From the Cold Corner Podcast
Meet RFA's Next President
William Bigelow joined Blount Fine Foods in 2002, working in the R&D department. He currently serves as chief operating officer at Blount and, earlier this month, took over as the next president of the Refrigerated Foods Association.
R&FF sat down with him at the 45th annual RFA Conference, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to discuss his plans for leading the organization into its next chapter.
"I want to really elevate the awareness of the RFA in the industry," Bigelow said. "How can I, with the RFA team, build more of a comprehensive understanding of business for our manufacturers and associates, outside of just the technically based kind of platforms that we've always been known for. Also working with other organizations – where can we partner up in the industry, so that their members and our members can both benefit from what our organizations each offer."
Originally known as the Salad Manufacturers Association (SMA), the organization has grown from a dozen salad makers to over 150 refrigerated foods manufacturers and related suppliers.
In 1992, the group changed its name to Refrigerated Foods Association to better reflect changing product lines.
Today, many of the groups manufacturing members are the names behind some of the biggest brands in the deli, RTE and refrigerated categories.
"My role's changed quite a bit since I've entered the industry. I mean, I came in as a food technologist. My background was food science, and I still love that part of the business, especially the packaging world. I'm still a super nerd about the food industry. It's just so exciting, whether it be the R&D process, the marketing process behind it, or even just the manufacturing," Bigelow said. "(The RFA has) given back so much to the industry and I'm just excited to lead it into the next chapter, with the great board of directors that we have and all of our members. I want to be able to continue to add value to our membership and bring excitement and have some fun doing it."
For more of the interview, listen to the podcast or download it from your preferred podcast platform.
Meet RFA's Next President
William Bigelow is the chief operating officer at Blount and recently took over as the next president of the Refrigerated Foods Association. R&FF sat down with him at the 45th annual RFA Conference to discuss his plans for leading the organization into its next chapter.
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