PRESIDENT, OWNER, FOOD QUALITY, SOLUTION INNOVATOR
Nancy Jo Seaton
A life spent in food has afforded Nancy Jo a unique perspective on product quality. Her many diverse roles across the food spectrum has allowed her to pioneer an innovative and customized approach to product evaluation. Combining organoleptic assessment with good lab practices she has successfully executed this evaluation system for many years.
Applicable to retail food items, foodservice products, small wares and equipment, the process delivers an all-encompassing depiction of the target. Straightforward reporting includes sensory assessment and benchmarking for quick and comprehensive decision-making.
In addition to assessment she and her expert team can offer practical advice to alter or correct any issue uncovered. Skilled at project management, she has led many teams to creative and fruitful solutions, quickly.
Nancy Jo led the global product evaluation effort at Subway Restaurants and has worked with countless global food brands throughout her career including Chiquita, Unilever, Conagra and more.
Global Food Safety, Sensory, Sommelier
Chris Wells
Chris Wells has led food safety, procurement, distribution and product development teams, working with suppliers to improve product quality. Chris has covered a variety of categories from grocery to quick service, developing programs with industry-wide impact. He is widely recognized within the food industry for his extensive food safety work, and co-authoring the British Retail Consortium (BRC) global food safety and quality standard. This is now used globally for supply chain food safety assurance.
Chris has an MS in Diet, Quality and Health from the University of Reading. He has worked in retail at Sainsbury’s, commercial foodservice at Pizza Hut and served as the CEO of Leatherhead Food Research, revolutionizing their business. He specializes in business transition and team leadership.
Food Science
Arife Beadsmoore
Arife is a qualified food scientist with over 20 years of experience in the food industry (including QSR and FMCG manufacturing). She has extensive knowledge across a range of certification requirements and implementation and maintenance of vendor assurance programs within the QSR industry.
Arife offers support for food manufacturers with all aspects of developing food safety and quality management systems and supporting programs. She has excellent ability to implement continuous improvement initiatives including product quality and operational enhancements, problem solving and cost saving initiatives.
She has also developed specifications and standards for new and existing food products across a range of product categories. Most recently working with global branded beverages and snacks across Subway’s worldwide network, facilitating their product portal application EtQ Reliance.
She has delivered full management of product quality compliance programs for major global restaurant companies. Ensuring testing, review, reporting and corrective actions meet the required schedule timelines and quality expectations.
Trend Spotter, Business Development
Folashade Otuyelu
Folashade Otuyelu has worked with numerous restaurant and retail clients to scale operational efficiency and implement new technology integrations and strategic partnerships.
Folashade has utilized a combination of analytics, and other tools to pinpoint industry, food trends, and competitive benchmarking to provide insight to clients to inform their strategy.
Specialities: She specializes in technical implementation, improving operational efficiencies, payment integrations scaling and coaching teams and project management.
Manufacturing Productivity, Scale-Up
Jim McCollum
Jim is an accomplished food industry professional with extensive experience in the food industry for a considerable number of product categories including quick service and retails. In addition, he has helped to successfully commercialize new products, line extensions and product improvements resulting in improved customer satisfaction and profits here in the U.S. and across the globe.
Specialties: Formulation, scale up, increasing productivity, root cause analysis and resolution technical services, food science, new product commercialization, Quality Assurance, Product and Process Improvement, Production Capability Assessment Specification Development
Administration & Training Facilitation
Maria Turczyniak
Maria has covered a platform of administration roles within sales, customer service, production, consulting and training. She has a wide range of skills in product management, attention to detail, problem solving and implementation of practices to ensure flow and time management.
Maria has also played an integral part in training teams in work processes and software programs inclusive of manuals, procedures, problem solutions and live sessions. Allowing smooth transitions and full capacity productivity within existing work cultures. Showing versatility to integrate systems to achieve results.
She has worked with Subway for seven years in various food quality roles. From food scientist supportive roles, assisting with product quality compliance program via reporting, sample collection and summit organization. Also working and building direct relationships with suppliers to compile product specifications for data entry. Most recently training all staff in using portal application EtQ Reliance and developing an online training guide using Walk Me program.
Marketing, Communications
Katie Coleman
Katie is a passionate, innovative and effective communicator. She has extensive experience in foodservice, leading global public relations for Subway Restaurants and providing strategic and creative direction to brands such as Hershey Foodservice and Schwan’s Company.
She specializes in storytelling, strategic communications programs, social strategy and media relations.