Wednesday, April 19 | 7:30 a.m.
TBD
Meredith Nelson Uram
Sr. Director, North American Field Sales & Foodservice Ingredients, General MillsAbstract TBD
Wednesday, April 19 | 1-1:30 p.m.
Work Flexibility in an Ops-focused World
Danielle Crough, Interstates
Remote and Hybrid work options are now part of our new normal. With this increased flexibility in work location comes challenges related to engaging, communicating, and relationship building. In this session, we will discuss how to leverage onsite and remote team members who are instrumental in keeping a mill going. This will include setting clear expectations for all team members, fostering mutual accountability, and collaborating effectively.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.
Enhancing the Employee Experience
Brenda Thornton, ADM
In today’s competitive labor market where candidates have infinite choices in employment opportunities, the need to engage employees is pressing. Strategies will be shared on how to engage new employees from the first day and retain them. We will share employee survey findings as the basis for what colleagues desire from their employer. Using this information, you will be provided with some strategies to consider while trying to meet employee needs and expectations.
Wednesday, April 19 | 2:10-2:40 p.m
Recruiting the Next Generation
Amy Jones, Didion and Halsey Elliott, General Mills
This overview of community outreach techniques and the journey to create a job-shadowing program will be followed by a young milling professional sharing their experiences managing and working in the industry. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about how to engage with your community and understand the challenges and motivations of the next generation of the milling workforce.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1-1:30 p.m.
New Hire Safety Orientation
Moderator: Jules Stephensky, Bay State Milling Co.
Panelists: Kirk Arens, PHM Brands; Patrick Nellenbach, Star of the West Milling Company; TJ Tuetken, Ardent Mills
Members of the IAOM Environment, Health and Safety Committee will share insights into the importance of New Hire Orientation Training. This includes a discussion of the added risk new hires face in terms of injury trends, addresses the need for awareness training and hazard recognition in order to be safe in the plant, and show how to move from awareness to teaching the needed skills. Speakers will share how they have established mentoring programs to help bridge the experience gap and share best practices you can use to enhance your approach.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.
Respiratory Protection
Moderator: Marty Moran, Miller Milling
Panelists: David Frazelle, ADM and Erik Johnson, 3M
Industry experts will share their perspectives on the challenges related to respiratory protection. Learn about the best methods for protecting you and your team from particulates and find ways to manage exposure.
Wednesday, April 19 | 2:10-2:40 p.m.
Building Better Supervisors to Drive your Safety Culture
Moderator: TJ Tuetken, Ardent Mills
Panelists: Kirk Arens, PHM Brands and Jules Stephensky, Bay State Milling Co.
Industry leaders will highlight the importance of our middle management team and the skills they need to be champions of safety and set appropriate expectations. In today’s industry, with so many new supervisors, it is imperative that our middle managers have the skills they need to manage the safety of the workforce. The discussion will include topics such as policy, knowledge and skills sets, and include the testimony of a new safety supervisor.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1-1:30 p.m.
Dry Cleaning, Maintenance, and Inspection of Bulk Food Grade Railcars for Finished Flour Transport
Karl Thorson, General Mills
Finished flour is a low water activity (Aw) ingredient and therefore its bulk delivery systems should be managed as a low moisture environment. Moisture introduced to flour will increase the risk of microbial growth, both pathogens and spoilage. This is especially important for the management of ready-to-eat (RTE) flour. Moisture will also cause the flour to adhere to surfaces causing scale which is a foreign material, pest harborage, and system blockage concern. Learn how to manage these concerns for your rail delivery operations and get a glimpse into the future of railcar sanitation.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1:35-2:40 p.m.
Wheat Temper Treatment Technologies for Pathogen Mitigation in Flour Milling
Moderator: Mike Hoar, Riviana
Panelists: Rob Ames, Corbion; Darin Jensen, Energis Solutions; Kristen McCarty, Intralytix; and Rob Wong, Agri-Neo
Pathogen Mitigation continues to be at the forefront of food safety concerns. This panel discussion will offer the chance to learn about the merits of different methods available as part of the tempering step of flour milling. Join industry experts as they discuss this evolving facet of the milling industry.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1-1:30 p.m.
Ardent Mills’ Port Redwing
Tyler Adair, Ardent Mills
Port Redwing is the newest addition to the Ardent Mills family of mills. Learn about this state of the art facility from the perspective of the head miller and get a peak at how it was designed and what it’s been like to operate it in its first years after completion.
Wednesday, April 19 | 1:35-2:05 p.m.
Controlling Seasonal Variables in the Milling Process
Simon Tiedge, Miller Milling
Seasons change and so does the environment inside a flour mill. The change from cold, dry air to hot and humid weather can challenge a miller’s day and reduce efficiency drastically. There are some key factors we can control to reduce or even prevent efficiency loss.
Wednesday, April 19 | 2:10-2:40 p.m.
Pulse Milling and the Traditional Flour Milling Industry
Aidin Milani, Bühler
Pulse ingredients are a sustainable source of proteins and could complement flours from wheat and other cereals. We will present pulse milling processes, explaining the similarities and differences with the traditional wheat milling. What are pulses and why they are considered a sustainable source of proteins? What are pulse-based ingredients? What are they used for? What developments have occurred with these ingredients in the US and Canada. What are the main processes to produce pulse-based ingredients and how do we highlight the differences from a traditional wheat milling flowsheet.
Thursday, April 20 | 1-2 p.m.
PMing your People
Karen Hughey, MLRHR, Nucleus Training Solutions
Companies spend their operating budgets on maintaining their equipment and supplies, but how much do they spend on maintaining their employees? Manufacturers struggle to adapt to the changing needs of their workforces and we see evidence of this in the widening skills gap, unfilled positions, and employee turnover. This workshop will share learning and development best practices that can reduce these costly aspects of your business and help you engage your workforce and attract and retain top talent. Learn how to design career paths and integrate the associated training while fostering a healthy culture of continuous learning that can boost your bottom line.
Thursday, April 20 | 2:10-3:10 p.m.
Leadership Development – Why It’s Critical for Business Success
Mark Farmer, Grain Craft and Brenda Thornton, ADM
In order to survive and be relevant in today’s uncertain, volatile, and complex environment, developing managers into leaders is more critical than ever to a company’s bottom line and overall success. This session will focus on the business case for leadership development, associated statistics, and the stark differences between managing and leading. You’ll come away with insights on how coaching as a leader plays a significant role in creating psychological safety with team members, resulting in higher levels of performance, collaboration, and innovation.