Editor’s Note: A Priceless Point in History

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Editor’s Note: A Priceless Point in History

23 May 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.

KANSAS CITY, MO — At the end of February, we celebrated 100 years of the American Society of Baking (ASB) during BakingTECH, its annual event.

Historically, ASB and BakingTECH have been known for remaining rooted in tradition. But in recent years, a new generation has taken on leadership in the association and the BakingTECH planning committee, and they’re heading full-force into the future … while also respecting the past (the conference may be heading to Orlando next year, but the Baking Hall of Fame isn’t going anywhere).

Look around, and you’ll see this is where we are as an industry: Organizations are using time-honored traditions as the foundation for innovation. It’s a theme you’ll see throughout this issue. A pie company springboarding innovation in its centennial year; the leader of the oldest family-owned cookie/cracker bakery modernizing workforce culture; iconic brands engaging in sponsorships in all-new ways.

Just a few years ago, the boomers and millennials were duking it out. Now, the millennials are showing Gen Z the ropes while boomers and Gen Xers calculate their succession plans.

While we live in a time of “innovate or die,” we also must accept that there’s no future without the past. The key, my friends, is balance. This is now a four-generation industry. Let’s take advantage of this priceless point in history and tap into one another’s experience, expertise and new perspectives … before AI does it for us.

This story has been adapted from the April | Q2 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the digital edition here.

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