Business View - February 2016 95
to do it together and we were able to standardize what
those calorie labels would look like, put them in the
same place, and implement them in exactly the same
way. And, in our latest agreement with the Alliance for
a Healthier Generation, we’re going to reduce bever-
age calories in the American diet. And it’s taking the
whole business to do that – new products, new offer-
ings, and new marketing and distribution strategies.
So that’s something that ABA is very much in the cen-
ter of - and we’re very proud of that and think it’s going
to make a difference.”
What is the size of the Association’s staff and what
are their main priorities?
“We have about 40 people on the staff – about the
same as we did a decade ago – but we have a larg-
er budget and larger set of priorities and programs
than at that time. We’ve maintained the same level
of staff because we like to be nimble and to be able
to respond quickly when there’s a need. I have a very
hearty, skilled band of people with different kinds of
expertise that do a lot.
“Our priorities come into two boxes. We have a new
website ‘Innovation Naturally,’ which speaks to our en-
vironmental leadership as an industry and shares a lot
of information on our efforts in recycling, how we’ve
improved our packaging, and the companies’ efforts in
water sustainability. So that’s one area of focus. And
the other is in the health, nutrition, and obesity-fighting
space. We have a scientist on board; we have a couple
of lawyers with expertise in science and regulatory af-
fairs, communications professionals, and government
affairs professionals.”
What are some of the most important points that
you would want readers of our magazine to under-
stand about the ABA?
“We pride ourselves that we are doing a thousand per-
cent more with the same or less staff than the Asso-
ciation had in the last century. We are very focused on
having impact; we do not just talk about things – we
have a strong bias for action and we use metrics to cal-
culate our results and make sure that we’re on point.
And if we’re not, we make the kind of mid-course cor-
rections that we need to make sure that we are having
impact.
“We like to believe that we are very effective at seeing
around corners and helping the industry establish a vi-
sion for how we’re going to achieve our mission of unit-
ing the industry and achieving good public policy; not
just figuring out where we need to be tomorrow, but
figuring out where the industry needs to be ten years
down the road. Those are some of the things we like to
think we just don’t aspire to, but achieve.”
FOOD & BEVERAGE
