Focus on Food Entrepreneurs at Forum Feb. 8
Open gallery
Navigating the daunting, complex maze of laws and regulations faced by food entrepreneurs is the focus of legal and business food/beverage/agriculture experts in a one-day forum Feb. 8 at Lewis & Clark Law School.
“For a sustainable food system upon which future generations depend, it is essential to empower food entrepreneurs as they develop new methods to grow and bring healthy food to consumers,“ said law professor Susan Felstiner. “The forum brings lawyers, nonprofit advocacy organizations, microenterprise ventures, and food entrepreneurs together to share their experience and expertise regarding this leading edge of food law and business.”
Panel discussions examine investment, bringing food to market, and delivering food to consumers. Attendees have the opportunity to engage in small group discussions on topics that include food safety, food labeling, intellectual property protection, beverage production, and the meat and seafood infrastructure.
The first panel, “Investing in the Success of Food and Farm Beverage Businesses,” is moderated by Nellie McAdams, Farm Preservation Director at Rogue Farm Corps and a hazelnut farmer. Confirmed panelists include Maia Hardy, Agriculture of the Middle Program Manager at Ecotrust, Jesse Lyon, Chair, Food + Beverage/Agriculture Practice at the law firm of Davis Wright Tremaine, Alex Mackay, Director of Business Development and Investor Relations of Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT, and Narendra Varma, Founder & Director of Our Table Cooperative.
The second panel focuses on the process of getting food products into the marketplace. Moderated by Allison Condra, attorney at Davis Wright Tremaine, panelists include Christopher Bailey, Microenterprise Developer at Hacienda CDC/Portland Mercado and Founder/Owner of Bloom Foods, David Hill, Founder & President of Food Methods, Jillian Hishaw, Founder/CEO of F.A.R.M.S., attorney at Hishaw Law and Author of Don’t Bet the Farm on Medicaid, and Sarah Masoni, Director of Product & Process Development Program at the Food Innovation Center.
The final panel, “Innovations in Delivering Products and Engaging the Consumer,” is moderated by Maggie Finnerty, President & Executive Director, Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. Panelists include Bruce Bechtel, Vice President of Brand Management at Keystone-Pacific Basics Market, Emma Sharer, Redd Operations Manager at Ecotrust, and Darren Smith, CEO of Smith Teas.
Check-in for the forum is at 8:15 a.m. Panels take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with lunch provided from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and a closing reception from 4:25 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.
For more information, please visit the event page or contact Ronna Craig at ronnac@lclark.edu.
Registration for the forum is open now.
