“Change does not necessarily assure progress, but progress implacably requires change.”
~ Henry Steele Commager

The above quote seems to be particularly insightful as it relates to our exciting recent announcement about changes to our Membership and organizational structure. Your Board of Directors unanimously voted to create a new Pet Food Council, our first new Council in twelve years. The addition of this new Council will expand opportunities for involvement, coverage, and participation across an even wider spectrum of the food, beverage and packaging industries that we serve. Likewise, the Board also approved the creation of an entirely new structure of new member groups now called “Networks“. The focus for establishing Food Safety, Packaging, and Technology Networks to join our already existing Women's and Young Professionals groups is to create new avenues of member participation and provide substantive expertise and content development that will benefit the Association's entire membership. To learn more about the our “new networks” please review the information contained in our FAQ document. Likewise, we are eager to secure volunteers from your team to participate in the Pet Food Council and Networks and you can do so by submitting your name to Dolores Alonso at dalonso@fpsa.org.

I would also want to take this opportunity to inform you of a series of new free global trend studies that will soon be released by the Association. The below list of studies that will be available:

• September – Processing Equipment
• October – Prepared Foods Market
• November – Confectionery Market
• December – Fruit & Vegetables

These reports help you to better understand current trends and how they project out over the next five years and plan accordingly. These studies join the Packaging Equipment and the Automation Equipment studies that were made available to the past two months, and can be secured by contacting Ann Marie Penaranda at apenaranda@fpsa.org.

Lastly, I hope you have already secured your travel/hotel and registered for our upcoming outstanding fourth Fall Sales Conference which will take place at the Sheraton Chicago O'Hare Airport Hotel, September 17th -19th. This year's day and a half conference has a great slate of outstanding presenters. Key speakers include:

• Jeff Bloomfield, CEO, Braintrust – “Sales Isn't Rocket Science. It's Neuroscience.”
• Mark Hunter, CSP, The Sales Hunter – “High-Profit Prospecting: Breakthrough Results Require Breakthrough Strategies!”
• Matt Heinz, President/Founder, Heinz Marketing – “Content That Converts: A Proven, Profitable & Scalable Approach.”
• Kelly Riggs, Founder/President, Chief Sales Officer, The Business LockerRoom -“Winning Business in the Modern Sales Environment.”

We greatly appreciate your continued support and participation in the Association's activities, and I value receiving your comments and suggestions on how we can better serve you. Always feel free to reach out to me at dseckman@fpsa.org or at 703-663-1200.

Sincerely,
David Seckman
President/CEO, FPSA