After nearly eight years as editor, on August 1, I succeeded my longtime colleague, mentor, and friend, Chris Luke, as publisher of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery. The two of us have been a team for years, overseeing multiple publications in BNP Media’s food, beverage, and packaging division, addressing market dynamics and opportunities for growth across multiple industry segments. For me, those areas now include dairy, meat and poultry, candy and confectionery, and packaging, in addition to snacks and baked goods here on SF&WB. Collectively, this broad-based perspective provides valuable, informative context to our endeavors.

This is my life’s work. I’m nearly three decades down my career path in food publishing, truly following food from field to fork, and I relish every moment. The opportunity to continue curating Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, a seasoned publication with roots that date back over a century to the early days of the modern American snack and bakery industry itself, is an honor.

On the surface, not much will change. I’m carrying my reader-driven industry coverage with me into my publisher’s role, continually digging deeper to better understand the top challenges within the snack and bakery industry while shining a spotlight on the new supply-chain innovations that will help solve those very same challenges. It’s about continual improvement, identifying opportunities to grow, improve, and embrace strategic investment.

And I’m still a writer. I’ll continue to write about the companies that comprise our audience, listening and learning along the way. I’ll report monthly on market and category dynamics. There’s always more to learn about our wonderful world of food, fueling our journey.

To that end, I’d encourage you to reach out and connect. I’d love to hear about your challenges—and success stories. Together, we can continue to drive the industry forward and find opportunities for growth. SF&WB