Food is the traditional business of the Central Valley, and the focus of the next event in the Fresno Pacific University Leadership Series, sponsored by the university’s School of Business.

“Leadership Legacies: Ingredients for Building a Successful Food Company,” will be from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Thursday, February 9, 2017, in BC Lounge on the main FPU campus, 1717 S. Chestnut Ave., Fresno. Admission is free and foods will be available for tasting. Register on Eventbrite.

Richard Kriegbaum, Ph.D., president of FPU, will interview guests Bill Smittcamp, president/CEO of Wawona Frozen Foods; and Gary Lim, CEO of Flagship Food Group North America. In addition to his service at FPU, Kriegbaum has led or consulted with more than 170 organizations, including United Way of Fresno County. His book, Leadership Prayers, has sold more than 80,000 copies.

See a preview with Kriegbaum and Smittcamp on Youtube.

Wawona is a local company with a national reach. Under Smittcamp’s leadership, the business has grown from 15 million pounds of fruit processed annually to over 125 million pounds. The Smittcamp family is deeply involved in the life of the region, and Smittcamp won the 2017 Leon S. Peters Award for community service.   

At Flagship Food Group North America (FNA), Lim is responsible for profitability, strategy and leadership in a company that includes 10 brands, such as Mexiwraps, TJ Farms Select and 505 Southwestern. Before joining FNA, Lim was with H&M Concepts, with franchises in malls, airports and sporting venues.

For more information, contact Andrea McAleenan, Ph.D., at andrea.mcaleenan@fresn.edu or 559-453-4647.

Author

Wayne Steffen
Associate Director of Publications and Media Relations

Category