ABA sets forth on new strategic roadmap

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ABA sets forth on new strategic roadmap

6 Mar 2024

Joanie Spencer

Since 2008, Joanie Spencer has covered the retail and wholesale sides of the baking industry.
Serving associations such as the American Society of Baking (ASB) and BEMA, Joanie is also in demand as an industry presenter on bakery operations and trends. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Rockhurst University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

When she’s not running or playing soccer, Joanie spends her time with her husband and 11-year-old son.

Listen to the audio version of this story here:

WASHINGTON, DC — In a gathering of its board of directors, Washington dignitaries, and other association and industry leaders, the American Bakers Association (ABA) announced its five-year strategic plan.

ABA spent the past year diving into interviews with executives from more than two dozen member companies, as well as survey results from more than 150 members and 42 in-person member listening sessions. After months of planning sessions with the ABA board of directors, the association revealed a plan dedicated to elevating the commercial baking industry.

“Unveiling our new five-year strategic plan marks a pivotal moment for the American Bakers Association and the entire commercial baking industry,” said Cordia Harrington, CEO of Crown Bakeries and ABA board chair. “We are dedicated and committed to addressing current challenges while taking initiatives to become a leader in innovation to propel industry growth.”

The association is focused on growth and innovation through initiatives including advocacy, impactful events, thought leadership, and comprehensive industry trends research.

With an understanding that new initiatives require a refresh of core ideology to ensure alignment with current member needs, the board of directors led the creation of ABA’s new purpose, mission and vision.

“This plan is a roadmap designed to propel us forward through engagement, advocacy, impactful events, insightful thought leadership and research,” Dell said. “I want to emphasize that the plan is not just a product of boardroom discussions. It’s a result of extensive engagement. At the heart of the plan lies a refreshed core ideology that aligns our purpose, mission and vision with the evolving needs of our members.”

Purpose: Champion the baking industry

Mission: Grow, connect and enhance the baking industry through compelling advocacy, events and thought leadership

Vision: The baking industry is the fastest-growing segment of the food industry

Based on member feedback, ABA will emphasize workforce, consumer and customer expectations, and the integration of technology through three primary goals:

Destination Workplace: Creating and promoting an industry-wide workplace that is second-to-none

Drawing on guidance from human resources and related fields within membership, ABA will drive career awareness among potential talent pools while also promoting effective practices for recruitment and retention.

In the year-long research, labor continuously emerged as the top priority for ABA members, making it the first of the primary goals.

“The difference between this strategic plan and where we were 10 to 20 years ago is that our industry is continually changing,” said Ron Cardey VP of business development for St. Johns Packaging and member of ABA’s membership committee. “We are an industry that provides economical nourishment for millions of people, and in order to do that, we have to have a solid workforce to help us achieve that goal.”

Throughout all ABA’s events, members will experience thought leadership on a variety of workforce issues affecting the baking industry. Additionally, workforce will remain a priority in advocacy and relationships with policymakers in Washington.

“It’s absolutely critical that we concentrate on workforce,” said Brian Dwyer, an executive with Aunt Millie’s Bakery and ABA board member. “For us to be successful, we’ve got to make the baking industry a lot more attractive. I like how the strategic plan is written because we’ve got objectives, goals and strategies, and then it has measurable KPIs. And when you look at those, ABA has a goal to go out and find different pools to attract talent.”

Through the strategic plan, ABA will identify four new vehicles to talk about viable career paths within the baking industry.

“This will make the industry more attractive for new segments,” Dwyer added.

While ABA has long dedicated efforts to leadership development with programs such as NextGen Baker, the strategic plan will also help enhance these types of programs to create longevity not only for employees but also future industry leaders.

“Members want to be able to develop people within their organizations,” said Liliana Economakis, division VP of customer development for Aspire Bakeries and NextGen Baker co-chair. “NextGen Baker provides a platform for the company to invest in people who can elevate themselves in the organization and foster growth for even more employees.”

“I want to emphasize that the plan is not just a product of boardroom discussions. It’s a result of extensive engagement.” — Eric Dell | president and CEO | American Bakers Association

Category Growth: Positively positioning the industry with consumers and policymakers to grow the overall category

Leading efforts with non-profit organizations as well as federal, state and local governments, ABA will work to improve food security throughout communities and elevate the stories of the industry’s positive contributions.

“The interesting thing about our industry is that it’s very localized,” said Brian LeComte, president and COO of Gold Medal Bakeries and executive committee member on the ABA board. “With perishable products, we’re local to our customers and communities. When that happens, you’re intimately involved in not only what your customers need but also the areas where you can help out from a community aspect.”

Through the new strategic plan, the association will promote the role baked goods play in the public consciousness and work to bring that awareness to policymakers.

“We saw during the Bakers Fly-In last November that our businesses have a significant impact on Congress,” said Bill Quigg, president and CEO of Richmond Baking and More Than A Bakery, and ABA’s incoming board chair. “It’s already yielding positive results, so continuing that effort — being part of the campaign to promote the baking industry’s efforts — will be even more effective.”

Members will also discover new tools for enabling growth in their categories with innovation opportunities and new forums for consumer trend insights.

Putting the plan into action, Dell will set out on “Charting the Course,” a baking manufacturers tour, where he will meet with baker and supplier members in their production facilities across the country to spread the word about ABA’s renewed goals and identify new ways for collaboration.

“Over the next 12 months, I intend to visit as many of our members as possible,” Dell said. “I want to personally engage, witness and learn about how our members serve their communities across America and discover ways we can work together to ensure ABA’s strategic goals support our members’ success.”

Higher-Level Impact: Bolstering programs and services to ensure high-value impact for ABA membership and the baking industry

With a renewed dedication to delivering a premium member experience, ABA’s high-impact programs and services will be curated to meet specific industry needs. ABA will serve as a leader and a conduit in the commercial baking industry for ensuring trusted business connections and fostering a sense of community in a strong association culture.

“We have so many champions of our industry that are represented in ABA,” Quigg said. “They bring not only individual efforts but also collective efforts that we can come together on as well. These strong individuals together make a strong association and culture. And with an incredible ABA staff also supporting that culture, we can truly make an impact.”

Members will see the immediate impact through programming at the ABA annual convention, taking place April 14-17 in Scottsdale, AZ.

With the strategic plan, ABA is also emphasizing the importance of collaboration, throughout the industry and with Washington, to propel commercial baking — in its workforce, improving food security and throughout the association culture — in modern and productive ways.

“This unveiling represents a year of dedicated collaboration, data gathering and listening,” Dell said. “There’s a saying about the importance of listening — ‘we have two ears and one mouth’ — and we really took that to heart when looking at our five-year strategic plan. It’s a testament to unwavering commitment to ABA by our board of directors. We are in this together, and our team is ready to go.”

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