Motivation is key to a positive company culture. It underpins why we work and how we work. So what is motivation and how do you motivate your employees?  Motivation in the workplace is the desire to work hard, produce great quality work and continue to develop as a professional.  To be motivated as individuals, we need to feel engaged with the work we’re doing. A recent Gallup study of 350,000 respondents found that only 30% of individuals were actually engaged as employees, and in many companies efforts to develop and improve talent have remained stagnant. Although employee engagement is not a direct measurement of motivation, a lack of engagement is certainly an indicator that businesses may be struggling to motivate and develop their employees.  To fully motivate and engage your people, you need to understand what motivation is, how we experience it as individuals and what motivators will drive the best performance. 

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Understand the impact company culture has on today’s  modern workforce
• Distinguish between a variety of motivators that can be used with positive impact
• Have an increased awareness of the top five issues affecting employee training and development
• Identify strategies to improve employee retention

Presenter

Emily Bowers, BEMA

Presentation Time

Monday, February 27 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Monday, February 27 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

Recent US consumer surveys show that package labels help to drive purchase decisions for food products. Hence, the consumer perception of ingredients list has been increasingly important while taste and value are still key criteria for purchasing.

The clean label trend has grown owing to the increasing skepticism of consumers about ingredients that they do not understand or recognize. The reality is that there is not one single definition of clean label. Accordingly, a toolbox by combining various kinds of ingredients are needed to meet the full scope of requirements for bakery applications. An overview of key ingredients is outlined here below for yeast-raised baked goods.

Enzymes are key ingredients with a very wide spectrum of use including clean label. Indeed, as the use of any processing aid or enzyme in food processing does not trigger GE labeling of the food, regardless whether the enzyme is produced with genetic engineering.

An enzyme is a protein, not a living organism, made by fermentation and therefore by nature cannot be a GMO.

However, it can be produced by a genetically modified micro-organism (GMM) but the GMM is always grown in contained use. The enzyme is separated from its production microorganism after fermentation.

After this presentation, participants will gain an understanding of:

• What are the formuation requirements relative to clean label
• How to formulate with enzymes
• How are enzymes made

Monday, February 27 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM

The history of bread baking can be traced back to the stone age period at least 30,000 years ago. The Roman Empire is credited with creating the earliest known commercial baking processes in 300 BC. To be a baker was an important job and a highly respected and artistic profession. This still holds true today, however with regulators and auditors constantly tightening traceability requirements, the profession has taken on a larger and more critical role in society.

After this presentation, participants will:

• Learn about Traceability options for Bakeries
• Review which Traceability option is suitable
• Understand what Traceability means for quality control

Monday, February 27 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

In today’s baking industry, many experienced persons are retiring. Smart companies understand that they cannot afford to let this valuable insight and knowledge be lost. It is the purpose of this paper to do three things:

1. Outline areas where experience makes a big difference in business results for bakers of any size and scope. Part of this section is to show where lack of perspective gained by experience is costly.
2. Suggest strategies and tactics to capture this experience from targeted persons.
3. Suggest ways in which this knowledge can be converted to cost-effective training programs.

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate the possible financial impact of the loss of talent
• Understand ways to capture knowledge before it leaves the company
• Reduce the learning curve for needed knowledge on the team

Monday, February 27 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

Product makers, ingredients suppliers and food media showed a sudden interest in sprouted grains in early 2015.  Curiosity, interest and demand remain strong through late 2016.  According to one sprouted bread manufacturer “it took 25 years to become an overnight sensation.”

What triggered the sudden excitement?  Why are we so intrigued by sprouted grains and other sprouted foods?  Does this trend have the potential for long term success?  Or, is it a passing fad?

This presentation will examine the phenomenon of sprouted grains from two perspectives – science and health, and societal values and emotional needs.  The audience will gain understanding and appreciation for both sides of the story.

Attendees of this presentation will learn about:

• Marketplace size and sales trends – how big is it? How big will it get?
• The Garden of Eden and the emotional drivers of interest in sprouted grains
• The nutrition drivers of interest in sprouted grains
• Challenges in developing sprouted wheat flours
• Some tips for baking with sprouted flours

Monday, February 27 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

In today’s connected world, Social Media plays a valuable role in the strong marketing efforts for your company.  Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn can help you acquire new leads, connect with existing customers, develop brand loyalty, and more.  But, are social media best practices vastly different for B2B versus consumer brands? Discover the steps you need to follow to interact with prospects, journalists, and other key influencers in your industry.

• Identify Target Audiences: A clear understanding of your key audiences guarantees social media success.
• Select Platforms: Some outlets are better for driving traffic; others are for building credibility.
• Develop Your Voice: A consistent tone is required.
• Build a Following:  Share an integrated mix of original content like blog posts and press releases.
• Monitor Results:  Recognize the three critical stages of Social Media’s marketing path.
• Jump in:  Learn ways to get involved today with other ASB members—our social media strategy welcomes you!

Monday, February 27 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

This paper highlight different types of work visas people obtain to work in The US. Foreign Nationals working in The US have various types of work visas available to them depending upon their nationality, type of work, purpose of work, duration of work/project etc. All types of visa come with their own rules, limitations, timelines and obligations which the paper covers. This paper highlights the pro’s and con’s for various visas focusing on the most common types.

This paper includes recommendations and advisory for the employers. Due to ignorance, there are complicated rules, which get broken very easily and can cause severe fines and bad reputations for the company. At the same time, there are some simple rules to follow which keep companies in compliance.

This paper also includes dos and don’ts for the individuals. Depending on their visa type, they have several restrictions as well as flexibilities which need to be kept in mind for both employees and employers. The paper also includes a few case studies including my own visa, story and learning’s.

After this presentation, participants will gain an understanding of:

• Types of Work Visas: Pro’s & Con’s
• Things to keep in mind for Employers
• Do’s & Don’ts for Employee

Monday, February 27 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Modern Baked goods are often attributed with contributing to the dietary gaps (whole grains, salt, sugar, and empty calories). In Bakery 2.0 the industry tried to address these health concerns but, unfortunately, the resulting products were bland and did not attract consumers.

So are Taste & Nutrition mutually exclusive in the Baked Goods? No! The lessons Bakery 2.0 taught us that even though health consciousness is rising in the consumers’ minds we must also win taste too.

In bakery 3.0, taste and nutrition both get consideration. Technologies such as no calorie sweeteners to control added sugar, enzymes to improve flour quality, texturants to improve mouthfeel, natural flavors to modulate or mask challenging flavors, and sprouting grains to increase the amount and bio-availability of essential vitamins & mineral will help achieve the taste and nutrition customers demand. Bread 3.0 is not all about what can be removed, but fortification technologies can improve vitamin and mineral profiles, which can be powerful tools in helping Americans fill common nutrition gaps. Finally, clean labels that replace technically complicated functional ingredients with kitchen pantry style ingredients can entice customers and will help the taste and nutrition of Bread 3.0 achieve market success!

Overall, this presentation will provide insights as well as examples to help Americans achieve their health and nutrition goals, while also providing them with the great taste they desire.

After this presentation, participants will gain an understanding of:

• Role of nutrition in health
• Food ingredients most common in poor health
• Role of Baked good in health
• Importance of taste and nutrition
• Examples of nutrition improvements to baked good that also provide taste

Monday, February 27 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM

Internet of Things (IoT) has not only been the latest tech buzz word, it’s been perceived as the next major tech initiative for enterprises.  As popular as it is though, the definitions of IoT are as vast as it’s offerings.  Enterprise IoT is no different, giving operations opportunities to improve workflows and visibility into data they didn’t have before.

Whether it’s tracking customers’ buying habits to better serve consumers, to adding a $25 sensor to production equipment to better track/reduce maintenance costs.

BakingTech Attendees need to know, and will walk away, with a better understanding of IoT, it’s flexibility and IoT innovations coming in the near future.  But most importantly how to apply IoT to their operations today!

After this presentation, participants will gain an understanding of:

• Clear definition of Enterprise Internet of Things
• How flexible and accessible Enterprise IoT can be to bakeries of any size
• Examples of real Enterprise IoT innovations and use cases
• A new mindset to start solving problems or pulling data from their operations that they didn’t know were possible before

Tuesday, February 28  9:55 AM – 10:40 AM

Presentation description to follow.
Panel
Moderator: Lin Carson, BAKERpedia
Panelists: Brent Bradshaw, Flowers Foods; Dean Folkvord, Wheat Montana; Todd Wallin, Ellison Bakery; Julie Nargang, Azteca Foods Inc

Tuesday, February 28  1:35 PM – 2:20 PM

Product specific characteristics are defined by the amount of energy and the type of energy being delivered to the product during baking.  Energy is transferred to the product via three different mechanisms, each of which can be described by a Heat Flux component associated with radiation, convection, and conduction.  Each of these modes of heat transfer is present in commercial baking ovens.

Heat Flux profiles are used to study the amount of energy, and type of energy, experienced by a product during the baking process.  This presentation will take attendees through three steps:

1. A unique, easy to understand, explanation of heat flux theory
2. A heat flux experiment on a real tunnel oven baking real product
3. Conclude with benchmark heat flux profiles on radiant, convection and impingement ovens baking biscuits, crackers, bread and buns

The three steps will answer the following questions:

• What is heat flux?
• Why measure heat flux?
• How do I use heat flux profiles?

After this presentation, attendees will learn:

• Understand energy transfer in the baking process and how it is measured
• Use heat flux profiles as a production and engineering tool to improve baking
• Adjust the radiation and convection heat fluxes in a baking process

Presenter
Richard Starke, Reading Thermal

Presentation Time
Tuesday, February 28  1:35 PM – 2:20 PM