Expert-led case studies and roundtable discussions
Join our presenters in this forum as we link the importance of science to the success of innovation at startups. We'll explore the following questions:
- How are larger, established companies working with startups and academia?
- What challenges are met and how is success measured?
- What are the new technologies being explored, and the biggest challenges with those technologies?
- How do we bridge larger, established companies, startups and researchers?
This Forum will feature case studies from industry experts with experience taking startups and small companies through growth stages. Attendees will then participate in roundtable discussions to dive deeper. You'll walk away with solutions to help your team solve challenges you're currently facing as well as new and valuable industry connections. Join the discussion on Thursday, November 10!
Meet the Experts
Jeff Grogg 
Jeff Grogg is driven to build better food in every sense of the word. He is the Founder and Managing Director of JPG Resources (2009), a team of more than 60 food business veterans who have conceived and commercialized thousands of products, many of which continue to succeed in market. Jeff is also the Founder and President of Snackwerks of Michigan (2016), a mid-scale contract manufacturer in Battle Creek, created to fill an underserved segment in food production.
Prior to 2009, Jeff was an R&D lead and member of the executive team responsible for growing Kashi from $25 million to $750 million in 9 years. Prior to Kashi, Jeff led the research and development team for Kellogg's Health and Wellness business.
Jeff is a board member of This Saves Lives and King Arthur Baking Company, and is a sought-after thought leader who has spoken at conferences in North America and Europe on topics such as The Future of Health Foods, Commercializing Innovation, and Innovation in a Troubled Economy. He is a contributor for New Hope, BevNET/NOSH, the Wall Street Journal, and the Institute of Food Technologists.
More information on Jeff and JPG Resources is available at www.jpgresources.com,
www.snackwerks.com or at
linkedin.com/in/jeff-grogg-2a73663
Barbara Heidolph
Barbara Bufe Heidolph is recognized as the only global leading expert in chemical leavening, with over 30 years of research experience in the baking, beverage, dairy and protein industries. As the VP of Innovation and Quality for Mason Dixie Foods, she works with a team to develop innovative consumer driven products for the frozen retail market space.
She spent the last 30 years as a key scientist for Monsanto / ICL Group and for Innophos – the largest manufacturers of chemical leavening agents – working for the largest global food and beverage companies in the world, including Nestle, Kraft-Heinz, and General Mills. Heidolph holds 20 patents in the area of leavening compounds, functional ingredients and food applications. She has authored 3 feature articles and authored or co-authored over 10 journal articles, reference books, and encyclopedia articles and is often sought out by editors as a reliable technical source of information and testament.
She led the effort to establish and maintain a collaborative work group focused on Food Safety, culture and best practices for the Cereals & Grains Association. Heidolph is a member of the Cereals & Grain Association, IFT and ASB and served as president and chair of AACC International. She is a mother of 5 who juggled continued education, working full-time as the family breadwinner, and climbing to the top of her professional career and continues to be a sought after resource in the food sciences and research industry.
Erin VanLanduit
Erin VanLanduit is the Head of Corporate Ventures at Cargill, where she is responsible for building and managing a portfolio of strategic investments in growth-stage companies that align with Cargill's long-term growth objectives. Her decade and a half long corporate career at global CPG companies has spanned roles in Marketing/Brand Management, Global Innovation, Strategy, M&A Integration and Corporate Ventures. Organizations where she has previously worked include: Kraft Foods, McCain Foods, SC Johnson and Tyson Ventures/Tyson Foods. Before her corporate career, she served 6 years active duty as a Field Artillery Officer in the US Army, encompassing two combat deployments to Iraq during Operations Iraqi Freedom I and III.
Erin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in American Legal Studies, with a concentration in Nuclear Engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business with concentrations in Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, General Management and Managerial & Organizational Behavior. The highest award attained during her military service is the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
Vikram Ghosh
Vikram Ghosh joined Ardent Mills in May 2017. He serves Ardent Mills in a Specialty Sales role calling on strategic accounts. In this role, Vikram works closely with Ardent Mills strategic account customers focusing primarily on specialty ingredients.
Prior to joining Ardent Mills, Vikram worked with Cargill for 4.5 years as Bakery Application Leader. In this role, he supported both Cargill internal business projects and external customer innovation projects.
Vikram spent almost 10 years working at General Mills, working mainly in bakery R&D (frozen and refrigerated dough). He also did a cross-functional role in corporate strategy (finance) for couple of years.
Vikram has a B. Tech (Hons) in Agricultural Engineering, MS & PhD in Food Science from Penn State and MBA from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
Vikram and his wife Koel live in the Twin Cities area and have two children, Hridi (17) and Aman (13).
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