Fresno Food Expo focused on yearlong impact of local food industry

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno Food Expo brought Valley industry leaders a taste of what they can expect at this year's trade show.

"There's value in a lot of these companies have a lot of things in common, and our ultimate goal is to help grow these companies," said Amy Fuentes, Fresno Food Expo Manager.

In addition to the connecting buyers and sellers, the Fresno Food Expo is aiming to serve as a yearlong resource for Valley based companies.

Wednesday, they launched a series of workshops focusing on interactions with retail buyers, distributors, and marketing.

"It's something that's been a long time missing in the Valley with our thriving food industry, and we really realized that when you bring food people together good things happen," said Fuentes.

"These are all leaders in the audience, so I want them to understand the power they have to drive engagement in the workplace," said Gregg Lederman, CEO Brand Integrity.

Lederman, a New York Times best-selling author and Brand Integrity CEO, delivered the keynote address.

"They care about efficiencies, picking accurately, and delivering on time and quality of product, and all of that is driven by the humans who handle the product. So the more engaged they are, the more productive they'll be."

It may come as a surprise but it is not just the small businesses that benefit from events like this. Wawona Frozen Foods Vice President of Sales Blake Smittcamp would know, he said team building and employee interaction help strengthen the company's core.

"If we engage with our employees then we have longevity of our employees and were pretty much trying to create a tight knit family."