THANK YOU FOR JOINING US—THESE EVENTS HAVE PASSED.
SAVE THE DATE FOR NEXT YEAR'S EVENTS:
OCT 19–22, 2021 AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, LAGUNA NIGUEL
Now, New, Next starting Wednesday, Oct. 14, through Friday, Oct. 16—all times Eastern—see further details and links to speaker information below. CRN will be scheduling sessions, mindful of spanning time zones across the U.S.
Click here for schedule
JUMP TO:
All times Eastern, unless otherwise noted. Schedule subject to change.
3:00–3:20 pm
One-on-One Networking Appointments
RSVPs—see who's attending
3:30–3:35 pm
Opening Remarks
Tara Martin
Nutrawise
3:35–3:45 pm
Chairman's Remarks
David Campbell
Vice President, North America Regulatory Affairs, Bayer HealthCare
CRN Board of Directors Chairman
3:45–4:00 pm
Annual Business Meeting
David Campbell, Bayer HealthCare
Bruce Brown, Natreon, Inc.
Laura Harkness, Church & Dwight
Mark Hornick, Jamieson Wellness Inc.
4:00–4:15 pm
President's Address
Steve Mister
President & CEO, CRN
4:15 – 4:25 pm
Break
4:25–5:00 pm
FDA Keynote Presentation - On the Record with FDA's Steven Tave
Steven Tave
Director, Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
5:00–5:30 pm
Industry Panel: What does the industry really need from FDA?
Moderator: Steve Mister
Ricardo Carvajal, J.D., M.S.
Hyman, Phelps & McNamara, P.C.
Miriam Guggenheim
Covington & Burling
Stuart Pape
Polsinelli
5:30–5:35 pm
Closing Remarks
Tara Martin
Nutrawise
5:40–6:00 pm
One-on-One Networking Appointments
RSVPs—see who's attending
6:15–6:35 pm
Comedy: Supplement Your Day With a Smile
Anyone who’s heard the comedy stylings of industry’s own Ivan Wasserman (Amin Talati Wasserman) and Rick Polito (New Hope) know they are in for a treat with these two. Plus, science shows laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins released by your brain—you won’t want to miss it.
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Networking Rooms with Sponsors and CRN
Each room limited to 25 people
Five Finger Showdown, Sponsored by ChildLife Essentials
Bring out your inner kid and join ChildLife Essentials for a game of Five Finger Showdown! Never have we ever played this game during a virtual conference but we're offering the winner a $100 giftcard.
Nutrasource networking room
Details to be announced.
Take it outside!
Need a dose of fresh air? Join us for happy hour from your deck, patio or yard—any favorite outdoor oasis. Connect with conference attendees who share your love of the great outdoors or are just looking for a breath of fresh air. Garden geeks and flower fans encouraged. All are welcome.
C-R-N Connoisseurs, Unmasked
Cocktails, Reception, Networking—you love to mix and mingle! Gather here with your favorite wine/beer/cocktail (or mocktail) and tell us why you love it. Level up with ideal food pairing suggestions. A safe, social distanced way for bon vivants to bond—and pick up some new nosh recommendations. No mask required.
Everyone’s a Critic
Been streaming more than your share of Netflix? Revisiting old favorite films during quarantine? Addicted to a new series—whether on the screen or on the page? What’s the best platform for streaming music? In this group, we want to hear about it! Connect over your love of discovering new movies, books or tunes and share your best and worst recent finds with friends online.
8:00–8:45 am | 9:00–9:45 am (for our CT participants, starting 8 am CT) | 10:00–10:45 am (for our MT participants, starting 8 am MT)
Full Body Flex - Morning Workout sponsored by Kyowa Hakko
Three sessions for participants in different time zones.
Keeping with the CRN conference's longstanding tradition of fun and fitness, Kyowa Hakko is presenting a special virtual workout session, replacing its annual on-site Fun Run/Walk with a fresh way to start your day. Break a sweat with our all-level workout, sponsored by Kyowa Hakko! Our instructor will lead you through a 30-minute workout to clear your head and energize your body. Don't forget to use the resistance bands provided in your Conference Experience box!
10:00 am–12:00 pm
One-on-One Appointments
RSVPs—see who's attending
12:00–12:05 pm
Opening Remarks
Bruce Brown
President, Natreon
12:05–12:40 pm
Sustainable Excellence
Zach Karabell
Global Authority on Economics and Politics, Author of 'Sustainable Excellence—The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World' and more
Drawing on his book of the same title, Zachary Karabell shows how companies that use sustainability as core aspect of their strategy have powerful competitive advantages. At its heart, sustainability is about efficiencies and understanding the world as it evolves – knit together by technology and emerging centers of commerce and labor. Companies that strive to decrease their use of natural resources and reduce their environmental impact benefit from reduced costs and deeper connections to markets and consumers. In this presentation, Karabell shows how sustainable excellence is a key to success.
12:40–1:15 pm
Industry Panel: Sustainability in action
Hear what some of the leading companies in the dietary supplement industry are doing to create a more sustainable world.
Moderator:
Stephen Daniells, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, NutraIngredients-USA
With:
Jennifer Duran, RB
Gary Fast, Alpha Packaging
Jacobine Das Gupta, DSM
1:20 – 1:30 pm
Break
1:30–2:00 pm
Sustainability Reaction Rooms
Connect for lively conversation, reacting to the panel discussion with randomly assigned cohorts. Our featured presenters are not the only companies ushering in new attention to sustainability in their companies. This industry is full of creative and ambitious ideas to put the supplement industry on the right side of sustainability initiatives. Join us in this discussion group to learn about what other companies are doing, showcase your own company’s efforts, and get inspired to create some new programs.
2:00 – 2:10 pm
Break
2:10–3:10 pm
Small Groups, Big Ideas
Join self-selected small groups for case exercises.
3:10 – 3:20 pm
Break
3:20–4:00 pm
One-on-One Appointments
4:00–4:05 pm
Welcome Back
4:05–4:40 pm
Keynote: Driving Diversity Deep into the DNA of Your Organization
Vernice Armour
First African American Female Combat Pilot
One Mission, One Goal, One Team. Vernice reveals, as a former Diversity Officer for Headquarters Marine Corps and liaison to the Pentagon, what it took to help a 200,000 personnel organization get back on track! When you bring people together, you will have differences and similarities that result in tension and complexities…THIS IS NORMAL! How you MANAGE diversity is the key!
Discover how to:
• Know your people and harness the power, skills and talents of the team
• Unleash the full potential of diversity to impact the bottom line
• Effectively tap into the power of the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
• Teach everyone to be an ambassador for diversity
• Create a culture that values and respects all team members: One Mission, One Goal, One Team!
4:40–5:10 pm
Industry Panel: Taking a long, hard look in the mirror
How is the dietary supplement & function food industry doing on issues of diversity and inclusion? Are we overcoming prejudice and bias that have limited investments, stymied career paths, and hampered broader acceptance of our products? Hear from three industry leaders on their journeys and learn what they recommend we can do better.
Moderator:
Sandy Almendarez
Content Director, Informa Markets
With:
Vernice "FlyGirl" Armour
Raqiyyah Pippins, Arnold & Porter
Michelle Muhammad, DSE Health
Marc Washington, Muniq
5:10–5:15 pm
Closing Remarks
Bruce Brown, Natreon, Inc.
5:30–7:00 pm
Virtual Entertainment Night! Mixology, Trivia, Bingo, and More!
Learn more about our entertainment options and find your niche:
Digital Trivia - Offered in 3 different sessions - Sports, Pop Culture, and General Knowledge
We’re taking game night to the next level…straight from your home! Join us as we dive into testing your trivia knowledge with various questions and riddles surely to test your skills and knowledge. This interactive digital trivia will challenge your mind and keep you laughing with your peers. The winner will receive an Amazon giftcard!
Mix Up Some Magic! - Offered in 3 different sessions - 'Prized Pony' demonstration featuring vodka; 'Chai Maple Old Fashioned' featuring whiskey/bourbon and 'Sangria & Tonic' featuring wine
From our kitchen to yours, we invite you to finesse your bartending skills and elevate your cocktails with unique ingredients easily found in your home! From creating flavored simple syrups and more, this interactive mixology class will expand your creativity into the world of craft cocktails.
Interactive Social Scavenger Hunt (Session is limited to 25 people, but will be offered 3 times.)
Discover odd and unique items in your own home as you are sent on a virtual scavenger hunt! Our hyped-up emcee will send you on a competitive hunt for treasures throughout your home office and more. As you are sent to find items, you will need to race back to showcase your items to the camera. Those who show most of the findings first wins!
Digital Bingo (Session is limited to 25 people, but will be offered 3 times.)
Try your luck and socialize while playing BINGO! Your host will guide you through several rounds of the game, announcing numbers and providing commentary. Unwind and laugh with others while quietly chanting "B5... come on B5!" No dauber needed for this virtual experience, and winners will receive a $25 Amazon giftcard!
8:00–8:45 am | 9:00–9:45 am (for our CT participants, starting 8 am CT) | 10:00–10:45 am (for our MT participants, starting 8 am MT)
Relax and Release Morning Yoga
Three sessions for participants in different time zones.
Start your day with this 30-minute yoga class. This online course allows you to set aside time for yourself and receive all the physical, mental, and emotional components of the practice. You will relax and reset your mind, body and soul. All fitness levels welcome!
11:00 am–12:00 pm
One-on-One Appointments
RSVPs—see who's attending
12:00 pm – 12:05 pm
Opening Remarks
Mandy Kraynik, Nature’s Way Brands
12:05–1:05 pm
Countdown to the Election
A.B. Stoddard
Associate Editor and Columnist, RealClearPolitics
A.B. Stoddard offers a nonpartisan perspective of the political landscape of the day and our nation’s upcoming elections. Frequently meeting with sources and politicians of all stripes, Stoddard has her finger on the pulse of Washington, DC, as she offers detailed and smart political and electoral analysis. In a talk as up-to-date as the day’s headlines, Stoddard will cover the latest on the campaign trail, the most recent happenings between Congress and the White House, ongoing budget battles and the electoral prospects for the two parties.
1:05 – 1:15 pm
Break
1:15–1:50 pm
Release of the 2020 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements
Tom Druke
Marketing Director, Minerals & Nutrients, Balchem
This year, CRN fielded, not one, but two, consumer surveys to better understand our customers. The first focused specifically on the impacts of COVID-19 on supplement usage and how the pandemic has changed attitudes and behaviors. The second benchmarks a variety of perceptions, beliefs and buying preferences and confidence levels in the industry. CRN Survey Chair Tom Druke will reveal the topline results and connect the dots to provide some fascinating insights from this latest installment on the 2020 consumer.
1:50 – 2:00 pm
Break
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Leading From Home: What They Don’t Teach You in Business School
Jim Donald
Chairman of Albertson’s, Former CEO of Starbucks, & Former CEO of Extended Stay Hotels, and Former CEO of Pathmark Supermarkets
There is a difference in “leading through a crisis” for a company that is either facing bankruptcy, becoming outdated at the speed of technology, irrelevant in today’s marketplace than a company facing a national pandemic like we are with COVID-19...Or is there? As the former CEO of many large, multinational companies over his career, Jim has experienced a crisis or two at every company he has led. While the crisis was nothing on the scale we face today, the need to communicate to hundreds of thousands of people remained the same.
In our current crisis, communication is without question, the main ingredient to leading your team(s) through COVID-19 and beyond. The art of communication during this time will enable your company to emerge from this crisis stronger than when you went in.
Jim, dubbed “the vagabond CEO,” will discuss how best to operate in uncertain business environments. He will share the structure that he is using to consult with CEO’s globally during this pandemic, along with best practices for the following:
- Leadership team meetings
- Leading your company at every level
- The language you speak
- What your associates need to know
- Celebrating every little success
3:00 – 3:15 pm
Closing remarks
Steve Mister
President & CEO, CRN
Topic overviews:
Wednesday Keynote - On the record with FDA's Steven Tave
Steven Tave
Director, Office of Dietary Supplement Programs, FDA
Steven Tave is the Director of the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP) in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). He was named ODSP’s first permanent Director in November 2016 after serving as Acting Director beginning in March 2016. Previously, Steve was the Acting Director of the Office of Unapproved New Drugs and Labeling Compliance in CDER’s Office of Compliance, where he led a multidisciplinary staff with responsibility for operations and regulatory actions with respect to misbranded and unapproved new drugs, including compounded drugs, fraudulent drugs, homeopathic drugs, marketed unapproved drugs, and over-the-counter drugs. Steve began his career as an attorney and practiced law for almost 15 years, both as a litigator in FDA’s Office of Chief Counsel and in the private sector. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.
Thursday Keynote Speakers
Zachary Karabell
Global Authority on Economics and Politics, Author of 'Sustainable Excellence—The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World,' 'The Leading Indicators' and more
In a world full of noise, Zachary Karabell brings a unique perspective as both a doer and thinker who has the pulse on the major trends shaping our world today. The author of more than a dozen books on business, history and economic trends—including 'Sustainable Excellence—The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World'—and a prolific commentator in both print and on television, he has helped manage, advise, and invest in companies globally. As executive vice president and chief economist at Fred Alger Management, he was a leader in launching the Spectra Green Fund based on the idea that profit and sustainability are linked. Learn more here.
Vernice Armour
First African American Female Combat Pilot
Leveraging her “Breakthrough Mentality” and “Get Gutsy” mindset, Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour propelled herself from beat cop to combat pilot in a record-breaking three years and became America’s First African American Female Combat Pilot. As featured on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, Oprah Winfrey, NPR, Tavis Smiley, and ABC's The View, FlyGirl’s fresh, edgy style, high, contagious energy and unique, gutsy essence jump off the stage, page, and screen and moves people to action. Since 2007, she has inspired countless organizations and individuals to make gutsy moves and create breakthrough results. Learn more.
Friday Keynote Speakers
A.B. Stoddard
Associate Editor and Columnist, RealClearPolitics
A.B. Stoddard is an associate editor and columnist with political news site and polling data aggregator RealClearPolitics, and a contributor and guest host for SiriusXM’s POTUS Channel. She appears regularly on Fox News Channel, Fox Business Network, CNN, and MSNBC for her expertise as a political commentator. She is a former associate editor and columnist for The Hill newspaper. Her column with The Hill won first place Dateline Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Washington, D.C. chapter in 2010 and 2011. Learn more here.
Jim Donald
Chairman of Albertson’s, Former CEO of Starbucks, & Former CEO of Extended Stay Hotels, and Former CEO of Pathmark Supermarkets
Leading From Home: What They Don’t Teach You in Business School. There is a difference in “leading through a crisis” for a company that is either facing bankruptcy, becoming outdated at the speed of technology, irrelevant in today’s marketplace than a company facing a national pandemic like we are with COVID-19....Or is there? As the former CEO of many large, multinational companies over his career, Jim has experienced a crisis or two at every company he has led. While the crisis was nothing on the scale we face today, the need to communicate to hundreds of thousands of people remained the same.
In our current crisis, communication is without question, the main ingredient to leading your teams through COVID-19 and beyond. The art of communication during this time will enable your company to emerge from this crisis stronger than when you went in. Hear from Jim, dubbed “the vagabond CEO,” on how best to operate in uncertain business environments. He will share the structure that he is using to consult with CEOs globally during this pandemic, along with best practices for leading your company at every level—and more.