LOS CABOS, MEXICO — During the general membership meeting of the BEMA annual convention, held June 19-23, the association named the officers of the 2018-19 executive committee.

The officers are as follows:

• Chairman of the board: Paul Lattan, publisher, Baking & Snack, Sosland Publishing Company

• 1st vice-chairman: Mark Hotze, vice-president, North America, Corbion

• 2nd vice-chairman: Rick Hoskins, chief executive officer, Colborne Foodbotics

• 3rd vice-chairman: Tim Cook, president and c.e.o., Shick Esteve

• Immediate past chairman: Don Osborne, food business team leader, Intralox

Mr. Cook was the newest officer named to the executive committee. To fulfill the remainder of Mr. Cook’s term on the board of directors, BEMA elected Eric Riggle, president, Rademaker USA, to the board. Association members also voted to renew a three-year board term for Jim Warren, vice-president, Exact Mixing, Reading Bakery Systems.   

Taking the gavel at the Chairman’s Dinner, which closed the convention, Mr. Lattan called for increased member participation to further strengthen the association’s role in the industry.

“We, along with our diverse group of baker guests, are the keepers of the supply chain,” he said. “And there is no greater role than that.”

Additionally, Mr. Lattan called for stronger ties with BEMA’s sister organizations for the betterment of the entire industry. 

“Standing before you, I know three things to be true,” Mr. Lattan said to attendees. “This is the greatest time to be in the greatest industry with the greatest people.”

During the convention, BEMA also closed out a year of celebrating the association’s 100th anniversary. Looking ahead, BEMA is focused on plans for the 2019 International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE), which it co-owns. IBIE is slated to be held Sept. 7-11, 2019, in Las Vegas.