provide feedback.




• Increasing Customer Loyalty — Teaches participants the basics of implementing marketing plans to increase consumer loyalty and improve share of household competition.




• Financial Management — Utilizes actual financial statements from companies to teach participants how to navigate the maze of financial reports, evaluate financial information and use financial information to make decisions.




• Key Elements in Negotiation — Explores the key factors that influence negotiation outcomes, such as gender, age, education, planning, and tools and tactics.




• Supply and Logistics Management — Examines the components of the supply chain, and the supply and logistics functions.




• Staff Performance — Focuses on improving participants’ ability to make hiring decisions as well as provide techniques to assist managers on a daily basis as they handle crisis situations and strive to increase employee performance.




• Leadership and Team Development — Explores new ideas for leadership, putting collaborative problem-solving concepts into action by engaging in facilitated activities that require innovation, collective decision-making and genuine teamwork.




• Managing Change, Transition and Conflict — Demonstrates how to master the challenge of change and the inherent conflict that occurs.




• Balancing Life — Examines ways to break through old habits and put in place new ones that will have an immediate impact on the overall quality of life and allow participants to function at their optimal level.

     
Highlighting the conference will be visits from industry executives who will provide key insights in an informal setting outside the classroom.
     

For more information on the Today’s Managers, Tomorrow’s Leaders conference, contact Kimberly Roberts (202-220-0720, kroberts@fmi.org) or visit the FMI Web site (www.fmi.org).