Meet the guest NEXTY Awards judges for Expo West 2020
These six industry experts bring a wide breadth of experience in retail, sustainability, agriculture, finance, brand strategy and brand image development to the table. They’ll help decide the NEXTY Awards winners that will be recognized at Natural Products Expo West 2020.
January 8, 2020
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As a part of the Supplier Diversity Team at the Target Corporation, Karen Tobler leads the Supplier Diversity strategy for Health and Beauty, Essentials, Home and Hardlines. With over 15 years of experience in business development, she specializes in connecting and supporting enterprises that are majority-owned by women, ethnic minorities, LGBT persons, veterans and persons with disabilities as they navigate opportunities to expand their businesses at the right place and time. Karen wears many hats. She can mentor diverse suppliers on pitching to a Fortune 50 company one minute and work with industry colleagues the next. She sits on the board of the Retail Industry Group, which includes members from the top 16 retailers in the country. No matter the hat or industry, the through-line is generous purpose. As a Latina woman and immigrant to the United States, Karen’s calling is to help diverse entrepreneurs position themselves and their brands in the very best light, ensuring they can increase their odds of success. Karen's mission: "My personal goal is to support diverse owned companies in the natural products industry by helping them shorten their learning curves and strengthen their positioning as they work towards bringing “better for us” products to mass retail."
Alyssa Harding is the Executive Director of the Sustainable Food Trade Association. She has an educational foundation in agricultural ecology and environmental policy. She previously managed Corporate Responsibility and External Relations at Justin’s, a Boulder-based nut butter company with a mission rooted in sustainability and community impact. Before Justin’s, Harding worked in the environmental sector for Colorado-based water conservation nonprofits, in addition to spending time working in the solar industry developing renewable energy infrastructure. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Naturally Boulder and the Climate Collaborative, and has published articles with PowerHouse Growers that educate readers about food security and sustainable agricultural solutions. Alyssa's mission: "My personal mission has always been to drive institutional change through sustainability. Whether that role has been with a manufacturer or now, a trade association, my passion is to leverage collective impact programs to bring diverse stakeholders together. By building sustainable business models through community development, this approach allows me to broaden the scope and deepen the impact of my sustainability work. Today, companies are differentiated by their corporate responsibility efforts, and as the natural products industry innovates new product and platform ideas, we need to prioritize innovation through a lens of sustainability in order to make our industry a force for good in the world."
In Phil's own words: "I was born next to the Chesapeake Bay. My origins run through me like a river. I have a M.S. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I have diverse international experience in both private and public sectors, and have led research, service and outreach campaigns throughout Africa, Latin America and SE Asia. Currently, I teach in the Masters of the Environment program at the University of Colorado Boulder. All of these experiences have led me to launch Mad Agriculture, with a mission to reimagine and restore our relationship to Earth. This purpose guides my personal and professional goals as a husband, father and light warrior pursuing good of all." Phil's Mission: "My mission is to create a world where people and ecosystems thrive together. Through Mad Agriculture, my goal is to help brands create regenerative supply webs that enrich the Earth, rather than destroy it. Brands have extraordinary power to shape and create a more beautiful world; how we eat is how the world is used. Mad Agriculture helps brands realize this potential."
Ryan Pintado-Vertner is the Founder and Principal at Smoketown, a boutique consultancy that supports strategy, marketing and growth for emerging brands in the natural products sector. Its team of CPG veterans have a uniquely consumer-led approach, with services ranging from positioning and outsourced marketing management to consumer research and innovation. Its clients include Steaz, Tio Gazpacho, Field + Farmer and Siren Snacks. Ryan's Mission: "My mission is to create a more just, vibrant and sustainable world by enabling the success of just, vibrant and sustainable brands."
Susan Graf has served in leadership roles in a variety of different mid-sized CPG companies. Graf was Vice President of Finance and Administration at Bhakti Chai and Vice President of Operations at Leanin’ Tree, a Boulder greeting card manufacturer. She also led the Boulder Chamber for eight years as CEO, helping launch the Innovation Center of the Rockies, Naturally Boulder and CO-Labs. Graf now helps socially and environmentally conscious companies garner the capital they need to fulfill their missions. She currently serves as Treasurer of the Board of both Naturally Boulder and the Colorado Enterprise Fund. Susan's Mission: "I am passionate about values-driven organizations that are building healthier products, resilient communities and a regenerative economy for a more sustainable world. I work in impact banking because I move money to where it can be an agent for positive social, environmental and economic change. I am a champion of the B Corp community and businesses that are a force for good. I also serve on non-profit boards, like Naturally Boulder and the Colorado Enterprise Fund, to support and strengthen organizations that are in alignment with my values."
Ashley McLaughlin is a professional food photographer who specializes in capturing recipes, products, and ingredient images for cookbook creators and corporate partners alike. Ashley resides in sunny Colorado with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Lennon. Beyond the camera and kitchen, Ashley loves spending time with her family and friends and being active outside. Ashley's Mission: "My mission is to inspire and connect consumers to the natural foods industry, through thoughtful and authentic imagery."
Ashley McLaughlin is a professional food photographer who specializes in capturing recipes, products, and ingredient images for cookbook creators and corporate partners alike. Ashley resides in sunny Colorado with her husband and three-year-old daughter, Lennon. Beyond the camera and kitchen, Ashley loves spending time with her family and friends and being active outside. Ashley's Mission: "My mission is to inspire and connect consumers to the natural foods industry, through thoughtful and authentic imagery."
The NEXTY Awards is an awards program that recognizes the pinnacles of excellence in the natural products industry. On a mission to elevate the most innovative, inspirational and integrity-driven products worthy of acclaim in the natural products industry, the awards are given twice per year at Natural Products Expos East and West and offer exposure to investors, retailers, distributors, media, influencers and more. The finalists and winners are chosen in a thorough two-tier judging process held in the New Hope Network office in Boulder, Colorado, one month before the shows. Check out the NEXTY Awards judging video here!
In the preliminary judging round for Expo West, the internal New Hope Network content, marketing, standards and NEXT Data & Insights teams come together to whittle down over 850 nominees to approximately 70 finalists. For the final judging round, New Hope invites a diverse panel of industry experts to join the New Hope Network team to select a single winner in each of the 22 categories. The finalists and winners are evaluated via deep discussions and debates on several criteria; these include their written answer to what the product's Innovation, Inspiration and Integrity is, the product's taste and ease of use, social and sustainability missions, environmentally responsible packaging, labelling, brand storytelling, nutrition quality and more.
Click through this roundup of this year's judges to learn more about the depth of expertise they’ll bring to the NEXTY judging panel for Expo West 2020.
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