OVERLAND PARK, KS – The Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) is pleased to announce the addition of two new full-time staff persons, Kyle Brost, Program Development Manager and Jennifer Prusa, CMP, Director of Meetings & Education.
At its meeting in October 2015, BEMA’s Board of Directors voted to create a new educational offering that provides professional development for the entire baking industry. This was based on feedback from members, identified industry needs, and a desire to build on BEMA’s core competency and connect the industry in new ways. “The Board has opened the door to what’s next for BEMA,” says Kerwin Brown, BEMA President & CEO. “We knew we needed to assemble the right resources to fully execute this new offering. With the addition of Kyle and Jennifer, we’ve positioned the BEMA staff to fully execute the Board’s initiatives.”
“My role at BEMA is to ensure that we continually strengthen our members through the flow of information and knowledge. This includes listening to our members, identifying opportunities and building value-added programs,” says Kyle Brost, BEMA’s new Program Development Manager. He adds, “We operate in a world where information and knowledge are distributed and change so quickly, that the flow of information and knowledge is more important than the storage of it. Trade associations are a key channel for the flow of knowledge.”
Kyle has consulted with organizations across numerous industries and of all sizes – from $2 M in revenue and 10 employees to $55 B in revenue and 250,000 employees – giving him unique insight into what drives success. He is Lean Six Sigma certified and brings a skillset in defining strategy and implementing it through the necessary people, processes, and programs to BEMA. Kyle has also owned and operated two businesses making him keenly aware of what it takes to solve problems and drive success with available resources. Kyle earned both his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Kansas.
As president of Chameleon Resources, Jennifer Prusa had been the contract meeting planner and marketing coordinator for BEMA since 2005. She accepted the full-time role of Director of Meetings & Education to become part of the team that will grow BEMA’s meeting and education offering from four annual events to six or more. Prusa has been a meeting and event professional in the Kansas City market for 22 years. She began her career in the baking industry in 1997 as Marketing Coordinator at Shick USA and continued to work with Shick USA, the EnSol Group, the Sanitary Design Workshop, and BEMA, among others, through her meeting and marketing services company, Chameleon Resources, Inc. She earned her B.A. in Communications and minor in Education from Loyola University in New Orleans.
“I enjoy being part of a team – including both the Board and staff – that never settles,” says Jennifer. “We are embracing a significant opportunity to serve our members and the industry in new ways, and I am thrilled to be a part of this growth,”
###
BEMA, founded in 1918, is an international, not-for-profit trade association representing leading bakery and food suppliers. BEMA focuses specifically on furthering the professional, technological, educational, safety and sanitation practices within the bakery and food manufacturing industries.
Source: Bakery Equipment Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA)
