State of the Protein Industry: A Panel Discussion

Kent is responsible for directing the marketing effort for the Fresh Meats Business Unit while leading a team of brand managers, business managers, and dedicated agency support personnel. Kent and his team are accountable for all marketing efforts related to our fresh beef and pork brands, marketing direction for our case-ready business, and marketing support and coordination for our fresh meats value-added business. Additionally, Kent is responsible for the P&L of our growing NAE (No Antibiotics Ever) beef and pork programs with accountability for live animal supply, product mix, pricing and sales. In Kent’s current role he provides leadership for the business unit with strategic marketing direction, brand portfolio management, go-to-market communication, and sales support for all fresh meats branded and private label branded customer initiatives. Kent and his team support the retail, foodservice and international sales channels. Prior to joining Tyson Foods, Kent spent 14+ years in a variety of sales and marketing roles for Cargill Meat Solutions in both Canada and United States. In that capacity he led the significant growth of branded beef programs in Canada, Angus programs in the United States and Canada, and then premium branded efforts in both countries. Extensive leadership training through Cargill and Tyson Foods, combined with his experience, has provided Kent with a unique skill set that he uses to guide marketing strategy and tactical execution for Tyson Fresh Meats in a fresh beef and pork industry that is singular in its uniqueness and complexity. Kent grew up in Canada and obtained his degree from the University of Saskatchewan, College of Commerce in Marketing and Finance. He has three wonderful children and enjoys eating healthy food, staying fit, and seeking out new experiences.

Zak Romanoff is the President of OMNI Food Sales, a leading perishable Brand Advocate representing national, regional, and local food manufacturers. Zak has become a disruptor in the food distribution, marketing, and sales world by removing the term “Broker” from his vocabulary and replacing it with “Brand Advocate”. This rejuvenation of a once stale industry has been further enforced by Zak’s development of a strong online presence highlighting his day to day world in the food industry. Zak shares his knowledge on the food manufacturer and retailer relationship. Under his tenure as President, OMNI has won multiple “Broker/Vendor Partner of the Year” awards and Zak has spoken about “Brand Advocacy” to multiple foreign delegations, St Joe’s University Food Marketing Association Executive MBA Class, and other leading organizations in the food industry. Zak is a member of the New Jersey Food Council, serves on the Education Committee of the New Jersey Food Processors Association, and is a Board Member of the Harrison Food Pantry. Outside of the office Zak enjoys basketball, spartan races, and lives with his wife and son in New York.

Anne-Marie Roerink is a Principal at 210 Analytics, LLC — providing customized research and marketing strategies with a specialty in food retailing. Working closely with retailers, wholesalers, packer/processors, producers and trade associations, Anne-Marie has developed an excellent perspective on the ever-changing wants and needs of the meat consumer in a one-size-fits-no-one world. She understands the challenges and opportunities in the food and meat business today as well as the drivers of success tomorrow. Prior to founding 210 Analytics, Anne-Marie was the Head of Research for the Food Marketing Institute. Anne-Marie designs and authors the annual Power of Meat study, along with the weekly pandemic meat performance reports in conjunction with IRI, as well as similar studies in produce, deli prepared, frozen, bakery, candy and other categories.