Beverage School Registration & Networking

Welcome Remarks

• Martín Caballero, Managing Editor, BevNET

  

  Martín Caballero

  Managing Editor, BevNET

  Martín writes news articles and feature stories covering the non-alcoholic beverage industry for BevNET. A graduate of Boston University, Martín's previous work has appeared in USA Today, The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald.

• Martín Caballero, Managing Editor, BevNET

The Entrepreneur’s Life

• Nat Noone, Founder & CEO, Wave Soda

• Nat Noone, Founder & CEO, Wave Soda

Beverage Design - Best Practices

• Kelly Criswell, Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency

  

  Kelly Criswell

  Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency

  Kelly Criswell is a visionary and creative leader, shepherding The GRO Agency as the Chief Creative Officer based in the Los Angeles office. With a fierce love of beverage branding and a 16+ year career in CPG brand development and packaging design, Kelly will relentlessly push brands to the next level for success on shelf. Over her career she has worked with such notable brands as Dunkin’ Donuts, Nestlé, Premier Nutrition, Diageo, and Red Bull. Her latest modus operandi is harnessing her extensive experience in CPG to help entrepreneurs and start-ups launch their brands. Her current passion project is Kabaki Kenyan Purple Tea- she has teamed up with the founder Martin and helped him position, brand, package, and develop go-to-market strategy for a 2018 launch. When she’s not obsessively taking photos in grocery stores (say hi if you see her!) she’s painting or hiking with her two kids.

• Danielle Muller, VP of Strategy, The GRO Agency

• Kelly Criswell, Chief Creative Officer, The GRO Agency
• Danielle Muller, VP of Strategy, The GRO Agency

Brokers and the Natural Channel

• Bob Sipper, , Cascadia Managing Brands

• Bob Sipper, , Cascadia Managing Brands

Selling Online

• Betsy McGinn, Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

  

  Betsy McGinn

  Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

  Betsy is the co-author of The Amazon Roadmap: How Innovative Brands are Reinventing the Path to Market, the quintessential start-to-finish guide for brands who want to launch, recalibrate, or optimize their business on Amazon and ensure continued growth on this powerful platform. As Seventh Generation’s first eCommerce channel director, Betsy pioneered the company’s innovative eComm strategy and created a thriving multimillion-dollar partnership with Amazon and other key online retailers. Since founding McGinn eComm in 2014, Betsy has worked with hundreds of natural and specialty brands to establish and strengthen their presence on Amazon. From product development and profitability analysis to guiding organizational change, McGinn eComm leads clients through every step of this complex channel, helping to ensure a successful and profitable online businesses. With more than a decade of eCommerce experience, Betsy is a thought-leader and regular speaker at workshops and conferences globally. Visit Betsy at mcginnecomm.com

• Betsy McGinn, Founder, McGinn eCommConsulting

Networking Break

Legal and Regulatory Issues to Watch

• Justin Prochnow, Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

  

  Justin Prochnow

  Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

  Justin is an attorney and shareholder in the Denver office of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig. His practice focuses on representing companies in the beverage, food, and dietary supplement and providing assistance on regulatory and legal issues. He reviews labels and packaging, websites and other promotional and advertising materials to ensure that the labels are technically compliant and appropriate claims are being made. He assists many companies with responses to FDA actions like warning letters, inspections and recalls, as well as FTC investigations. He also prepares and reviews industry contracts such as supplier and manufacturing agreements. And lately, he has been defending companies in class action lawsuits over labeling claims like "all natural" filed in California and other states.

• Justin Prochnow, Partner, Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Fundraising Basics

• Brad Barnhorn, Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors

  

  Brad Barnhorn

  Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors

  Brad works closely with leading growth-stage food and beverage companies as a board member and strategic advisor. His work leverages 25 years of company-building experience as entrepreneur, CEO, board member and investor, cutting across all strategic and operational dimensions of successful company-building in the food and beverage space. He currently serves on the Board of Fishpeople, Health Warrior, Simple Mills, Rhythm Superfoods, Biena, Rib Rack, and Red’s All Natural. He previously served on the Board of Krave Jerky, Kevita and Chameleon Cold Brew from these companies early stages through their respective exits as category defining brands to Hershey’s, Pepsi and Nestle. Building upon a foundation in management consulting and investment banking, Mr. Barnhorn’s food and beverage journey began twenty years ago as Founder/CEO of the Fantasia Fresh Juice Company which he built into the leading superpremium fresh juice/smoothie company in the Midwestern United States culminating in a merger with Naked Juice to form the leading national brand in the category which was subsequently acquired by Pepsi. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

• Brad Barnhorn, Board Member & Advisor, Barnhorn Growth Advisors

Round Table Networking