Speakers

Keynote Address · 8:40 - 9:30 am

Driving Through Turbulent Times
Dr. Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; President, Stone Barns, Center for Food and Agriculture

Frederick L. Kirschenmann, a longtime leader in national and international sustainable agriculture, shares an appointment as Distinguished Fellow for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and as President of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York. He also oversees management of his family's 3,500-acre certified organic farm in south central North Dakota and is a professor in the ISU Department of Religion and Philosophy. Kirschenmann holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Chicago, and has written extensively about ethics and agriculture. He has held numerous appointments, including the USDA's National Organic Standards Board and the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production operated by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and funded by Pew Charitable Trusts. In 2008, he received the first-ever Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Sustainable Agriculture from the Glynwood Center in New York and was selected for Plenty magazine's Top 20 list of people dedicated to sustainability.

General Session · 9:45 - 10:45 am

Which Way is the Compass Pointing? Economic & Market Trends
Moderator: Frances Draper, Executive Director, Boulder Economic Council
Frances has been the Executive Director of the Boulder Economic council, the economic Development arm of the Chamber of Commerce since September of 2006. The BEC works to achieve economic sustainability in the community through collaboration. It has helped start a number of organizations to that end - the Boulder Innovation Center, Naturally Boulder, CO-LABs, Inc. - and is working to help other organizations grow who support entrepreneurs and other economic engines of Boulder. The Economic Council develops and provides data to the community, does business outreach and works to retain and attract businesses that fit with Boulder's objectives of economic, social and environmental sustainability.


Speakers: Patrick Rea, Publisher, Nutrition Business Journal
Patrick Rea is Publisher and Editorial Director of Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ) a market research, publishing and consulting firm serving the nutrition, natural products and alternative health care industries. Rea is also Co-Chair of The NBJ Summit, an exclusive retreat for CEO-level executives in the nutrition industry. Rea joined Nutrition Business Journal in 1999 as Research Director, where he led NBJ's research and consulting activities. In 2005, Rea became Director of eMedia for New Hope Natural Media, and in May 2007 was named Publisher & Editorial Director of Nutrition Business Journal. Prior to joining NBJ, Patrick was a financial analyst with Health Business Partners, a financial advisory firm focused exclusively on mergers & acquisitions, consulting and venture capital investments in the nutrition industry. Rea has Bachelor of Arts degrees in Organizational Behavior & Management and Geological Sciences from Brown University.

Dr. Richard Wobbekind, Economist and Director, Business Research Division, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado
Richard L. Wobbekind is Executive Director of the Business Research Division, Associate Professor of Business Economics and Finance, and Associate Dean for MBA and Executive Programs at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado-Boulder. He joined the faculty at the College of Business in the fall of 1985. He assumed his current position as associate dean in July of 2000. He teaches MBA students in macroeconomics, public policy, and entrepreneurship. He has received four awards for teaching excellence from the students of the Leeds School of Business. He participates annually in the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank Regional Economic Roundtable and is a contributor to the Western Blue Chip forecast newsletter. Dr. Wobbekind received a BA in Economics from Bucknell University and an MA and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Breakout Sessions · 11:15 am - 12:30 pm

So, Just How Do We Drive Through Turbulent Times?
Moderator: Doug Radi, Vice President, Marketing, Rudi's Organic Bakery
Doug is a classical packaged goods marketer turned organic. He has 13 years of experience in various consumer products categories, including healthcare, snack foods and organic. Despite always being a bit of a health nut, after the birth of his first son in 2001, Doug had a personal transformation in his beliefs about the food he was selling and that his family was eating that prompted his transition to organic. And since 2003, he's been very happy to be able to apply his personal and professional passion to selling and marketing organic/natural food and beverages. He has held various positions in marketing with many leading organic brands such as Rudi's Organic Bakery, Silk Soymilk, and Horizon Organic. Prior to joining Rudi's Organic Bakery in August 2007 as VP of Marketing, Doug was Director of Marketing at WhiteWave Foods where he managed brand strategy and marketing initiatives for Silk. He has an undergraduate degree from Colorado State University and a MBA in Marketing from Wake Forest University.

Laura Coblentz, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation, Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy
Laura Coblentz has 20 years of marketing experience in consumer packaged goods and specialty retail. Laura comes to Pharmaca from White Wave Foods, where she was Vice President of Marketing and Innovation for the Horizon Organic and Rachel's brands. Previously she served at where she served as Vice President, Marketing for Wild Oats Markets, Inc. where she was responsible for the company’s overall marketing, brand positioning and consumer experience strategies. She also directed advertising and media plans, online, promotions, product development and private label marketing. As Director of Corporate Brands, Laura revitalized the company’s corporate brands program, managing the development of over 1,500 individual products across all categories. In addition to her organic food experience, Laura has also led marketing initiatives for leading wine brands including Sutter Home Winery, the nation’s top-selling wine brand with retail sales of $450 million, and E&J Gallo Winery. Coblentz graduated cum laude from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. She also received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.


Barney Feinblum, President and CEO, Organic Vintners; Managing Director, Greenmont Capital Partners
Barnet (Barney) M. Feinblum has spent the past 29 years managing and growing companies in the thriving natural and organic products industry, including as Chairman, CEO and President of Celestial Seasonings, President and CEO of Horizon Organic Dairy. He founded Organic Vintners, importers of organic wine, in 2002. Between wine tastings and events, Mr. Feinblum serves as a Director of Gaiam, a public company, Seventh Generation and Pharmaca. He is also a founding general partner in Greenmont Capital Partners, a private equity firm which focuses on the natural and organic products industry.



Rick Sterling, , Co-founder and President, The Sterling Rice Group
For 35 years, Rick has worked in brand strategy and innovation. Starting in food retailing in Boston, he worked in brand management with Quaker Oats in Chicago, and then as head of marketing for Celestial Seasonings. Rick and Michael Rice formed the Sterling-Rice Group in 1984. Their initial premise was that large and small firms would be interested in the pair’s experience in both sophisticated and entrepreneurial marketing environments. Twenty five years later and now with over one hundred employees, Sterling-Rice Group has become one of the country’s leading integrated brand strategy firms. Its clients include a collection of international, national and local firms. For over 20 years, SRG has been deeply involved in the natural and organic space and has served many leading natural and organic companies. Rick has been deeply involved in the community, and SRG has committed to giving at least 10% of its operating income in cash and pro bono labor to local nonprofits. Rick has been a longtime president and board member of the Family Learning Center, a trustee with the Community Foundation and a past winner of the Pen Tate Humanitarian Award.

Breakout Sessions · 11:15 am - 12:30 pm

The Necessary Revolution - Local / Regional Food Systems
Moderator: Mark Menagh, President, Koru Fresh Innovations
Mark Menagh is President of Koru Fresh Innovations, an independent process improvement consulting business helping small to medium companies with general management and information technology solutions. Recently as the Executive Director of the Boulder County Farmers’ Markets (BCFM), Mark worked with over 150 farmers, food vendors, many community organizations, local commercial enterprises, volunteers and local government Mark orchestrated these vibrant community events in Boulder and Longmont. Mark’s passion for fresh, local agriculture and his six years with BCFM provide him with an in-depth knowledge of our local sustainable farming community and the community they serve. Prior to joining BCFM, Mark gained broad business experience managing operations at medical device companies and consulting in information technology in California. On the way to Colorado from California Mark spent 8 years sailing between islands visiting open air markets in the South Pacific.

Speakers: Tracey Ryder, Founder & President, Edible Communities
Tracey Ryder co-founded Edible Communities, Inc., the world's largest magazine publishing company dedicated to the local foods movement, in 2002. The company publishes 60 titles, including Edible Boston, Edible San Francisco and Edible Phoenix, and is currently adding new magazines at a rate of 10 per year. The content for each publication is region-specific and focuses on local foods and sustainable agriculture. Ms. Ryder has worked as a journalist and marketer for the culinary, tourism and agriculture industries for more than 25 years. She is also a highly sought after business consultant and speaks extensively on the unique and collaborative nature of the Edible Communities business model.


Larry Yee, Co-founder, Association of Family Farms
Larry Yee recently retired from the University of California where he was the director of both the Ventura County UC Cooperative Extension office and the UC Hansen Trust, a special endowment for agricultural research and education, which operates the UC Hansen Agricultural Center. In 2000, he helped found and lead the Community Alliances of Interdependent Agriculture (CAIA), a national organization for sustainable agriculture. This led to a one-year appointment (2003-04) as National Program Leader for Food Marketing Systems Innovations at USDA where he worked on the Association of Family Farms (AFF). Co-founder of AFF, he currently serves on the national board. Larry is also past co-chair of the California Roots of Change (ROC) Council and a board member of the Food Alliance and the Ag-of-the-Middle National Task Force. He is a founding member of the Ventura County Ag Futures Alliance and the Regional Civic Leadership Alliance. He has an MBA in agribusiness from the University of Santa Clara and was a fellow at the Resources for the Future Institute in Washington D.C. Larry lives in Ojai, CA.

Shanan Olson, Founder, Abbondanza Organic CSA

Breakout Sessions · 11:15 am - 12:30 pm

The Entrepreneurial Spirit
Moderator: Lucy Stark, Attorney, Holland & Hart
Lucy Stark's practice is focused on corporate finance transactions including public and private debt and equity offerings; corporate governance and disclosure issues; mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; and venture capital financing. She has represented public and private companies in connection with financings and corporate restructurings as well as numerous debt and equity securities offerings, and debt tender offers. Equity transactions have included initial public offerings; secondary public equity offerings; and private equity and venture capital investments. Ms. Stark has experience in a variety of industries, including organic food production, organic food retail, solar energy, medical device manufacturing, technology, and telecommunications.

Speakers: Tim Bour, Executive Director, Boulder Innovation Center
Before taking the helm of the Boulder Innovation Center (BIC) in August of 2007, Tim Bour successfully grew or developed business and sales, generating and managing finances in excess of $100 million dollars. Most recently, Tim was Executive Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing at Circle Graphics. Located in Longmont CO, Circle Graphics is the leading manufacturer of wide format digital printers for the outdoor advertising market. As founder and CEO of Cielo Communications in Broomfield CO, 1997 to 2001, Tim not only secured over $45 million in capital, he did this while overseeing the development of the first gigabit optical transceiver used by Cisco Systems. Tim spent thirteen years at Hewlett Packard where he worked as marketing manager for the fiber optics components business, during that time; sales grew from $20 million to an astounding $200 million annually. Tim was an Ernst and Young Finalist “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the Rocky Mountain Region in June 1999 for his work at Cielo Communications. Tim holds a BS in Chemical Engineering (magna cum laude) from University of Cincinnati and an MBA from Ohio State University.

Paul Jerde, Executive Director, The Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado, Boulder
Paul Jerde has served since 1996 as a member of the Deming Center Advisory Board including serving as its Chairman for four years. He has held a number of senior general management and financial management positions with private and public companies in markets including: consumer products, medical software and devices, telecommunications, biotechnology, and electronic commerce information services. In addition to being the CEO of a number of companies, he has also served on several boards of directors of public and private companies. His management experiences have included early stage start-ups and emerging growth companies, later stage established companies and companies undergoing substantial transition or turn-arounds. Mr. Jerde co-founded Corboy and Jerde, LLC, an investment banking firm specializing in private transactions for emerging growth and medium sized businesses. He received an A.B. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the College of Business and Administration (now the Leeds School of Business) at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Breakout Sessions · 2:00 - 3:15 pm

Social Media Frenzy - What's Hot, What's Not
Moderator: Sylvia Tawse, Founder, Fresh Ideas Group
Sylvia has an extensive background in retail-level natural foods marketing and public relations. She has conducted new product launches for dozens of brands including Horizon Organic, Allegro Coffee Company and Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes. She also served as the public relations director for Alfalfa's Markets Inc. In addition, for three years she served as director of marketing and public relations for the Colorado Music Festival. Sylvia has firsthand knowledge of the food industry, from the ground up. She and her husband currently own and operate Pastures of Plenty, a 32-acre certified organic farm in Longmont, Colo. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Chef's Collaborative, Les Dames Escoffier and Slow Food International.

Speakers: Mara Fleishman, Special Projects Leader Global Marketing, Whole Foods
Mara graduated from Ithaca College with a B.A. in political science and a concentration in advertising. Mara has over 17 years of experience marketing regional, national and global brands. For the past 8 years Mara spearheaded the marketing efforts for Whole Foods Market on the east coast and now works on special projects for the Global Markets team. Mara has spoken about socially responsible business on panels at Yale University and has been a guest lecturer at the University of Colorado Leeds School of business. Mara has participated on the Education Committee of Naturally Boulder and is currently on the Board of the Growe Foundation along with a committee member of the Boulder Valley School Food Project.


Gwen Bell, Social Media Consultant, Teacher and Writer
Gwen Bell travels the globe speaking and teaching Social Media. Her most recent engagements include teaching a course on social media in the ATLAS building and speaking at Leeds Business School, both at The University of Colorado, Boulder. In 2008 she was named one of the 50 most powerful and influential women in social media. She has been featured in Boulder's Daily Camera and has written for Huffington Post. Gwen is also a Partner at Kirtsy.com. Gwen believes that achieving success in the social web is "99% practice, 1% theory." She approaches her work as she does her yoga practice: she keeps getting back on her yoga mat and falling out of poses until she masters them. Mistakes are part of the process and your ability to recover gracefully from failure is your greatest strength.

Bill Roden, Creative Director, Sterling Rice Group
Bill is a Creative Director at Sterling-Rice Group, with responsibility for both traditional and digital creative. Bill's passion for creatively-driven organizations and technology is driven by over 15 years creating award-winning work across a broad range of Fortune 500 companies. Past clients include Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, Domino’s, American Express, General Mills, Yahoo, Audi, and Proctor & Gamble. Bill comes to Sterling-Rice Group most recently from Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Previous tours of duty include celebrated agencies like Fallon, Ogilvy, Euro RSCG, McCann and Mullen. His extensive integrated-marketing experience ranges from original television shows, social media, emerging technologies, to TV and web documentaries, print, radio, interactive, collateral, POS, environmental design and viral marketing. Bill is also an advisor to the Craft Brewers Association Board of Directors, with a focus on marketing best practices, and he loves to 'talk shop' with members of the creative and marketing community.

Breakout Session · 2:00 - 3:15 pm

How to Prepare Your Company for New Investment
Moderator: Mark Retzloff, Chairman and Co-founder, Aurora Organic Dairy
Mark Retzloff is a pioneer in the organic and natural foods industry. In 2003, he co-founded Aurora Organic Dairy and currently serves as Chairman. He started his 40-year career in natural products in 1969 as a co-founder of Eden Foods, and has since participated in the start-up and management of several leading natural and organic foods companies, including Alfalfa's Market and Horizon Organic Dairy. Mark actively shares his knowledge and experience as a board member and partner to emerging organic products companies and has been honored with several industry leadership awards. He received his B.S. degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan.


Pedro Garcia, Managing Director, Hadley Partners
Pedro Garcia is a Managing Director of Hadley Partners and heads the firm’s advisory practice for consumer/sustainable products. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Frontier Natural Products. Mr. Garcia has over 16 years of investment banking experience at Hadley Partners, Credit Suisse First Boston, BT Alex. Brown, and Chemical Securities. He has completed more than 30 transactions with an aggregate value in excess of $5 billion. Mr. Garcia was born and raised in Mexico City and received his A.B. degree in International Economics and Trade from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.


Steve Hughes, Chairman and CEO, Smart Balance Inc.
Stephen Hughes is recognized an innovation leader and for creating shareholder value in the consumer package goods industry. In 1988, Hughes led the team that launched ConAgra's Healthy Choice line, building the brand's revenue to $1B in 4 years. He then led Tropicana's US business, doubling the company's revenues to $2B in 4 years. As president and CEO of Celestial Seasonings, Inc., he increased revenue from $80MM to $387MM over a 3-year period. At White Wave Foods he served as EVP, building the company's Silk brand revenues from $175MM to $400MM in 2 years. Hughes founded Boulder Specialty Brands in 2005 and completed the acquisition of GFA Inc., in May of 2007. Hughes graduated with a BA from Denison University and earned his MBA from the University of Chicago.

Arron Mansika, Founder, Boulder's Best Organics
On his path of professional development and personal fulfillment, Arron has thrived in multiple fields. Scientist: he earned his BS in Biology from Eckerd College and created the school's Environmental Studies program, earning his BA. Politician: as Director of a PIRG office, Arron lobbied for better local and national environmental protection. Community Organizer: moving to Boulder in 1997, he became the first employee of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, overseeing the nonprofit's mission work. Contemplative Education: Arron received his MA in Environmental Leadership from Buddhist-inspired Naropa University, where he still consults to further the school's unique offerings. Entrepreneur: Arron founded Boulder's Best Organics in 2006, which was awarded by the Boulder County Business Report for 2008 as Boulder Valley's second-fastest growing company with sales under $2 million. Since nearly its inception, Arron has been active with Naturally Boulder, serving on the Board of Directors since 2007.

Chuck Marcy, CEO, Breyers Yogurt Company
Chuck Marcy began his career in marketing, strategic planning and general management at General Foods, Sara Lee, Kraft and Quaker Oats. He entered the natural foods industry with Quaker, acquiring Near East and Nile Spice. Marcy came to Boulder in 1999, as CEO of Horizon Organic. During his tenure, the Company's sales grew from $85Million to $250Million, including acquisition of a UK organic milk business to expand the Rachel's Organic brand. Horizon Organic merged with Dean Foods in 2004. In 2005, Marcy teamed with Catterton Partners to form Healthy Food Holdings. In sixteen months they acquired the YoCrunch yogurt and Breyers yogurt brands and Van's frozen waffles. Marcy now serves as CEO of Breyers Yogurt Company and on the Board of Van's Foods.

Breakout Session · 2:00 - 3:15 pm

Creative Reinvention in This and Other Times
Moderator: Steve Hoffman, Managing Director, The Organic Center
Steven Hoffman serves as the Managing Director of The Organic Center, with a mission to advance verifiable scientific research and information behind the health and environmental benefits of organic products—and to communicate those benefits to society (www.organic-center.org). Hoffman also serves on the Board of Directors of Naturally Boulder, and was the producer of the Naturally Boulder Days annual entrepreneur's conference in 2006 and 2007. Hoffman is former President of People Planet Profit Colorado, now known as CORE, the state's leading sustainable business association. He is the cofounder of the annual LOHAS conference and LOHAS Journal, serving the $240-billion Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability market. In 2002, Hoffman founded Compass Natural, a consulting firm specializing in the LOHAS market. He is the former National Marketing Director and Rocky Mountain Regional Sales Manager for Arrowhead Mills, a leading manufacturer of organic foods. Prior to that, Hoffman was employed by New Hope Natural Media from 1985 to 1993 as the Editorial Director of Natural Foods Merchandiser, the industry's leading trade magazine, and Education Director for Natural Products Expo, the leading trade shows serving the natural and organic products industry. Hoffman is a former Agricultural Extension Agent, and a former Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in Latin America. He received a M.S. degree in Agriculture in 1984 from Pennsylvania State University, and also studied economics at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. For more information visit www.organic-center.org and www.compassnaturalmarketing.com.

Speakers: Steve Demos, Founder, WhiteWave Foods, NextFoods
Steve Demos graduated from Bowling Green University in 1970 and then traveled extensively throughout Asia studying Eastern philosophy. He returned to the US with the specific goal of starting an environmentally-focused company based on a clearly articulated value system. In 1977 Steve founded White Wave, Inc., the largest producer and marketer of soymilk products in the U.S. Silk soymilk is estimated to hold over 16% of the global market for soymilk in 2004, and is the number one revenue-producing soymilk in America. Steve was one of the early American entrepreneurs to further the concept of "Right Livelihood" and was awarded the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur to Watch in 1977 and Entrepreneur of Distinction in 1996. White Wave was named Small Business of the Year in 1992 and Colorado recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneurial Success 2001 award. In 2001, Inc. Magazine named White Wave to its list of the top 500 fastest growing companies in America. Steve was inducted into the Boulder, Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2003.

Brendan Synnott, Co-Founder and CEO, Bear Naked Granola, Chief Marketing Officer, evol. Burritos
With a passion for entrepreneurship and a love of the outdoors, Brendan Synnott has been merging his talents for almost 10 years, guiding food brands to their growth potential, while having fun. He co-founded Bear Naked granola in 2002, leading it to number one in market share in its category. Eight years later it stands as his first and wildly successful foundation for a future of incubating food babies. With a degree in economics from Vanderbilt University, he has levied his strengths to not only follow his passions, but tap into his incredibly competitive and energetic nature, including a stint with the talent department at Saturday Night Live, a cast member on Survivor, and now partnering on his second brand, evol. burritos. When's he's not building brands, he's outside doing any solar-powered activity, or traveling. He's proud to be on the board of First Descents, an organization that promotes healing through outdoor adventures, for young adults with cancer.

Brad Wilk, Drummer, Rage Against the Machine, Founder, Olade Beverage
As the drummer in Rage Against the Machine, Brad was on tour with rock band U2 when he began experiencing the symptoms of type 1 diabetes. Three weeks later, he was diagnosed with the disease. Unable to find an all-natural, sugar free lemonade on the market that would fit with his diet management plan, Brad began formulating his own. For years, he has combined fresh-squeezed organic lemons, spring water and stevia to create his own sugar free lemonade-the main three ingredients in Olade today.

With the launch of Olade, Ola Beverage is donating a percentage of all sales to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) International, whose mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.