<div><p paraid="235050332" paraeid="{e0eacfb7-0161-4dd5-a4b2-671f4adb663c}{31}" style="text-align:center;"><em>Retailers are urged to nominate meat professionals for the 2026 Leaders of Tomorrow Awards to foster industry leadership, drive innovation in areas like sustainability and product development and strengthen the entire meat supply chain by recognizing emerging talent who enhance operational excellence and customer value. </em></p></div><div><p paraid="891692856" paraeid="{e0eacfb7-0161-4dd5-a4b2-671f4adb663c}{122}"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, FMI </span></p></div><div><p paraid="616413845" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{35}"><img sf-image-responsive="true" src="https://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/lot-amc-2026.png?sfvrsn=e23b0cea_1" height="220" style="max-width:100%;height:auto;float:right;" title="LoT AMC 2026" width="370" alt="LoT AMC 2026" class="-align-right" sf-size="128634" />Each year, the <a href="https://www.meatconference.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Annual Meat Conference</a> honors emerging professionals through the <a href="https://www.meatconference.com/leaders-of-tomorrow/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Leaders of Tomorrow Awards</a>, recognizing individuals who demonstrate leadership, ingenuity, and a forward-looking approach to operational excellence. The 2025 class exemplifies the remarkable opportunities the next generation brings. Their achievements offer a clear message: investing in your people strengthens your business and the broader meat industry. </p></div><div><p paraid="760930828" paraeid="{e0eacfb7-0161-4dd5-a4b2-671f4adb663c}{181}">To ensure the meat department remains a cornerstone of grocery retail; retailers shouldn’t wait to highlight the shining stars of their delis and butcher counters. <span style="background-color:transparent;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit;text-align:inherit;text-transform:inherit;word-spacing:normal;caret-color:auto;white-space:inherit;">Still not convinced? Hear us out: </span></p></div><div><h5 paraid="1565706344" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{63}">1. Growing Industry Leadership Starts on Your Team </h5></div><div><p paraid="1272917452" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{69}">Retailers are uniquely positioned to identify emerging leaders who make progress every day. Honorees like Juan Rosendo of Albertsons, who utilizes analytics to enhance shopper engagement, and Kristen Zoldan of Sprouts Farmers Market, whose curiosity has transformed her into a category leader, demonstrate how retail-based talent drives innovation across the meat department. </p></div><div><p paraid="1273813543" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{87}">Recognizing this talent fosters loyalty and encourages high performers to continually raise the bar. A nomination also signals that your company invests in professional growth, an advantage in a competitive labor market. </p></div><div><h5 paraid="1796406674" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{105}">2. Innovation Thrives When New Voices Are Elevated </h5></div><div><p paraid="1481024953" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{115}">Today’s meat professionals are influencing everything from merchandising strategies to sustainability and new product development. 2025 honoree, Danny Miller of Bob Evans Farms, reimagines how brands connect with shoppers through creative trade marketing. Jessica Maus at Cryovac helped launch a compostable tray that meets sustainability and food safety expectations. </p></div><div><p paraid="693147067" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{129}">Their work reflects what consumers want: solutions that blend convenience, responsibility and culinary inspiration. By nominating your emerging leaders, you help amplify the voices shaping the future of the protein case. </p></div><div><h5 paraid="1669843034" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{139}">3. Recognizing Rising Talent Strengthens the Entire Supply Chain </h5></div><div><p paraid="560379007" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{149}">From producers to retailers, leadership travels up and down the supply chain. Honorees such as MaryAnn Pannkuk of Merck Animal Health, who advances DNA-based traceability, and Steven Ruggiere of Perdue Farms, who shifted a sales approach from volume to profitability, show how collaboration and strategic thinking benefit the full ecosystem. </p></div><div><p paraid="2082938799" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{159}">Retailers play a critical role in spotlighting talent that drives operational excellence, food safety, sustainability and customer value. Your nomination helps identify the next class of trailblazers who will shape the industry’s trajectory for years to come. </p></div><div><p paraid="105960036" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{169}">Nominations for the 2026 Leaders of Tomorrow Awards close December 12, 2025. <br />If your team includes a rising star employed by an FMI or Meat Institute member company, submit your nomination today. </p></div><div><p paraid="1950983593" paraeid="{a1fbbe31-c9c6-46e9-9e2f-26369fda5ec3}{187}"><a href="https://www.meatconference.com/leaders-of-tomorrow/?utm_source=amc26&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=amc26&utm_id=blof_AMC26_LoT_November2025" target="_blank" class="button">Make your nomination</a></p></div>
[#item_full_content]
