Innovation at the Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference
(Photo by T. Johnson) Innovation is the theme at the Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference at Delaware Tech Owens Campus on Oct. 28.
By Tracy Johnson
Now in its 22nd year and sold out with 400 people attending, the Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference focused on innovation on Oct. 28 at Delaware Technical Community College in the William A. Carter Partnership Building.
The Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference mission is to provide insight and identify opportunities in Sussex County to promote economics, partnership and collaboration. Its goal is to promote understanding, showcase initiatives, identify needs, and to stimulate action.
The conference has a different theme each year, and panelists, speakers, and sponsors came to support and share their knowledge about their businesses.
Jack F. Owens Campus Vice President and Campus Director Dr. Ileana M. Smith joined Delaware Tech in 1980 and became vice president and campus director in 2004. She created the Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference and the Academic Challenge Program for high school students.
Dr. Smith said she created the event to bring the county, great thinking, and talents together. She added that the conference can showcase the great things that are happening within the county and that everyone is well informed.
Dr. Smith said she loved the theme of innovation because it's uplifting and inspiring.
“I know that at the college, we're very focused on innovating,” she added. “So I'm anxious to use all I've learned for the good of our organization.”
Dr. Smith said she wants the county to prosper and that everyone can be a part of that. To move the county forward, communicating all types of information is important, she added.
Dr. Smith said that everyone should be engaged and involved in their own counties. She added that people should definitely come to the conference..
“For students it's a phenomenal opportunity to be immersed in the county where they live,” she added.
Dogfish Head makes it mark
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Founder and President Sam Calagione attended the event as the Keynote Address speaker. He opened the business as a restaurant and brewpub in downtown Rehoboth Beach, DE in 1995 and it continues to grow. With a 200-person company, the original restaurant/brewery/distillery in Rehoboth Beach, a beer-themed hotel in Lewes, and a production brewery in Milton, Dogfish Head made its mark by gaining international recognition for its products and sells beer in 31 states.
Calagione said that when you find the innovation, others will follow you. He said that respect for their crafted beer is woven into every co-worker.
Calagione added he was an English major in college and when it came to starting the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, it was like making a dream into a reality.
“Take a work of fiction and turn it into non-fiction,” he said.
Perdue takes the stage
Perdue Senior Vice President of Marketing Eric Christianson attended as a panelist to discuss the company’s innovation. He has worked at Perdue for two years and has past experience in diverse food brands for 17 years.
Christianson worked at various companies from Campbell's Soup, to Procter and Gamble that includes Jif Peanut Butter, Folgers coffee, and Millstone coffee brands. Also, he served seven years in the U.S. Army in the Panama Canal Zone with the 101st Airborne Division.
Christianson said the company started with Frank Perdue and he wanted everyone to know which chickens were from Perdue because “a chicken in every pot wasn't good enough.”
Perdue’s goal is to sell organic chicken with no antibiotics, and give consumers less cooking time.
“Innovation with convenient taste,” he added.
Christianson said that he didn't know he was going to pursue Perdue in the past, but when the opportunity became available at Perdue after years in other food industries, he couldn't pass it up.
“You look back at your career and all the dots make a little more sense,” he said.
Christianson said that the brand is what really gets him excited when it comes to the marketing aspect of working at Perdue.
“A brand really is about a promise that your giving people, and how you deliver that promise every time builds on the trust that people have in that brand,” he said.
Christianson said each department has a role in the company such as the sales departments, finance, human resources, and then marketing, which focuses on helping the consumer.
“We help inspire them with the products and the packaging that we make as well as the ideas we put in their minds about how to use our products,” he added. “So regardless of their skill or will, they can make wonderful, remarkable food.”
Christianson said that individuals should work hard, be creative and set themselves apart when asked what advice to give individuals wanting to be a business such as Perdue
Christianson added that whether everyone knows it or not, they are each marketers.
“First impressions matter a lot,” he added.. “Have a pleasant demeanor, be happy, and love what you do.”
DENTSPLY ends with a bang
DENTSPLY International Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Assurance Bryne McDowell has been in the company for 19 years, and came to the conference as a panelist to share the company's product ideas for the future and their goal.
McDowell has 30 years of experience working with various industries such as Medical Device, Aerospace and Snack Foods.
DENTSPLY started out in Camden in 1877, and internationally in 1899. After that, DENTSPLY opened in Milford in 1977. It's now a $2.7 billion company and has locations in Germany, Italy, New Zealand, India, and in the United States.
McDowell said that his personal goal for the company is to make sure everyone has a job.
“If we're successful in growing the company, then people will always have a job,” he added.
McDowell said when he joined DENTSPLY it was because he needed a job, but he grew to love the company.
“They treat people very fairly, are committed to innovation, to employees and it's been fun to be a part of that organization,” he added.
McDowell said that the company's goal is market expansion, to grow their market worldwide, and to increase shareholder wealth.
McDowell advice to those who want to work in the business industry is to set themselves up for success educationally and be flexible with job that you might get.
“You shouldn't wait for somebody else to tell you to get a master's degree,” he added. “You should go ahead and get it.”
For more information, contact Jackie Berger at (302) 259-6090 or jberger2@dtcc.edu or the Delaware Tech website.