2025 Agenda

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Monday
April 14, 2025
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Welcome Reception in Expo Hall

This opening night Welcome Reception is the perfect opportunity for all event participants to meet and greet one another in the expo hall! Pick up your name badge, grab a beverage and enjoy some casual face-to-face conversations.
Tuesday
April 15, 2025
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Registration & Continental Breakfast

Sponsored by
UPG
Tuesday
4/15/2025
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM

Opening Remarks

Mike Leonard
Publisher, FOOD ENGINEERING

Tuesday
4/15/2025
8:40 AM - 9:40 AM

Keynote Presentation Mass Customization Driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

Tom Kelly
CEO, Automation Alley
Sponsored by
Messe Frankfurt
Tuesday
4/15/2025
9:40 AM - 10:25 AM

Stampede & the Sous Vide Revolution

Brock Furlong
President & CEO, Stampede Culinary Partners
Tuesday
4/15/2025
10:25 AM - 11:10 AM

Morning Refreshments & Networking Break

Tuesday
4/15/2025
10:40 AM - 11:10 AM

Solutions Theater Presentation Food Safe Facility Drainage Design

Viking Kristjansson
Vice President of Sales Engineering & Partner Management
Global Drain Technologies
Sponsored by: food safe drains
Tuesday
4/15/2025
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Panel Spotlight on Women in the Food Engineering Industry

Shalima Sreenath
Head of Downstream Processing, Cellibre
Samara Heaggans
Director of Process Quality Engineering, Feastables
Tuesday
4/15/2025
12:00 - 12:45 PM
Food Processor of the Year Award

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2024 Processor of the Year Award Presentation How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Sameer Malhotra
Co-Founder and CEO, Cafe Spice
Virgilio Felix
COO, Cafe Spice
Giovanni Gomez
VP FSQA, Cafe Spice
Ryan Bakst
Director of Research & Development, Cafe Spice
Sponsored by
Blentech
Tuesday
4/15/2025
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM

Processor of the Year Luncheon

Tuesday
4/15/2025
1:45 PM - 4:30 PM

EXPO HALL OPEN

Afternoon Refreshment Break in the Expo Hall
View the Floorplan
Tuesday
4/15/2025
4:30 PM - 5:45 PM

Networking Cocktail Reception

Join us for the outdoor networking reception for food, drinks and networking before heading out to dine in downtown Tampa.
Wednesday
4/16/2025
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

Continental Breakfast

Wednesday
4/16/2025
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM

Opening Remarks

Mike Leonard
Publisher, FOOD ENGINEERING    
Wednesday
4/16/2025
8:40 AM - 9:40 AM

Keynote Presentation Measuring & Defining Sustainability from a Packaging Perspective

Dr. Andrew Hurley
Professor, Clemson University
Wednesday
4/16/2025
9:40 AM - 10:25 AM

Session TBA

Wednesday
4/16/2025
10:25 AM - 11:10 AM

Morning Refreshments & Networking Break

Wednesday
4/16/2025
11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Plant of the Year Award Presentation

FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2025 Plant of the Year Award Presentation How Carolina Foods Uses Automation to Sweeten Baked Goods Production

Sponsored by
Handtmann
Wednesday
4/16/2025
12:00 - 1:00 PM

Plant of the Year Luncheon

Sponsored by
Whiting Turner

Speakers
Mike Leonard | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Mike Leonard
Publisher
FOOD ENGINEERING

Food Safe Facility Drainage Design

Adopting food safety best practices is important in all aspects of food and beverage manufacturing, and achieving the highest level of evidence-based food safety is imperative. Properly designed and selected drainage is a critical component to food plant infrastructure and requires as much consideration as any other piece of equipment on the food and beverage production floor.

Are the drainage systems in food and beverage facilities effectively supporting their sanitary production processes? Have you ever questioned if there’s a more efficient way to clean and maintain the facility drains to ensure a pristine environment? We will share insights on:

  • The history and fundamentals of food-safe drainage layouts and design
  • Different types of floor drains and their essential specification criteria
  • How to choose the right drainage features for the food and beverage facility
  • Implementing effective cleaning protocols for maintaining a hygienic environment

Speaker

Spotlight on Women in the Food Engineering Industry

This panel discussion will feature women engineers doing important work in the food and beverage industry, specifically highlighting the speakers’ background and experience, recent projects, their thoughts on diversity in the engineering space, and what they would like to see in the future.

Speakers

Samara Heaggans | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Samara Heaggans
Director of Process Quality Engineering
Feastables

With over 28 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry, Samara Heaggans is a seasoned professional and innovator in process engineering and product development. Currently, she serves as the Director of Process Quality Engineering at Feastables and is the founder and owner of SH Reid Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in Food & Beverage consulting.

Samara’s career includes significant roles at leading Food and Beverage manufacturers. She was the Corporate Director of Process and Product Development (R&D) and later Director of Plant Engineering at Do Good Foods in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Samara spent nearly 18 years at Campbell Soup Company in New Jersey, culminating in her role as Director of Commercialization for the C-Fresh Division. She also worked at Frito-Lay in Dallas, Texas for over five years.

Throughout her career, Samara has been instrumental in the development of new products and processes. At Campbell Soup, she held various R&D roles, launching more than 30 successful products. At Frito-Lay, she developed the process for Tostitos Scoops, for which she holds a patent.

Her expertise spans across Process R&D, scale-up, commercialization, and innovation, and she continues to drive growth and quality within the Food & Beverage industry.

Stampede & the Sous Vide Revolution

Stampede Culinary Partners manufactures both ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook poultry, pork, and beef products with further processing capabilities that go beyond slicing and dicing to sous vide cooking, natural smoking, 360-degree searing and include products such as prepared meals, gourmet sous vide pet food and alternative proteins for leading restaurants, retailers, food service distributors, airlines, convenience stores, military channels and home delivery customers.

The Illinois-based company turns 30 this year and recently released a first-of-its-kind industry study on sous vide. The findings from both qualitative and quantitative research underscores the value of commercial sous vide as a product that guarantees quality and safety across these food service sectors, while also aiding in the struggle against the national labor and skills shortage.

With over 500,000 square feet of manufacturing space, Stampede Culinary Partners is the largest has the largest network of sous vide production solutions in North America. Brock Furlong, president and CEO of Stampede, will share more on the research and how the company plans to meet growing demand from multiple channels.

Speaker

Keynote Presentation

Mass Customization driving Innovation in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry is at the nexus of transformative global manufacturing trends, driving a shift toward personalized, customer-centric solutions. At the heart of this evolution is mass customization—a model that redefines production to deliver personalized products at scale. From customized snack blends to individualized beverage formulations, rapid delivery systems powered by AI and advanced manufacturing technologies are reshaping consumer expectations. Learn to navigate this new reality with case studies and examples from the manufacturing industry in digital transformation.

Keynote Presenter
Tom Kelly | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Tom KellyTom Kelly
CEO
Automation Alley

Tom Kelly is a globally recognized expert on Industry 4.0 and its impact on business. As executive director and CEO of Automation Alley, a Michigan-based nonprofit Industry 4.0 knowledge center with a global outlook and a regional focus, Tom is often tapped to share his visionary leadership and expertise around digital transformation.
As executive director and CEO, Tom has been instrumental to the success of Automation Alley’s Industry 4.0 initiatives, designed to help businesses jumpstart or accelerate a digital path to strategic success, including Integr8, the global Industry 4.0 conference; the 3D printing network Project DIAMOnD; and the formation of the World Economic Forum’s U.S. Centre for Advanced Manufacturing.
Tom serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Futures Council for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains, is a member of the Additive Manufacturing Coalition Steering Committee, and is a board member of the Fraunhofer Technology Advisory Board, Global Future Council on Advanced Manufacturing and Value Chains and Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center Board.

Keynote Presentation

Measuring & Defining Sustainability from a Packaging Perspective

Packaging is a common denominator when it comes to tackling food waste and sustainability for all CPGs but especially in food and beverage manufacturing. From life cycle analysis (LCA) to AI, Professor Andrew Hurley will deliver a keynote that looks at F&B issues through the lens of packaging.


Keynote Presenter

Refrigerated & Frozen Foods’ 2024 Processor of the Year Award Presentation

How Cafe Spice Uses Automation to Propel Private Label

Learn about Cafe Spice’s new, state-of-the-art, highly automated manufacturing facility in Beacon, New York. Named Refrigerated & Frozen Foods 2024 Processor of the Year, this family-owned food manufacturer is a private-label powerhouse, supplying Indian, Asian and other cuisines for hot bars and foodservice operations nationwide, including Whole Foods and Kroger. With a presence in all 50 states, Cafe Spice also has a branded line of RTE meals, found in the refrigerated/deli/grab and go depts. The Cafe Spice team will share their story of transitioning from a smaller, more manual legacy manufacturing site to a new facility that features the latest in automation and robotics. More information can be found in R&FF’s November cover story.

Presenters:
Sameer Malhotra | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Sameer MalhotraSameer Malhotra
Co-Founder and CEO
Cafe Spice

Sameer Malhotra is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cafe Spice. a leading manufacturer of high-quality ready-to-eat Indian meals. He grew up in the fine dining restaurant business and combined his business acumen with his love of food after graduating from Babson College. His vision was to make restaurant-quality international dishes accessible to a wider audience by offering a line of premium fresh prepared meals.

Under his leadership, the company has experienced rapid growth and now distributes its products to grocery stores and specialty food retailers across the country. Sameer is widely respected in the food industry for his innovative approach, unwavering commitment to quality, and ability to spot emerging culinary trends.

Virgilio Felix | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Virgilio FelixVirgilio Felix
VP FSQA
Cafe Spice

Virgilio Felix is a seasoned manufacturing and operations executive with a distinguished career spanning over two decades in leadership roles across the food manufacturing and retail sectors. As Chief Operating Officer of Cafe Spice LLC, he has been instrumental in driving strategic growth, operational excellence, and business expansion. A results-driven leader, Virgilio has successfully spearheaded large-scale projects, including constructing state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, implementing ERP systems, and strengthening market positioning through strategic partnerships. He has expertise in lean manufacturing, process optimization, and cost reduction. Known for his ability to build and lead high-performing teams, Virgilio excels in developing innovative solutions, streamlining operations, and fostering strong supplier and investor relationships.
Giovanni Gomez | Food Engineering
Food Automation & Manufacturing Symposium and Expo

Giovanni GomezGiovanni Gomez
VP FSQA
Cafe Spice

Giovanni Gomez is a seasoned food industry executive with 20 years of experience driving innovation, quality, and sustainability in manufacturing. As VP of Food Safety and Quality Assurance at Cafe Spice, he ensures the highest standards of food safety, product integrity, and operational excellence.

Giovanni's expertise spans every stage of the food journey, from sourcing raw ingredients and optimizing supply chain operations to developing and commercializing high-quality, globally inspired products. He has a deep background in food production and global supply chains. Giovanni has led key initiatives to expand retail distribution, enhance shelf life through innovative packaging, and streamline production efficiencies.

A certified HACCP Manager, PCQI, and Cornell Project Management alumnus, Gomez blends technical expertise with strategic leadership

to drive continuous improvement and innovation. He is known for building high-performing teams and driving strategic partnerships that fuel growth and industry leadership. Through his speaking, teaching, and consulting, he helps businesses create a more sustainable future.


FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2025 Plant of the Year Award Presentation

How Carolina Foods Uses Automation to Sweeten Baked Goods Production

Learn about Carolina Foods’ new, state-of-the-art headquarters and production facility in Pineville, N.C., named FOOD ENGINEERING’s 2025 Plant of the Year. The new facility adds 425,000 sq. ft. to Carolina Foods’ previously existing 100,000 sq. ft. of operations creating baked goods such as Duchess Honey Buns, donuts, pastries and pies. The project team’s use of a linear setup, high levels of automation and new production equipment technology have boosted the company’s ability to serve its customers in all 50 states. More information will be available in FE’s April cover story.

Platinum Sponsors
Blentech Burns & McDonnell Whiting Turner
Gold Sponsors
Austin Dennis Group Food Safe Drains Unified Purchasing Group
Silver Sponsors
Doral EATS