Opinion: The Only Constant

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26 Aug 2025

Allen Wright

Allen Wright is the president of Hansaloy, a manufacturer of slicing blades and related equipment. He is a BEMA past board chair and vice chair of the IBIE 2025 committee. He will lead IBIE 2028 as committee chair.

This column is part of our Last Word series, which invites noted professionals to provide closing thoughts. See the full 2025 IBIE Show Issue from Avant Food Media here.

KANSAS CITY, MO — From show to show — though there are three years between IBIE cycles — the one constant truly is change. After all, who would have thought at IBIE 2019 that we’d soon be dealing with COVID? And not only were we still dealing with it going into IBIE 2022, but we also faced the supply chain disruption that threw lead times into total disarray.

This year, tariffs and the current administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiatives have been the changes the industry is primarily focused on. But what will happen next week, next month or next year just might be even harder to predict. The uncertainty it all creates has forced bakers and suppliers to accept and adapt to change. For everyone, that means planning ahead is more important — and more complex — than ever. We all need to look further out, but that can be really challenging, especially these days.

"From every perspective, everyone has the ability to engage, collaborate and learn at IBIE, and that’s what will empower us to adapt and move forward." — Allen Wright | vice chair | IBIE 2025

Let me put it this way: If I could predict what the world will look like three years from now, I’d probably be lounging on a beach somewhere instead of leading IBIE 2028 as committee chair. That said, I can promise you that change will happen.

But there’s a bright side; change spurs opportunity. At IBIE, that means the opportunity to engage with one another and gain not only a clear view of what’s happening but also insight into solutions to our shared challenges. To me, that’s the most exciting part of the Baking Expo. From every perspective, everyone has the ability to engage, collaborate and learn at IBIE, and that’s what will empower us to adapt and move forward.

We were talking about different things three years ago, and we’ll be talking about different things three years from now. No matter what happens, this show is designed to serve the needs of bakers — both commercial and retail — as well as exhibitors of every size and type. Show after show, IBIE will always be committed to shining a light on the needs of the industry. As a committee, we’re locked in on that, and we’ll never take our eye off the ball.