Throughout a career that spans 40 years, Kevin Stevens, retired customer and business lead and vice president of engineering, Klosterman Baking Co., Cincinnati, has never slowed down. With the technology advances he’s seen over the course of his time in the baking industry, it is obvious that he and Klosterman Baking Co. have had to remain adaptable to succeed.

“These days, you have to be willing to change all the time,” he said. “Things are moving faster all the time whether it’s new products for our customers or the way we are processing every day. You have to be willing because the competition is moving around you if you’re not moving fast.”

Even as Stevens has become an expert in all things baking, he has retained a mentality of a student, always looking for something new to learn. To remain adaptable, he recommended developing good listening skills, humility, integrity and trust. He’s managed to stay sharp due to his connections on all sides of the supply chain. 

“I try to stay deeply connected to the original equipment manufacturers and ingredient suppliers because there have been so many changes in both equipment and ingredient technology,” he said. “With the invention of the PLC, lines are a lot smarter than they used to be. The technology that’s come out in the past 20 years is incredible.” 

He was quick to point out that innovation has not been exclusive to the equipment side. 

“When I first came into the industry, bread and buns had a three-day shelf life and now most of the industry is at 14 to 21 days, depending on the enzymes,” Stevens said. “There have been a lot of great advancements on both the ingredient and equipment side.”

This article is an excerpt from the December 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Operations Executive of the Year, click here.