Leslie Lee, MBA ’98, has been appointed to the position of vice president of Digital Experience for Hormel Foods Corporation, from which she will be leading the company’s growing digital and e-commerce business strategy.
Congratulations to Leslie! Read more here.
Earlier this month Christopher Bray, MPA ’00, was announced as the new chief revenue officer for Aura, a technology company dedicated to simplifying digital security for consumers.
Congratulations to Christopher! Read more here.
Scot Burton, BBA ’74, MBA ’76, received the 2020 American Marketing Association Lifetime Achievement Award in Marketing & Society. This award is given to faculty who exemplify outstanding scholarship in the fields of Marketing and Society, Public Policy, and/or Marketing Ethics for contributions over their career. Burton is a distinguished professor and Tyson Research Chair at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas.
Read more here.
More than 200 alumni, students, and entrepreneurs tuned in for the 2020 Taste of Texas Virtual Showcase and Tradeshow! Hosted by the Nutrition Institute at the McCombs School of Business, the showcase featured five panels and four vendor sessions highlighting better-for-you food and beverage innovation from emerging brands and industry leaders. The event also included an online tradeshow featuring 21 vendors. Listeners were encouraged to view participating vendors on the Taste of Texas website and the first 100 registrants received a box of samples from our tradeshow vendors. See recordings of all Taste of Texas 2020 sessions on YouTube.
Throughout the day-long event, listeners heard from 25 speakers including researchers, investors, business owners, executives, nutritionists, and more. Learn more about the speakers on the Taste of Texas website.
“This event showcases the extraordinary expertise and talent driving innovation in better-for-you food and beverage products. Longhorns and friends across the country joined us virtually here at McCombs to share their wisdom on some of the most important questions facing today’s emerging brands — that community is what makes UT such an extraordinary place.”
UT Nutrition Institute Director Marissa Duswalt Epstein
The UT Nutrition Institute is a partnership across the McCombs School of Business, the College of Natural Sciences, and the Department of Nutritional Sciences. Visit us at UTNutritionInstitute.org.
Attendees had the opportunity to vote on vendors they would like to hear more about. The chosen brands were Cece’s Veggie Co., FitJoy Foods, and Real Food Bar. These three brands hosted their own “snack break” sessions throughout the showcase. Learn more about our vendors on the Taste of Texas website.
Special thank you to our partners Naturally Austin and SKU!
SHOWCASE LINEUP AND RECORDINGS
E-commerce during COVID-19: Entrepreneur responses to changes in consumer behavior
Join us for an insider look on how a few of Austin’s top CPG companies innovated and adapted after COVID-19 drastically shifted consumer behavior.
Welcome to the Austin CPG Scene with SKU, Naturally Austin, and the UT Nutrition Institute
Are you looking to get involved in Austin’s CPG seen but don’t know where to start? Don’t miss this opportunity to dive in and get to know the scene!
Boozy COVID-19 updates with Austin Eastciders: Changes in the Alcoholic Beverage Market
COVID-19 has drastically changed how alcohol is sold and experienced across the US. Tune in to learn from the experts at Austin Eastciders on how they have adapted to the changes.
Snack Break: CeCe’s Veggie Co.
Hear from CeCe’s Veggie Co.: At Cece’s® Veggie Co., we believe in simple nutrition. That’s why we make vegetables with nothing to hide. You can eat ’em raw, sautéed as an alternative to pasta, sauced, sidelined, in a salad, or as a soup.
Supply chain in the era of COVID-19: How food producers, manufacturers, and retailers are adapting
Wondering why grocery shelves were empty back in April? COVID-19 took the industry by surprise. Join us as our panelists discuss the impact of supply chain disruptions on dairy, produce, and retailers.
Snack Break with FitJoy Foods
Hear from FitJoy Foods: We are a snack company with a mission to make joyful snacks fit for all. That means amazing tasting snacks that are clean diet & allergen friendly.
New sustainable foods: What will the future taste like?
From cricket farming to eco-friendly meat substitutes, the food industry is turning over a new leaf. But, just what will sustainable food options look and taste like, and how likely are consumers to adopt these new products?
Snack Break with Real Food Bar
Hear from Real Food Bar: Real Food Bars are plant-based protein bars made with upcycled ingredients. We are committed to reducing the 80 billion pounds of food waste in the US each year, while also providing a vegan protein bar made from only natural ingredients.
Consumer behavior during COVID-19: Investor perspectives on the new normal
How we spend our dollars directs the industry—from the products we buy to the trends we follow to the retailers we patron. Everything seems to have changed since the start of the global pandemic. How are new buying patterns shaping the way investors finance new ventures?
Thank you to our tradeshow vendors!
The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin announces the appointment of the following members to its MBA Advisory Board.
Additionally, the board’s executive committee assumed new leadership:
The McCombs School would like to thank our new members and leaders and also thank Nick Vaughn, MBA ’09, and Dan Carter, MBA ’95, who will be rolling off of the board and our outgoing leader, Ken Parekh, MBA ’87, who has become an emeritus member having served as past chair.
Additionally, Peter Almond, MBA ’03, Matt Altenau, MBA ’06, Stacy Hock, MBA ’05, Todd Parsapour, MBA ’04, Doug Swanson, Jr., MBA ’99, and Wendy Wheless, MBA ’08, have been reappointed for a second active term. View the full membership.
The McCombs School of Business MBA Advisory Board formed in 1996. Members assist the dean, associate dean of graduate programs, faculty, and staff of the McCombs School of Business in achieving and maintaining “best of class” status for the MBA programs. Members support the MBA program’s strategy planning, curricula, external affairs, alumni engagement, fundraising efforts, and student placement. Member nominations are accepted on a rolling basis. The executive committee considers nominations for membership each spring and new three-year terms begin Sept. 1.
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