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Mike Huckabee - Former Presidential Candidate
Mike Huckabee, former Presidential candidate hopeful, ran a positive and people-centered campaign. His conservative, eloquent and upbeat message helped him not only to win nominating contests in his Democrat-heavy home state of Arkansas, but in West Virginia, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas and Louisiana as well. He proved to be a talented politician with an engaging style and showmanship like no other and one that we can be sure will see again. Governor Huckabee has agreed to help celebrate our 150th year by bringing his optimistic vision for what America can become with the right kind of leadership and a clear direction to the Executive Conference.

Featured Speaker - Joel L. Naroff, Ph. D.
President and founder of Naroff Economic Advisors
Joel L. Naroff is Chief Economist and founder of Naroff Economic Advisors, a strategic economic consulting firm. He also serves as Chief Economist for Commerce Bank in Cherry Hill, New Jersey where he advises Commerce management and customers on a broad range of domestic and international economic issues. A nationally recognized economic forecasting expert, Joel appears frequently on CNBC. He is widely quoted in many of the nation’s leading business and news publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Business Week, Bloomberg News, Barron’s and Investors Business Daily. Recently, the National Association for Business Economics recognized Joel with its 2007 award for “Forecaster of the Year.” In 2006, he was named MSNBC.com’s Champion Forecaster and has been acknowledged as one of the top five economic forecasters in America by Bloomberg Business News, and one of the top ten economic forecasters by USA Today.
 

Featured Speaker - Jeffrey L. Spotz
Vice President, Meats, Commodities Purchasing and Risk Management, Darden Restaurants
As a Vice President of Commodities Purchasing, Mr. Spotz is responsible for all land-based protein which includes all red meat, poultry and dairy products. What’s hot in casual dining and what’s up and coming? What are supplier expectations and what does it take to pass the test? How will further growth and acquisitions in the casual dining category affect the food industry? Urner Barry is happy to have Mr. Spotz on hand to address these and other pertinent industry issues.

Randy Blach
Executive Vice President of Cattle-Fax
Randy Blach is the executive vice president of Cattle-Fax. He has experience as an analyst and director of market analysis with Cattle-Fax since 1981. Blach was raised on a family farm near Yuma, Colo., and remains active in his family’s cattle ranching business. Attend Randy Blach’s presentation and come away with improved knowledge on what’s affecting the red meat and poultry markets and how these factors could impact your business.

Rex Barnes
Deputy Administrator of AMS’s Poultry Programs
In August 2007, Rex Barnes was selected by USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to be the new Deputy Administrator of AMS’s Poultry Programs. Barnes, a 23-year veteran of the USDA, will address current issues facing the poultry and egg industries and how the AMS poultry program will continue to work with the trade in providing solutions to increasingly complex problems.

Jim Sumner
USAPEEC and IPC President
Back to help celebrate Urner Barry’s sesquicentennial, USAPEEC and IPC President Jim Sumner will be in the house to deliver first-hand knowledge of the poultry and egg situation around the globe.

Kevin Coupe
Founder MorningNewsBeat.com
After more than 20 years writing about the food business, Kevin Coupe is bringing his experience to the Executive Conference. Six years ago, Kevin bought a new laptop computer, rented office space above a tavern, and set out to prove that retail journalism could be provocative, exciting and even fun to read. Today, MorningNewsBeat.com boasts more than 22,000 subscribers from all segments of industry and all over the world, and Kevin’s quick, concise and unique brand of “news in context, analysis with attitude,” has created a Web site that is a must-read every business morning.

Anita Mangels
Woodward & McDowell
Anita Mangels has been with the award-winning public affairs firm Woodward & McDowell for 15 years where she specializes in crisis management, political strategy, grassroots advocacy, communications and debate on behalf of clients throughout the western states. Ms. Mangels will be speaking on the topic of the California Farm Animal Act, an initiative headed for the November ballot. The Act’s immediate impact would be to eliminate cage housing for egg-laying hens in California—a proposal that would have long-range implications for all animal agriculture in the U.S.

Joanne Ivy
President and CEO, American Egg Board
Will share how AEB is re-focusing industry resources on programs that will provide the greatest return-on-investment to producers. A new integrated marketing communications effort, aimed at Moms, features a nutrition-based communications platform emphasizing eggs' all-natural, high-quality protein. In addition to traditional media, AEB is utilizing branded entertainment in partnership with the #1-rated Rachael Ray Show, emerging online media such as Yahoo!, Foodnetwork.com and Google, as well as blogs and social networking tools. And AEB is also making an impact in the foodservice channel by working with McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's and others to help them grow their egg breakfast business. Don't miss this important update about the new AEB!

The Conference program begins 6:30 Sunday evening, April 27, 2008
and continues through 7:00 pm Tuesday, April 29, 2008

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