St. Joseph’s University’s Academy of Food Marketing (AFM), one of the nation’s premier academic institutions and a leading training ground for developing talent for the grocery industry, is evolving. Under the stewardship of Bob Higgins, a 1968 graduate of St. Joe’s who was named executive director in September 2009, the AFM has reconstituted its board of governors and established new direction and fundraising objectives.
In recent months, nine new board of governors members have been added, all with key industry roles from both the retail and supply sectors. Those new directors are: Dave Jones, Kellogg USA, who is VP for industry initiatives and is responsible for trade advertising for the large Battle Creek, MI manufacturer who brings more than 20 years of food marketing experience to the board, having started with Kellogg USA in 1986; Robert E. Hill Jr., president and CEO of Acosta Inc., a full-service sales and marketing agency providing outsourced headquarter sales, retail merchandising, marketing, and customer support services to consumer packaged goods president and CEO of Brown’s Super Stores, Inc., the large Delaware Valley independent retailer trading under the ShopRite banner. Brown was recently recognized by the National Grocers Association as the 2010 recipient of the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, a top national honor in the grocery industry; Jeff Martin, Ahold USA, who is executive VP- merchandising and marketing for the Dutch chain’s U.S. platform; Tom McAloon, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. McAloon is the metro Philadelphia/greater New Jersey regional general manager for he world’s largest retailer; and J.M. Procacci, Procacci Brothers Sales Corporation, where he serves as chief operating officer for the large produce wholesaler/distributor headquartered in Philadelphia. Procacci also serves as the chief operating officer for Santa Sweets Inc., the largest grower of organic tomatoes in the United States.
And earlier this month, three additional board members were named: Meg Ham, president of Bottom Dollar, a unit of Delhaize America, where she oversees all aspects of
the retailer’s operations, including its financial performance, merchandising, pricing, customer service and marketing. Bottom Dollar debuted in the Delaware Valley late last  year; John Orobono, senior VP-supply chain management, for Aramark Global Food, Hospitality and Facility Services. He is based in Philadelphia and responsible for developing and executing the strategic vision of Aramark’s global sourcing activities, including procurement, distribution, value optimization and food safety; and Jeff Siegel, a 26 year veteran of Nestle where he currently serves as VP-customer interface group at the manufacturer’s Purina Pet Care Company.
Higgins has spent his entire business career in the grocery industry (Scott Paper, Irving Tissue). He joined St. Joe’s as executive director for the Center for Food Management
(executive education/research) after his retirement from Irving Tissue in 2005.
Now, as head of the AFM, much of his time is spent on recruitment, placement and expansion strategies for the academy, which supports the Erivan K. Haub School of Business (HSB) Department of Food Marketing at Saint Joseph’s.
In the past several months, the AFM has also revised its executive committee. Headed by John Machuzick, president of General Mills’ foodservice and bakery unit, other members include: Judy Spires (vice chairperson), president and CEO of Kings Super Markets; Mike Rothwell (treasurer), president of Pennington Quality Market; and Higgins, who serves as secretary. All but Spires (LaSalle) are St. Joe’s graduates. From that group four core committees were formed to lead all aspects of the AFM. The nominating committee, led by C&S Wholesale’s Mike Kelly, will review diversity and the expansion of the AFM board into other channels of distribution. Mike Rothwell will lead the finance and audit committee and Tony Ferolie will chair the fundraising and development committee. Among that committee’s priorities will be to develop new streams of fundraising for the university. Additionally, Neil Crowley, an adjunct professor at SJU and former executive at Pathmark, will oversee the educational insight committee, which will examine the skill sets the industry is seeking as students take their academic journey through St. Joe’s. All committee chairs are graduates of the Food Marketing Educational Foundation.
“One of our overall goals at the Academy is to develop a more integrated approach to serving the food industry,” said Higgins. “For example, we need to be developing talent for the foodservice industry as well as retail. And even within retail, there are new portals that have become important. Part of our job is that we remain current with industry trends and needs, both from a retailer/ wholesaler and a manufacturer perspective.”
In its 49 year history the report card has perennially been very good. The Academy of Food Marketing at St Joseph’s University is among the four largest academic institutions with food curriculums in the country (along with Cornell, Portland State and Western Michigan). Currently, there are approximately 425 students who are food marketing majors in the undergraduate business program and over the approximately 100 graduates each year, 99 percent gain employment within a year – 80 percent before they graduate.
The AFM also offers a unique five year co-op program, where students are employed by food related companies for three six month work periods. About 25 percent of AFM students now participate in the university’s co-op program.
Higgins also noted that the AFM faculty has expanded. Dr. John Stanton is now chairman of the food marketing department and new talent such as Mark Lange (formerly with Publix). George Latella (formerly of Tastykake) and Tim McMahon (formerly of ConAgra) are now part of the academic team.
“We have an ambitious platform,” Higgins noted. “We want to take this program from regional to national, not only with our student base, but by marketing ourselves to national retailers and CPG firms (the AFM currently draws undergraduate students from 27 states).”
It is an exciting time at the Academy of Food Marketing. Along with the many internal changes and aggressive initiatives on the table, Higgins confirmed that the AFM will be hosting two Citation dinners in the next 14 months – on October 1, Ahold USA will be honored at the Marriott in Philadelphia and in April 2012 the Academy will help celebrate Weis’ 100th anniversary with a dinner at the Hershey Lodge.
