Decoding and Promoting the LGBTQ+ Workplace Experience This article has been written by an HR expert and global operations professional who considers himself as much of a student of people as a leader of them. The purpose of this article is to openly and directly address the often-misunderstood LGBTQ+-related terminology, the people it is designed to identify, and their general present-day workplace […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED April 20, 2021 AUTHOR Patrick Proctor
Jack Carr Jack Carr has been named International Sales Manager at Summit Logistics. He had been Director of Sales at Ghost Coast Distillery. CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED April 18, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Stephanie Shapiro Stephanie Shapiro has been named Director of Merchandise at Sally Beauty. She had been Senior Category Manager at 7-Eleven, Inc. CATEGORIES Beauty PUBLISHED April 4, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
ForceForward: Building the Future of Supply Chain with Unioncrate’s Founder Shastri Mahadeo ForceForward is a video interview series from ForceBrands that highlights what businesses and teams look like tomorrow. According to Shastri Mahadeo, the traditional supply chain planning process is outdated. It’s manual and siloed. The lack of real-time data links across departments contribute to low forecast accuracy, low business performance, and untapped opportunity. Enter Unioncrate, an AI-powered Integrated Business […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED April 4, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
The New Frontier of People Management: Preparing to Manage “Flex Working” Post-Pandemic Teams As the business world continues to desperately cut away from the didactic year of 2020, 2021 has not proven to be all that… helpful. The corporate residue of scattered workforces, a lingering global virus, and a slowly rebounding (yet confused) economy reminds us by the minute that we are not close to “being out of […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED April 4, 2021 AUTHOR Patrick Proctor
8 AAPI-Owned Consumer Brands to Know and Support There’s nothing that can be said about the escalation of hate crimes against the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander communities in the last few years — except that it’s unacceptable. According to an analysis from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at CSU San Bernardino, reports of anti-Asian hate crimes increased […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED April 2, 2021 AUTHOR Stefanie Schwalb
What the Pandemic Has Taught Us As Leaders The pandemic has affected every organization in its own unique way. Even within the CPG industry, some companies have suffered immensely, others have flourished, and many are somewhere in between. No matter where you and your organization fall on this spectrum, the universal truth is that it has been immensely challenging for everyone. Business leaders […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 29, 2021 AUTHOR Tim Crean
How to Retain Women in Today’s Remote Workplace The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women in the workplace is striking. Nearly 2.3 million women have left the workforce since the start of the pandemic and that figure doesn’t just represent the layoffs and furloughs that affected women in the early months of the pandemic. In January 2021 alone, 275,000 women left the […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 29, 2021 AUTHOR Melanie Haniph
Mark Seid Mark Seid has been promoted to Vice President of National Accounts/MSO Partnerships at Curaleaf. He had been Director of Market Expansion. CATEGORIES Cannabis PUBLISHED March 21, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
ForceForward: Inside the Mushroom Revolution with Multiverse Co-Founders Alli Schaper and Tracy Komlos ForceForward is a video interview series from ForceBrands that highlights what businesses and teams look like tomorrow. Functional mushrooms are one of the hottest categories in CPG. From teas to tinctures, adaptogenic/medicinal mushrooms offer a plethora of health benefits. And while this buzzy ingredient may seem trendy in the U.S., it’s been used medicinally in Chinese […] CATEGORIES Beauty PUBLISHED March 21, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
How GEM’s Founder Sara Cullen Is Putting Wellness First in 2021 and Beyond Amid a global health crisis, wellness has never become more of a priority. When Sara Cullen launched GEM, it was largely inspired by her personal health journey. Now, following the success of the brand’s flagship product Daily Essentials, her and her growing team are introducing a new lineup of nutrient-dense, whole food vitamins that target […] CATEGORIES Beauty PUBLISHED March 16, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
How HR Has Changed Amid the Pandemic The pandemic has changed the working world forever. One year in, all the critical components of effective workforce management — attracting and retaining talent, culture development, compliance, and diversity — still matter, but there’s a COVID-related twist. As you hire, manage, and develop talent to help your organization perform, you now need to do it […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 15, 2021 AUTHOR Melanie Haniph
ImpactSKU Kicks Off Its Second Cohort in June Twin Cities-based cities-based ImpactSKU will kick off its second cohort in June to accelerate the growth of purpose-driven CPG startups. Applications are currently being accepted for startups with market traction and annual sales of $100K and above. ImpactSKU’s program will take place virtually and will do in-person events if possible. While this track is based […] CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED March 15, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Career Coach Emily Golden Answers Your ‘Juicy’ Career Questions You asked; we answered. In a past episode of Start It Sunday, we caught up with author, speaker, and master certified coach Emily Golden to ask her some of your toughest career questions. Now, she’s returning to answer more — and these ones are, as she says, ‘juicy.’ Golden specializes in executive leadership and career coaching and […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 14, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
How Leadership Should Prepare to Return to the Office We are now marking 365 days of conference calls, Zoom meetings, and homemade lunches. For some, it has been a dream come true. No long commutes, no annoying office-mates, and no formal work attire. For others, no in-person feedback, no downtime to chat with coworkers, and no separation between home and office have made the […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 12, 2021 AUTHOR Tim Crean
5 Women-Owned Pet Companies Shaping the Industry There are a lot of incredible ‘Female Forces‘ across the dynamic consumer brand universe. One of the more notable consumer sectors, particularly in the past year, has been pet care. Not only has the job market for the category expanded in opportunities during the pandemic, but it’s also grown exponentially in terms of product sales […] CATEGORIES Insights PUBLISHED March 11, 2021 AUTHOR Stefanie Schwalb
Sarah Hofstetter On Her Leadership Style, Women’s Empowerment, and More Born to Lead is ForceBrands’ original leadership series that highlights industry thought leaders across CPG. In this episode of Born to Lead, we caught up with Sarah Hofstetter, President and Board Member at e-commerce analytics firm Profitero. Her leadership journey is expansive and one that she says started early — when she became a big […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 7, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Raul Pero Raul Pero has been promoted to Head of Marketing & Innovation at Planterra Foods. He had been Brand Director. CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED March 4, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
‘Be the Change’ to Host Second Virtual Job Fair in Partnership with Thurgood Marshall College Fund Be the Change Job Fair, an initiative led by Cara Bertone, Philana Bouvier, Lia Jones, and Rania Zayyat, in partnership with Diversity in Food & Beverage and Lift Collective announced that registration for beverage alcohol employers is now open for the second virtual job fair. The virtual event will take place on April 22, 2021, […] CATEGORIES Beverage PUBLISHED March 4, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
‘Snow Days’ with HumanCo’s Founder Jason Karp Snow Days may be a new product from HumanCo‘s Founder and CEO Jason Karp, but the idea behind it is one that’s deeply familiar to the serial entrepreneur. Inspired by his mission to encourage healthier lifestyles, Snow Days is reimagining the frozen food space in a HumanCo kind of way. “It’s much more than just […] CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED March 2, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
How to Actively Engage Employees Amid COVID Burnout It was March of 2020 when the United States shut down due to the growing outbreak of COVID-19. As we enter March of 2021 and get set to mark the one-year anniversary of pandemic life, COVID burnout at work is a real issue. For employees who have been working (and parenting and teaching and socializing) […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED March 1, 2021 AUTHOR Tim Crean
How to Host Productive Virtual Performance Reviews The goal of performance reviews is to provide employees with feedback that boosts performance. But for many organizations, performance reviews don’t always hit the mark. In a LeadershipIQ study, only 13 percent of employees and managers said they believed their organization’s performance appraisal system was useful. The Covid pandemic complicated the process of conducting performance […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED February 26, 2021 AUTHOR Melanie Haniph
Marcus Mitson Marcus Mitson has been named Director of Sales, East at Unity Wellness Co. He had been Southeast Regional Sales Manager at VYBES LA. CATEGORIES Cannabis PUBLISHED February 23, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
6 Questions with Breakthru’s Chief Growth Officer Maggie Lapcewich From industry giants like E. & J. Gallo Winery, Diageo, and now Breakthru Beverage Group, Maggie Lapcewich‘s career in the alc bev industry is impressive. As Breakthru’s Chief Growth Officer, she credits her extraordinary experiences in the industry as a motivating factor for keeping her in the space for so many decades. And if she […] CATEGORIES Beverage PUBLISHED February 23, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
9 Black-Owned Alcohol Brands Creating Positive Change The alcohol industry has historically lacked diversity, especially when it comes to senior leadership and executive roles. But that doesn’t mean that progress can’t be made, nor does it imply it isn’t being made. The social justice events of 2020 have helped further propel diversity and inclusion efforts within the space. From initiatives like Diversity in […] CATEGORIES Beverage PUBLISHED February 18, 2021 AUTHOR Stefanie Schwalb
Actionable Ways to Reduce Bias in the Hiring Process When you’re trying to build a diverse and inclusive work culture, it’s natural to look to the hiring process as a way to make a measurable impact. After all, successfully hiring for diversity can help you change the whole makeup of your workforce. However, bias in the hiring process can be the one thing that […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED February 16, 2021 AUTHOR Melanie Haniph
ForceForward: ‘Founders Give’ Creator Launches Disruptive New Nonprofit ‘Wellfare’ ForceForward is a video interview series from ForceBrands that highlights what businesses and teams look like tomorrow. When we first caught up with Cole Riley, it was early spring of 2020. He put his plans to launch a new food media company on hold as the pandemic unfolded. Instead, a more critical need emerged. Inspired […] CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED February 16, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
How to Discover Your Brand’s DNA and Why It Matters What is brand DNA and why does it matter? We caught up with brand consultant and founder of Nourishing Food Marketing Christie Lee to go behind the scenes of brand identity. For Lee, brand DNA goes beyond marketing materials and a mission statement. Cultivating a company’s core identity proves a powerful and valuable tool when it […] CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED February 11, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Leadership Hacks for Rescuing Change-Fatigued Employees Change is good, right? You must change to grow as it brings new ideas and possibilities to your organization and personal life. In fact, change, whether it be tectonic in size or less conspicuous, is a part of every active business. It is when there is too much of it over a prolonged period that […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED February 11, 2021 AUTHOR Patrick Proctor
How Ground Up Group’s Jesse Silver Is Building Tomorrow’s Brands From the Ground Up Ground Up Group brings premium beverage and food brands to market in New York City and surrounding areas quite literally from the ground up. The agency focuses exclusively on emerging CPG brands with massive growth potential that the team believes starts with great shelf presence. Their clients include WellWell, Partake, TÖST, and others. We caught up with […] CATEGORIES Food PUBLISHED February 10, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Kevin Scott Kevin Scott has been named COO at Zen Hemp Infusions. He had been Director of Business Development at The Coca-Cola Company. CATEGORIES Cannabis PUBLISHED February 8, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Vince Bonina Vince Bonina has been promoted to Vice President of Wholesale, Northeast Region at Curaleaf. He had been Director of Wellness Brands. CATEGORIES Cannabis PUBLISHED February 8, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
CPG Entrepreneurs Team Up to Launch a New Kind of Hand Sanitizer with Cleanli Blake Mitchell, Ryan Lewendon, and Alex Sourry are all active entrepreneurs in the consumer brand space. From a branding agency that specializes in the food and beverage space, to a law firm offering legal services for disruptive CPG brands, they’re familiar with what it takes to build a winning brand. When the pandemic hit in […] CATEGORIES Beauty PUBLISHED February 8, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
AF Ventures’ Jordan Gaspar and ForceBrands’ Josh Wand On Leading Amid a Pandemic How do you lead during a pandemic when there’s no playbook? How do you sustain your team’s culture in a remote environment? What will the future of the workplace look like after COVID-19? These are all questions that AF Ventures‘ Managing Partner Jordan Gaspar and ForceBrands‘ Founder and CEO Josh Wand address in a candid and timely […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED February 8, 2021 AUTHOR Rebecca Fryer
Vita Coco On Returning to Field Marketing and Adapting to the New Normal Iconic naturalist Charles Darwin famously theorized that the survival of any species relies on its ability to adapt to — and to adjust best to — the changing environment in which it finds itself. This couldn’t be more apropos for us all in our present pandemic situation. Individuals and industries that are able to pivot may […] CATEGORIES Beverage PUBLISHED February 4, 2021 AUTHOR PINATA
Democracy in the Workplace: How to Manage Politics and Business The violent riots at the U.S. Capitol in early January shocked Americans and sent a ripple effect through the business community, prompting reactions from top CEOs and business leaders. The riots were just the latest in a string of concerning developments from the last year — the COVID-19 pandemic, a wildly contentious general election, and […] CATEGORIES ForceBrands PUBLISHED February 1, 2021 AUTHOR Melanie Haniph