Schedule & Workshops 2020

LOCATION: MAIN STAGE

Wednesday evening kicks off the 44th Annual Provender Educational Conference with a warm Provender welcome and Flavor Foundations opening reception! (Read the complete description here.)

Join Mark Mulcahy,  Samuel Vandegrift, and a whole slew of your Provender friends. It’s a great way to ease into conference mode and start things off right.

Mark and Sam, co-creators of the Flavor Foundations series, will host this sensory evening of wine, food, and fellowship that is guaranteed to be engaging, participatory, and downright fun.

Please click here to download the list of things to gather for yourself prior to our time together, to create the best experience possible. There’s also this Tasting Map for you to download and print out in advance. Don’t drink wine? We’ll have a non-alcoholic drink recipe and beer recommendation for you to join in the fun.

We’ll gather together in spirit and laughter, and promise an evening like you’ve never had before.

MARK MULCAHY

SAMUAL VANDERGRIFT

Start the Conference fresh with an introductory welcome and overview. Bring your favorite mug and a hot drink, and settle in for a fantastic day ahead!

With:
Abigail Harris, Executive Director, Provender Alliance
Meg Kennedy, Provender Board of Directors
Michelle O’Conner, MC, Moxie Consulting

The Return of the Buffalo with TANKA Bison Bars

Native American Natural Foods, an innovative, Native American owned and operated company that produces the highly acclaimed TANKA Bar, recently secured a multi-million-dollar equity capital investment. This positive news stands in stark contrast to their position one year ago when Tanka was on the brink of losing everything due to larger competitors with deeper pockets squeezing them out of the market.

The brand’s comeback and exciting trajectory are thanks to a diverse set of partners—including investigative food journalist Marilyn Noble, sustainable meat company Niman Ranch, impact investors and others who believe in Tanka’s mission.

This panel will discuss these developments and share lessons learned while building partnerships across sectors to build a regenerative Native-owned business.

SEE BIOS:
Dawn Sherman, CEO of Native American Natural Foods
Marilyn Noble, award-winning, independent food and agriculture journalist
Kerri McClimen, VP of Communications, Niman Ranch

Connect with your community of diverse and interesting people from our natural foods trade. This is where we start building momentum, together.

• The Regenerative Organic Momentum (SESSION 1)
• Brokers: Facilitating the Difference – (SESSION 2)

Share your insights and take-aways in small group breakout discussions, based on what is most meaningful from the workshop in which you participated.

12:00 PM
Check out Sponsor booths and enter contests with a chance to win fun prizes. We’ll have a slideshow running on the Main Stage, with heart-warming photos from past conferences, and some favorite faces that you’ll recognize if you’ve ever attended the Provender conference before.

12:20  PM
Your Provender Board of Directors will take the stage, with updates about their work throughout the year. Expect a creative retrospective and directions for the future. More exciting than you’d expect!

12:35 PM
Join in for a round of community connecting! Get to know others in a more personal environment and find common ground.

• 1:00 – 1:25 PM
  CBD & Hemp Extract: Navigating the Legal & Regulatory Landscape for Your Business – (SESSION 1)
  
• 1:30 – 1:55 PM
  Still Fighting for GMO Transparency:
  Behind the Legal Challenge to USDA’s “Bioengineering” Labeling Rule – (SESSION 1)
  
• 1:00 – 1:55 PM
  Mending the Loop: Building Engagement through Accountability and Expectations in the Workplace – (SESSION 2)

• 2:00 – 2:45 PM
  Food and Social Justice: Farmworkers as Essential Workers (SESSION 1)
  

Making a Business Make a Difference: Soap, Cereal, Social and Environmental Activism

Join us for a special keynote panel with David Bronner, CEO (Cosmic Engagement Officer) of Dr. Bronner’s, and Jyoti Stephens, V.P. of Mission and Strategy at Nature’s Path. Both come from a legacy of family businesses committed to leveraging their financial success to make the world a better place for all. From soap to cereal, hear about the social and environmental passions of two leading and well-respected companies in the natural food trade.

This panel is moderated by Corinne K. Shindelar: Principal, All Natural Strategies LLC; Founder and Former President/CEO Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA).

Complete the afternoon with sharing your own insights and reflections on what you’ve heard, learned and experienced throughout the day. We’ll use breakout rooms and a small group format for more personal time to network and connect.

“Passion, Purpose,and Partnership” – with Corinne K. Shindelar– Principal, All Natural Strategies LLC; Founder and Former President/CEO Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) 

The environment that we find ourselves in during 2020 is without a doubt dynamic, robust, and volatile in ways that many of us have not experienced in our lifetime. How we show up, what we pay attention to and how we define our purpose has never been more important.

Real and perceived barriers to success in the natural and organic space continue to shift and change. Passion alone is not enough, though keeping it close to enable pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and continuing to persevere is necessary for entrepreneurs today.

Forming and founding both NCG and INFRA, two very successful cooperatives required the ability to form partnerships and collaborations in a meaningful way long before it was identified as the right way to do business. This keynote address will examine lessons learned from those experiences and challenge us to apply passion, purpose, and partnerships to boldly ignite change.

Connect with your community of diverse and interesting people from our natural foods trade. Find your flow with others in small group breakouts.

Share your insights and take-aways in small group breakout discussions, based on what is most meaningful from the workshop in which you participated. Your voice matters!

Lean in for an informative session with three prominent leaders in the Provender community whose businesses embody independent integrity at their core. They will share insights, inspiration, and lessons learned along the way in building up their unique businesses:

• Kim Gibson Clark – President and CEO, Coconut Bliss
• Charlie Tilt – Co-owner and CEO, Hummingbird Wholesale
• David Lively – Pioneer Emeritus, Organically Grown Company

Contest prizes, Provender Annual Awards ceremony, and celebrations!

Take a deep breath and gather one final time with the Provender Community for a closing circle to complete our time together. Led by past board member Stephen Markham, and present board secretary Meg Kennedy.