members

Kerwin Brown interviews Eugenio Alvarez, VP Global Engineering and Maintenance at Grupo Bimbo, as he shares his path to the baking industry, his perspective on leadership, and his experience leading teams in engineering maintenance, and new technologies.

BEMA is pleased to announce the promotion of Emily Bowers to the role of Executive Vice President, recognizing ten years of dedicated service and exceptional leadership across the organization and the industry. Emily’s promotion reflects BEMA’s commitment to strong leadership, sound governance, and organizational excellence. BEMA congratulates Emily on this well-deserved achievement and looks forward to the continued impact she will make in her expanded role.

In this interview with Kerwin Brown, Jeff Shura of Flowers Foods shares his path to the baking industry, his leadership approach, and tips for those who are just getting started in the industry.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just analyzing data - it’s beginning to take action. As agentic AI emerges, the baking industry stands on the brink of a transformation where autonomous systems can predict demand, optimize logistics, and streamline operations in ways once unimaginable.

In this interview with Kerwin Brown, Mike Cornelis of Bundy Baking Solutions reflects on his journey through the baking industry, from his beginnings in Illinois with a communications degree to an unexpected career in pan manufacturing and international sales.

IBIE 2025 exceeded expectations, drawing more than 19,000 industrial and retail baking professionals, spanning 96 countries, and featuring 1,005 exhibitors across a record-setting 451,000 square feet of exhibit space. Among them, more than 180 BEMA member exhibitors elevated their brand and visibility.

IBIE may happen every three years, but BEMA brings the industry together all year long. Renewing your membership ensures you stay connected to the people, ideas, and opportunities that move your business forward.

Building on a series of successful BEMA events -- Convention, NEXUS and IBIE to highlight a few -- where members were celebrated and the focus was on connections, BEMA’s Board of Directors is spending late October proactively planning for the next era of member resources, industry collaborations, and the advancement of impactful educational partnerships.  

In this episode of On a Roll, Kerwin Brown sits down with Jorge Zarate, Senior Executive with Grupo Bimbo, for a fascinating conversation about his nearly four decades in the baking industry.

In this episode of On a Roll, Kerwin Brown interviews Marissa Sertich Velie, Executive Director of The Retail Bakers of America. In the conversation, they chat about her journey from childhood baker to baker to industry leader.