June 6, 2007 Best Practices
	Bruce Weitz, Kings Super Markets, Inc CEO Most important aspects in retail are to have a solid doable strategy and plan and execute it well to differentiate yourself from the competition Success starts with the development of a sound strategy down to the finite details that all the top managers in the company view as their collective vision The key to best practice is if it is a company wide strategy or single area priority, have everyone understand: What is it you want to accomplish?, What key measures of success are?, What their part of the task really is? Communication is always the key
	Jonathan White, White Coffee Corp. CEO Take the brand you have and move it No tolerance for mediocrity in anything that you do Preserve your culture and understand your culture to get to where you want to go Even when you create change, keep in mind it will change again and it keeps changing Talk to customers: hear what is going on: your staff’s feedback is a great way to get input Expect your customer base to keep changing
	Brendan Synnott, Bear Naked CEO The culture of business is more important then ever to the next generation of workforce otherwise known as the millennials Next generation will be more productive, skilled and motivated to work but also be more high maintenance A culture should be passionate, empowering, inspire me to believe, honest, truthful, transparent, adventurous (teach me something new) Companies needs to take risk and try things to evolve our culture

June 6, 2006 Best Practices
	Rocco Damato, A.L. Bazzini Nuts Company President Acquire a company with more verticality than yours – enhances reduced cost of goods sold Enhance control of your brand and control your shelf space Your culture needs to be made compatible – it’s critical that you have a thorough and successful integration of culture and staff Communicate your goal to your entire staff You must pursue your acquisitions with focus, do not fall in love with it otherwise it may become more costly and less functional
	Stephen Hindy, The Brooklyn Brewery Chairman The brand is where the value lies Self distribution and community marketing is key When designing your logo you must focus on the image you are projecting License your logo, that’s where the money is
	Stew Leonard, Jr., Stew Leonard’s President & CEO You can’t have a great place to shop without making it a great place to work You must have trust and respect throughout your entire company Empower your employees to help make decisions and then give them the appreciation and recognition Offer growth for your employees – train them and develop programs Refresh your merchandise – measure your products to see how quickly they sell

May 24, 2005 Best Practices
	David Wenner, B&G Foods, Inc. President Limit your risk by using outside investors Spend the money and hire talented people Management needs to bring answers to the table – not questions Keep your identity within new corporate owners Dedicate yourself to being an ethical company Mergers and acquisitions that fit your infrastructure can quadruple your gross sales
	Dean Karnazes, Good Health Natural Foods CEO, Ultra Marathon Man Dedicate yourself to technology Constant communication is key You must be dedicated to your goal to succeed Commit yourself and sacrifice Apply your identity to your brand
	Beryl Joy Levi, Tower Isles Frozen Foods President & CEO Know your industry and what hurdles you will have to overcome Retail is a formula with 3 components: Value Merchandising Managing by example Knowing your skill and staying focused Perseverance is key in setting up USDA approved factory You need a unique product with a niche Expand acceptance in mainstream market place Provide profitable items that are easy to handle Make use of your local sources that allow you to network and gather information USDA assisting in labeling saves a lot of time and expense Build your base in a local community

June 1, 2004 Best Practices
	Jim Perdue, Perdue Farms, Inc. Chairman of the Board You have to instill 4 main values: Quality, Work Ethic, Frugality, Integrity Get an outside board or expert individual to help - they can be a neutral observer Delegate early and bring in talent - put the right senior management team in Establish a family council/committee Establish rules between generations - Set rules for what it takes to enter into the family business i.e.: You have to start at the bottom and work your way up Work outside of the business for 3-5 years to make sure this is what you want Set a vision, targets and goals
	Gordon Crane, Apple & Eve LLC Founder and President Do what you believe in Follow your instincts and look within Specialize and do what you do best You must stay challenged; no pain, no gain Try to stay away from giving advice and instead ask the right questions - Entice others to figure it out on their own Accept your circumstances and control how you react in a particular situation or environment When outsourcing make sure you have proper systems to oversee quality of the product
	Joseph Fedele, Fresh Direct Founder, Co-Chairman, CEO Know your industry and what hurdles you will have to overcome Retail is a formula with 3 components: Value Merchandising Managing by example Knowing your skill and staying focused Doing the job first prior to delegating is essential in assessing what is involved in getting the job done efficiently Shoot quick but know your target - if you can do that and make your target 80% of the time you will be successful Write your own programs - "off the shelf" software cannot compare to the idiosyncrasies of your company Treat your customer like they are part of the family - Your customer is #1!

May 6, 2003 Best Practices
	Vinnie Gruppuso, Kozy Shack Enterprises CEO Trial and error is often at the core of entrepreneurial success After spending millions in advertising and other brand development methods, the surprising lesson is that allowing consumers to sample the product is the most effective approach of all! Stand behind your energy and always deliver what you promise Perfect the product, then believe in it! Allow 20% growth per year in order to maintain the level of quality and control critical to long term success After a certain size, it may become necessary to hire professional management
	Thomas Fitzsimmons, Airstream Foods CEO A key ingredient to business survival and success is to diversify within the narrow area of one's expertise - expanding into the Food Distribution business, then expanding to a new location - to seeing an opportunity in Hunts Point and purchasing 8 buildings in the wholesale produce end of the business Building an FDA approved kitchen producing fresh cut fruits and vegetables for fine restaurants, caterers, and hotels Adding a Kosher kitchen Going global, making pacts with different countries in order to be in a position to offer to the customer a greater selection Vertical diversity within the food industry has become an insulator from the inevitable fluctuations of the various food market segments
	John King, J. Kings Food Service Professionals CEO What does the customer value? With 255 employees, building the team became one of the critical ways to implement strategy - which then required focusing on COMMUNICATION with employees as a major priority Developed a Vision statement -start every meeting reading it Development - with the team - of a 3-5 year plan for growth Development of a people oriented culture within the company has been critical. And our policy is that every one of the employees is a salesperson for the company
	Jonathan Ewig, Porky Products, Inc. CFO Among the vital contributions the board has provided include giving the company: organization, more productive meetings with agendas, a more effective structure, budgets that can be used very effectively, goals, a long term plan, and greater professional discipline Had an offsite retreat where a 15 year plan was developed, driven by the personal as well as professional objectives of the senior team Take minutes at board meetings and read them first at your next meeting -thus holding yourself accountable A Board consists of: an accountant, attorney, bankers, other business people As more meetings take place everyone becomes a better member because they know exactly what the company is doing
	Ira Nathel, Nathel & Nathel CEO Receive employee input Give credit for employees ideas Treat them with respect
	Henry Beyer, Beyer Farms, Inc. CEO Customer is king Banker's sometimes "short change" the small entrepreneur A significant way to grow is through acquisitions or mergers Especially good for tough low margin businesses