COCO BEACH, PUERTO RICO — BEMA Convention 2025, held June 25-28 in Coco Beach, Puerto Rico, began with a look at the past and a path for the future.
Clay Miller, 2024-2025 board chair and president of Burford Corp., opened the annual event with a reflection on his history.
Now in his 11th year at BEMA Convention, Miller noted that attending the event has enabled him and his company to connect with customers and forge relationships that accelerated his career as well as the business.
“Each year, I am struck by the power of this community, and I am proud to serve as your chair during a time of such positive momentum for the organization,” Miller said.
During his year-long tenure as board chair, Miller worked alongside the executive team and board of directors, notable finance committee chair Mark Podl and board member Wendi Ebbing, to create tools and processes to support BEMA and its members for years to come.
“We dug deep into the financials of BEMA and have laser focus on our investment portfolio and long-term financial outlook,” Miller said.
He also discussed the state of NEXUS, an industry event powered by BEMA and the American Bakers Association (ABA), which was first introduced to the industry in 2023. With the show on pause this year, as planned due to IBIE 2025 being held this fall in Las Vegas, Miller announced that the team supporting the event is planning a strategic session to discuss NEXUS’ next evolution.
“We are excited about the added value it created in its first two years and can’t wait to continue on this journey with NEXUS,” he said.
NEXUS is just one way BEMA has continued its partnership with other industry organizations such as ABA. Miller expressed gratitude to ABA and its board chair Bill Quigg for their part in the creation of the show.
“I share [Bill’s] passion and excitement for what might be possible when we all work toward shared goals,” Miller said. “We are working diligently to find ways to come together and make an even bigger impact on the industry. It’s an exciting time to be involved.”
To round out the welcome address, the BEMA board chair took a moment to recognize and offer an award to Kerwin Brown in honor of his 20th anniversary as president and CEO of BEMA.
Since 2005, Brown has helped spearhead an assortment of innovations to support member experience, such as the Baking Industry Forum, BEMA Connect and NEXUS.
“Kerwin demonstrates an approach to leadership and decision-making that is carefully balanced between strategic focus and innovative creativity,” Miller said. “As chairmen come and go, you have managed to build winning teams and lead them in creating something truly special within the industry. It’s been my honor to share a small part of BEMA’s history with you.”
