News

The presidents of Costco and Starbucks North America will make rare appearances at the Food Industry Leadership Center's (FILC) annual retail food and packaged goods conference, "Executive Forum 2003," October 20-21, 2003, in Tigard, Ore. Jim Sinegal, Costco's president and CEO, will give a keynote address discussing employee retention and the importance of vendor partnerships. Jim Donald, president of Starbucks North America, will tap into his 32 years of retail and food industry experience to share insights on achieving advantages through partnerships and a motivated workforce.

Executive Forum 2003, formerly "Connections," will address topics such as workforce value, customer relevance, and operational efficiency and effectiveness in the food industry. PSU's FILC is housed in the School of Business Administration and is one of only six programs in the nation providing educational and research programs for the food industry--the largest employment industry in the state of Oregon. For further information on this year's conference or the FILC, visit http://www.foodleadership.pdx.edu/.