Food Marketing Summit highlights growth of food industry offerings at School of Business

The SUNY New Paltz School of Business hosted its first annual Food Marketing Summit on March 30. The event featured a panel of food industry leaders, each of whom shared a singular perspective on the business of food with the many students and community members in attendance.

Executives from Shop Rite Supermarkets, C&S Wholesale Grocers, JOH Food Brokers, Satin Fine Foods, Inc. and the online grocer Rosie discussed their approaches to overcoming the challenges posed in this dynamic industry, and counseled students on the professional and personal value of careers in food.

The event was held as the School of Business prepares to unveil a Food Marketing program for students. Two new courses, titled “Food Retail Management” and “Food Category Management,” will debut in fall 2016, both instructed by marketing Lecturer Russell Zwanka.

“I believe you shouldn’t start anything without a vision and a mission,” Zwanka said, “and we want our Food Marketing program to be the recognized leader of food industry education, and the top track for employment opportunities. There’s really no one that offers a strong, public, undergraduate program in this content area in New York, and we see an opportunity to build one right here.”

The new courses’ curricula focuses on all aspects of this international industry: distribution, category management, retail and merchandising. Special attention will be paid to how traditional marketing strategies, concepts and tactics can be tailored to suit the particular demands of the food business.

The School of Business is developing these new courses in hopes of offering students more chances to meet with industry leaders at events such as the Food Marketing Summit, participate in national and international conferences like the National Grocers Association Case Competition (which four students attended earlier this month), and ultimately gain access to internship and placement opportunities.

“It’s been a whirlwind of activity, bringing these new ideas and new opportunities to our programs, and a lot of our students are getting really excited,” said School of Business Dean Kristin Backhaus.

The expansion of these offerings for New Paltz business students coincides with rising demand for talented managers and executives across all areas of the food industry, as an anticipated wave of “baby boomer” retirements is expected to have an outside impact in this field.

The Food Marketing Summit was sponsored by Delhaize, C & S Wholesale, Satin Fine Foods, Rosie, JOH Food Brokers, Shop Rite Supermarkets, Tripe Eight Marketing, the Hudson Valley Food & Beverage Alliance and the New Paltz chapter of the American Marketing Association.

More information about the School of Business is available online.