Your ISBT Connection | March 15, 2021
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Featured News
Larry Hobbs, Executive Director of ISBT, Retires

Larry Hobbs has officially retired after 41 years as a member of the ISBT and 14 years as the Executive Director.

Before accepting the Executive Director position, Larry was a long-time associate of Cargill Corporation, serving as their Vice President and Technical Director of Food and Beverage Applications. He brought his extensive HFCS knowledge to the ISBT.

Larry had a keen focus on improving the ISBT’s education capabilities, growing non-USA membership, and providing fiscal stability to the Society. This focus led to:
  1. Formalizing the budgeting process
  2. Moving our investment capital into a managed account
  3. Doubling international membership
  4. Multiple seminars, which led to the development of the Beverage Institute
  5. Continuation of formalizing and documenting our practices and methodology
  6. Transitioning and outsourcing the administration aspects to Madeline Crouch & Co., which enabled him to focus on achieving the key goals of the Society

Click the button below to read more about Larry's contributions to the Society and what some past presidents had to say about his work.
"Auf Wiedersehen" to Lothar Brauer!

Lothar Brauer has decided to retire this year and will be stepping away from the industry. He has always been an active member of ISBT. As he retires, he will also step away from his roles with ISBT.
 
Lothar has been a good friend and a dedicated supporter of our Society. He has shared his extensive knowledge and passion for the beverage industry, presented at BevTech many times, and has always been able to deliver complex presentations in a compact but resourceful manner. He has been a member of ISBT since 2002 and has been an active member of the Packaging Technology Technical Committee. He served on the organizing team for BevTech Europe and was one of the charter members establishing our first BevTech Europe in Wiesbaden, Germany in 2009.

Click the button below to learn more about Lothar.
ISBT Congratulates Our 2020-2021 Scholarship Recipients

Each year, the International Society of Beverage Technologists awards scholarships to outstanding students who have shown an interest in pursuing a career in the beverage industry, either through coursework or an internship with beverage companies or suppliers to the beverage industry.
 
This year’s scholarship recipients attend Clemson, Purdue University, and Michigan University, in addition to our Emeritus Scholarship recipient, who attends Georgia Southern. These schools supply much-needed talent to our industry with strong leadership skills and innovative research.
 
The Society thanks our donors who make these awards possible.
Javin Goodine
Clemson University
Presley Huelskamp
Michigan University
Javier Cruz-Padilla
Purdue University
Eboni Thomas
Georgia Southern, Emeritus Scholarship
BevTech 2021 Virtual Expo Opportunities Still Available!

Show off your innovation, technology, and latest products at the beverage industry’s premier annual virtual event.
 
This year, the BevTech 2021 Conference is going virtual! The expo event will also be virtual, so the format allows for more attendees to view your offerings. Show off your latest technology and innovations at the ISBT’s Technology Exposition. Booth space is still available. This will be our 68th BevTech Conference and Expo. The expo will run TWO days - Monday, April 26, and Tuesday, April 27 - and bookends the main conference virtual event,  thus ensuring a great opportunity to attract visitors.
 
We expect more than our usual 300 attendees. The new virtual platform will allow visitors easy access to promotional material and interactive sessions with you. There are event options to enhance your presence and attract interested parties with promotions and incentives. This will be one of the earliest industry-wide exhibition events in 2021 – you’ll want to be part of it!
 
Booths are only $600. This price includes one booth and two booth personnel. Don't delay - reserve your booth now! Please note: at least one member from your company must register for the full BevTech event.
BevTech 2021 Tuesday Program

BevTech has become the event of the year for the beverage industry! While BevTech 2021 has gone virtual, it still includes a great lineup of keynote speakers discussing timely topics, Technical Committee meetings, and an Expo.
 
The 2021 theme is Trends and Innovations in Challenging Times. Sessions will be held Tuesday, April 27 - Thursday, April 29 with a featured topic each day. Technical Committee meetings will take place Monday, May 3 - Thursday, May 13. 
 
The theme for Tuesday, April 27, is Trends.
What's America Drinking? U.S. Market Trends

Gary Hemphill (Managing Director of Research, Beverage Marketing Corporation)
Kombucha and the Fermented Beverages Trend

Hannah Crum (President, Kombucha Brewers International)
Impact of COVID to Fountain Foodservice

Brad Davis (Director of Applied Technologies, Lancer Corporation)
Enabling Traceability & Transparency with Technology

Neil Marshall (Managing Director, Guv Consulting International LLC)
Never Forget Lessons Learned in Crisis and How Do We Build on New Strategies for the "New Normal"

Cloeann Durham (Vice President of Quality, Coca Cola Consolidated, Inc.) and Jimmy Hassler (Director of Quality, Coca Cola Consolidated, Inc.)
All general session presentations will be available for registrants to view up to two weeks after BevTech ends. Technical Committee presentations will only be available "live"; registrants will not have access to them after the meeting. General session and Technical Committee presentations will include a Q&A with the speaker, so you don't want to miss this great content!
ISBT Welcomes BevTech Attendees and Exhibitors to Whova!

ISBT is once again going to use Whova as our conference app. We think that you’ll agree that Whova does a spectacular job of helping everyone network, create their own personal agendas, and learn more about the great lineup of speakers in the General Sessions and Technical Committee meetings.

Attendees will be entered into Whova within the next couple of days, so watch for your invitation. As soon as you get it, you can either download the app or login to the Whova website to start browsing the exhibitor booths, connecting with other attendees, and setting up your own personal agenda as those sessions are added to the app.

Exhibitors should have already received an invitation to set up their booths. If you haven’t received yours, please let the ISBT Office know at office@isbt.com.

Please note that only registered attendees and exhibitors are given access to Whova, so register now for BevTech 2021!
ISBT Works with Cetie, an Affiliated Association

ISBT members initiated interactions with Cetie, which led to cooperative activities in the technical groups of both organizations. Working together in close coordination with ISBT’s Packaging Technology Technical Committee, we’ve developed guidelines for beverage closures, thereby reinforcing our common activities and leading to Cetie becoming an affiliated association in 2017.
 
As a result of this intensive exchange at the technical committee level, ISBT and Cetie developed the Plastic Bottle Closure Qualification Test Manual, a harmonized guideline for plastic closures, discussed and accepted by both organizations.
CGA Diversity & Inclusion Member Panel Discussion

Diversity & Inclusion CGA (Compressed Gas Association) Member Panel Discussion

Join this webinar to hear various perspectives on this important topic from leading HR experts in the compressed gas industry.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021, 2-3 PM (Eastern)

  • Free for CGA members
  • $49 / person for non-members
  • ISBT Discount! $25 / person for ISBT members.

ISBT discount code: ISBT21 (use this code at registration to access ISBT’s discounted fee of $25/person)

Registration is Now Open!

CGAConnect Webinar:
Diversity & Inclusion CGA Member Panel Discussion
(part of the CGAConnect 2021 family of online events)
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
2:00-3:00PM (Eastern)
Registration: $0 CGA members; $49/person non-members; $25/person for ISBT members with ISBT Discount Code ISBT21

Moderator: Rich Gottwald - President & CEO, Compressed Gas Association

Panelists:
  • Patricia Hargil - Vice President, Performance Transformation, Messer Americas
  • Christopher Rodriguez - Vice President, Talent, Culture & Engagement, Air Products & Chemicals
  • Additional panelist to be announced

Join CGA President Rich Gottwald for a thoughtful discussion with leaders from CGA member companies on how they foster diversity and inclusion within their work environments, and how other companies can do the same.

Topics to be explored include:
  • Methods to ensure we are hiring from a diverse talent pool
  • Strategies to develop and promote a qualified, diverse pool of employees
  • What does an inclusive environment look like?
  • Ideas for sharing our story with today’s youth – communicating why compressed gases matter and where opportunities lie for the future

This session will include a Q&A session with the audience.
Beverage Institute by ISBT®
PET Resin and Bottle Course
  • Registration opens on April 1st for a new course on resins, preforms, blow molding, bottles, PET process chemistry and properties, QC methods and other key attributes.
  • Registration will be available on https://www.isbt.com/isbt-beverage-institute.asp beginning April 1st.
 
Survey Result
  • Two thirds of respondents would recommend taking a Beverage Institute course to a colleague
 
What are people saying about the Beverage Institute
 
  • Beverage Technologist: “I think the course that really expanded my knowledge was the Sweetener course. Most of my prior knowledge before becoming a beverage applications technologist was in flavor development, so I was not really familiar with all the sweeteners out there, especially the artificial sweeteners. It was really fascinating to learn about their origins, intensities, and recommended beverage applications. So, I think that course specifically really opened my eyes.” Click here to sign up for the Sweetener Course.
Did You Know?
"Did You Know?" is a series of interesting events and changes to the ISBT and the beverage Industry. If you have an ISBT tidbit or a "fun fact," send it to tom@isbt.com.
 
Did You Know... about the ISBT?

This logo was used from 1957 to 1979. It was an expanded version of the previous logo and gave more detail to the technology used in beverage creation.

In 1977, the SSDT / ISBT elected its first woman president, Martha Jones – Robertson of Royal Crown Cola (RC).

With smaller memberships during these years, meetings were held in locations like Biloxi (before gambling), MS, Hot Springs, AR, and Colorado Springs, CO.

Until the 1990s, the Society would jam as many presentations as possible into the annual meeting (now known as BevTech), sometimes allowing only 10 - 15 minutes for a presentation, resulting in many presenters running overtime. The Society bought a green / yellow / red light to let the speakers know they were running out of time, but this was typically ignored!
Featured Board Member Profile
Marcio Amazonas

In one word: service. But I confess that it is both self-serving and to serve the professional network. I owe the Society and its members a big share of the successes along my career. It feels like I took more than I was able to give back, despite serving on the board and committees. I believe I can still make unique contributions to expanding the international reach of our Society. We are continuously making progress in that direction, with ever more diverse leadership, and we must not lose momentum.
Welcome, New Members!
ISBT is proud to announce we have gained 15 new members since March 1. Please join us in welcoming them to the association! (To view the complete list of new members, click the button below.) For information about joining ISBT, click Join ISBT below.
Industry News
*If you have news (i.e., new hires, personnel promotions, facility changes, etc.) that you would like to see mentioned in the ISBT Connection, please email steveg@datakey.org. The deadline for submission for the next issue of the ISBT Connection is March 29.
Gatorade Debuts Wearable Patch to Measure Hydration Needs - PepsiCo Inc's Gatorade has introduced a wearable patch for personalized hydration measurement.

Auntie Anne's® and Coca-Cola® are Bringing the Action Home with Ways to Win Pretzels All Tournament Long - Hungry for a slam dunk snack? Auntie Anne's has your back. To celebrate the return of everyone's favorite basketball tournament, the world's largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise is taking the action from the court directly to your living room.

Keurig Dr. Pepper Announces Appointment of New Director to its Board - Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. announced today that Debra Sandler, an accomplished executive and entrepreneur, has been appointed a director of the Company's Board of Directors, effective March 5, 2021.
Sponsored Resource Guide News
*The Beverage Industry Resource Guide contains information from Beverage Industry Supplier Members from a promotional standpoint. It is for advertising purposes and does not reflect the opinions or position of ISBT.
B&R Compliance and Analytical Science & Technologies Announce Strategic Alliance - The alliance will provide producers and financial investors in alternative CO2 source projects with industry leading services to comprehensively evaluate and assess a project's viability to consistently and reliably meet Beverage Grade requirements.
Chart to Collaborate on O2 Oxygen Water - O2 Oxygen Water is a functional hydration and recovery drink that makes clean, life-giving products while operating a purpose-driven business with integrity.
Messer Celebrates Two Year Anniversary as Messer Americas - In a LinkedIn post, the company thankted its customers, employees, community leaders and industry partners for their continued support throughout its journey.
Silgan Closures Sponsors Free Closures for a Year Contest - Do you have an original food concept that can utilize a current Silgan closure? Enter our contest today to win free closures for a year! Applications must be received by midnight CST on March 31st to be considered eligible.
Zep, Inc. Introduces Zep Assure™ Program - The Zep Assure™ Program is a comprehensive cleaning and disinfection management compliance system for segments such as commercial passenger transportation, education, offices and venues, and other business operators.
If you have sponsored content (i.e., new products, case studies, white papers, etc.) that you would like to see mentioned in the ISBT Connection, please email steveg@datakey.org or upload to the Beverage Industry Resource Guide by March 29.