Podcasts about Mead Johnson

This Day in Legal History: NYC Rent ControlOn November 1, 1943, New York City implemented rent control for the first time, under the federal Office of Price Administration (OPA), in response to housing scarcity and skyrocketing rents caused by World War II. As millions flocked to urban centers for war-related jobs, New York's housing demand surged, outpacing supply and creating a crisis of affordability. To protect tenants from exploitative rent increases, the OPA set strict limits on rent hikes, freezing rates at March 1, 1943 levels. This marked one of the first large-scale interventions by the federal government in the private rental market, signaling an extraordinary step toward tenant protections in the U.S. Rent control in New York City became a hotly debated issue, with proponents arguing it was essential to ensure stable, affordable housing and opponents claiming it would stifle investment in housing maintenance and new development. The 1943 regulations laid the groundwork for the modern rent control policies still seen in New York City today, although the laws have since evolved with the establishment of state and local rent stabilization laws in the 1970s. The legacy of these rent controls remains significant; they continue to influence housing policies across the United States, serving as both a blueprint and a cautionary tale for balancing tenants' rights with landlords' financial incentives. Over time, New York's rent control laws have been adjusted but remain among the most stringent in the country, applying to thousands of apartments even as new buildings and market-rate rentals transform the city. The establishment of rent control in wartime New York thus represents an enduring chapter in housing law, reflecting ongoing tensions between affordability and market freedoms.Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against CBS Broadcasting Inc., accusing the network of election interference by altering an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump claims CBS edited Harris's responses to questions about the Gaza conflict to improve her image, removing what he describes as a confusing answer and replacing it with a clearer response in a second airing of the interview on 60 Minutes. Trump argues that the alteration violates federal laws prohibiting intentional news distortion, stating that CBS's reasoning—that the edits were made for time constraints—is implausible. The lawsuit, filed in Texas federal court, seeks $10 billion in damages, claiming harm to Trump's fundraising efforts. Trump also requests that CBS release the full, unedited transcript and remove the modified version of the interview. CBS, denying the claims, asserts that the lawsuit lacks merit and that no part of Harris's answer was hidden. The legal team representing Trump includes Edward Andrew Paltzik, Daniel Z. Epstein, and Chris D. Parker.Trump Sues CBS, Says Harris Interview Was Edited To Help Her (1)Since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, state supreme court elections have become key battlegrounds in the fight over abortion rights. This ruling shifted control over abortion laws to the states, leading to abortion bans in conservative states and constitutional amendments in several others protecting abortion rights. Consequently, state supreme courts, which interpret state constitutions, are seeing increased attention and record campaign spending, especially in states like Michigan, Ohio, Montana, and North Carolina.In Michigan and Ohio, advocacy groups are supporting pro-abortion rights candidates, aiming to shape court rulings on abortion-related cases. Planned Parenthood Votes and other Democratic groups have invested millions in judicial campaigns in states with seats at stake. Meanwhile, conservative organizations, such as the Republican State Leadership Committee's Judicial Fairness Initiative, are financing campaigns for candidates who support abortion restrictions. These efforts reflect the high stakes of ideological control over state courts, with implications for future rulings on abortion.It's worth noting here how large the influence of Citizens United and the broader movement to bring more money into politics looms when these kinds of issues are kicked down to states. In some states, judicial candidates are selected through direct elections, making these races highly susceptible to political spending from advocacy groups with vested interests. Other states attempt to limit the injection of politics into judicial decisions by relying on appointments made by governors or legislatures. However, regardless of the selection process, campaign contributions are increasingly flowing into judicial races, raising concerns about the impartiality of the judiciary. With high-dollar donors on both sides of contentious issues like abortion, the rise in judicial campaign spending intensifies the ideological divides within state courts, potentially impacting how justices interpret and apply the law.Battles over abortion access fuel US state supreme court races | ReutersA Missouri jury ruled that Abbott and Reckitt's Mead Johnson unit are not liable for a young boy's severe intestinal disease, a case where the companies were accused of failing to warn about risks associated with formulas for premature infants. This verdict is a win for Abbott and Reckitt following substantial losses in earlier, similar trials, which had resulted in multimillion-dollar awards against them. As a result, Reckitt's shares rose sharply, with investors seeing reduced risk for future liability costs. The plaintiff, Kaine Whitfield, developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal disease affecting premature infants, after receiving formula at a hospital. His family's lawsuit sought over $6 billion, arguing that the companies should have warned of potential risks. However, Abbott and Mead Johnson defended the safety of their products, citing the lack of scientific evidence directly linking formula to NEC and noting that hospitals incorporate widely known benefits of human milk into neonatal care practices. This trial is part of around 1,000 similar lawsuits across the U.S., and medical experts have expressed concern that such litigation could limit formula availability or impact medical decisions. Previous cases resulted in large verdicts against the companies, but recent support from regulatory bodies and scientists could strengthen Abbott and Mead Johnson's position in ongoing and future cases.Abbott and Reckitt unit secure win in infant formula trial | ReutersThe rapid growth of the private credit market, now valued at $2 trillion, is creating increased demand for U.S. finance lawyers. Private credit, which involves loans from non-bank lenders, has expanded significantly due to fewer regulatory restrictions than traditional bank lending. This has led major law firms, such as Mayer Brown, Kirkland & Ellis, and Paul Hastings, to hire specialized attorneys to capitalize on the market's rise. For example, Mayer Brown recently appointed Sheel Patel to lead its private credit practice, while Kirkland brought on H.T. Flanagan, whose clients include prominent investment firms like Hayfin and CPPIB.Traditional banks are also entering the space, often by forming partnerships with investment firms to tap into private credit opportunities. These collaborations, such as Citigroup's $25 billion private credit program with Apollo, leverage banks' relationships to generate new transactions. Legal work is further expanding as private credit diversifies into asset-based financing, exemplified by an $850 million financing deal involving music rights. The surge in private credit work has driven law firms to establish dedicated private credit practices, including Gibson Dunn, Akin Gump, and others, with an increase in partner moves seen this year. This trend reflects the high value of private credit for law firms, positioning them for more lucrative deals and consistent legal work in a rapidly evolving finance sector.Law firms ride private credit wave as market evolves | ReutersThis week's closing theme is by Johann Sebastian Bach.This week's closing theme is Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, a thrilling and dramatic piece that perfectly captures the eerie spirit of the Halloween season. Known for its powerful opening chords and haunting, descending melodies, this iconic work by Bach has become synonymous with all things spooky. Originally composed for the organ in the early 1700s, *Toccata and Fugue in D Minor* has an unmistakable dark grandeur that makes it a Halloween favorite across the world.The piece begins with a bold, almost theatrical flair, setting an ominous tone before weaving into intricate passages that create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Bach's masterful use of the organ's range and dynamics pulls listeners into a world of gothic beauty and intensity, making this work as timeless as it is chilling. As the Toccata and Fugue builds and resolves, it reminds us why Bach remains one of classical music's greatest storytellers. Let this piece bring a bit of that Halloween spirit into your weekend!Without further ado, Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

It's the final episode of our Bruce Springsteen side-series as we finally get around to picking the singles that will make up our under 50 minute, single vinyl, TTMF Bruce Best Of (1975 - 1987). You may be surprised by some of the omissions… Joining host Stephen Nicholson are returning guests Davie Melon and Renee James* 00:00 - Titles 00:31 - Introduction 01:34 - Revealing the 3 unanimous song choices 03:57 - Revealing the 6 majority decision songs 15:26 - Picking the final 3 songs 20:51 - The TTMF Bruce Supercut is revealed 28:46 - Bruce album rankings 34:16 - Final thoughts and end credits Like the podcast? Why not show your appreciation by buying Paul & Stephen a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trimmingthh / Podcast website - trimmingthemusicalfat.com / Email us - trimthemusicalfat@gmail.com / Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/274805337346926 / Check out our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_P5WlRZ0i3tR3jEavD_5A / TikTok - @trimmingthemusica * Renée A. James As a versatile and award-winning writer (PA Press Association), her columns and articles have been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Morning Call, The Baltimore Sun, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Hartford Courant, Jewish World Review, The Women's Quarterly, and The Huffington Post. She built a diversified career around communications, in positions that encompassed writing and marketing through print, broadcast and digital media. Prior to her retirement, she served as Marketing Director for The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach Choir in America.  She spent many years in publishing, where she launched new marketing programs and communication projects for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including MSN, Walmart, Hilton, Hallmark, Nissan, Anheuser-Busch, Merck, Mead Johnson, Nestle and many others, managing the production of newsletters, social media content, e-newsletters, videos, infographics, websites, and books and magazines.   She distinctly remembers hearing "Saint in the City" for the first time in 1976, and has listened to and enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's music ever since.  reneeaajames@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ttmf/message

In this bonus episode Talking General Practice speaks to Dr Helen Evans-Howells, about how GPs can manage infants presenting with the signs of cow's milk allergy.Alongside working as a GP and an allergy specialist, Helen also runs the peanut immunotherapy clinic in Southampton Children's Hospital and is chair of the charity Anaphylaxis UK's Clinical and Scientific Panel.In this episode Helen explains the key symptoms of milk allergy, the different types of formula that can be used, and when infants may need a referral. She also talks about when to do a rechallenge and reintroduce cow's milk and how to advise parents on weaning.Using insights from her own experience Helen has lots of practical advice for GPs and other healthcare professionals on managing the allergy and how they can best support parents.This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower. It was produced by Czarina Deen.This podcast is sponsored by Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition. About ReckittAt Reckitt we exist to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world. This purpose drives everything we do as a company – inspiring us to improve people's lives, through better hygiene, health and nutrition. Every day we are fighting to make access to the highest quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right and not a privilege.Useful linksThe MIMS Learning Cows Milk Allergy in Practice webinar series is here. The 2022 series provides 3 hours of CPD and covers:● When is an allergy not an allergy? How to make the history matter - presented by GP and allergy specialist Dr Helen Evans-Howells● Why is my baby still crying? A GP's guide to common infant feeding conditions - presented by specialist paediatric dietitian Bianca Parau● When, why, how? Demystifying hypoallergenic formulas, presented by specialist paediatric dietitian in allergy Andrea MorenoIn addition the 2023 series of webinars is also available on demand via the link above.Helen mentioned the following guidance in this conversation:● The Milk Allergy in Primary Care (MAP) Guideline 2019● BSACI cow's milk allergy guidanceRKT-M-44442, January 2024RKT-M-44445, January 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the penultimate episode of our Bruce Springsteen side-series as we take a look at The Boss's albums from 1975 to 1987 to create the ultimate under 50-minute Bruce singles collection from that period. How do you follow the biggest album of your career? You go against the grain and record an album almost solely by yourself focussing on relationship struggles. That album is ‘Tunnel of Love' (1987), which features the singles ‘Brilliant Disguise' & ‘Tougher Than The Rest'. Joining us sailing down the tunnel is regular guest Davie Melon. And, travelling all the way from the US to join us, is Bruce super-fan and award winning writer Renee James*. Interesting fact: Renee got to meet Bruce in 1978! Like the podcast? Why not show your appreciation by buying Paul & Stephen a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/trimmingthh / Podcast website - trimmingthemusicalfat.com / Email us - trimthemusicalfat@gmail.com / Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/274805337346926 / Check out our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm_P5WlRZ0i3tR3jEavD_5A / TikTok - @trimmingthemusica * Renée A. James As a versatile and award-winning writer (PA Press Association), her columns and articles have been published in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Morning Call, The Baltimore Sun, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Hartford Courant, Jewish World Review, The Women's Quarterly, and The Huffington Post. She built a diversified career around communications, in positions that encompassed writing and marketing through print, broadcast and digital media. Prior to her retirement, she served as Marketing Director for The Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the oldest Bach Choir in America.  She spent many years in publishing, where she launched new marketing programs and communication projects for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including MSN, Walmart, Hilton, Hallmark, Nissan, Anheuser-Busch, Merck, Mead Johnson, Nestle and many others, managing the production of newsletters, social media content, e-newsletters, videos, infographics, websites, and books and magazines.   She distinctly remembers hearing "Saint in the City" for the first time in 1976, and has listened to and enjoyed Bruce Springsteen's music ever since.  reneeaajames@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ttmf/message

Ready to be at the forefront of legal news that could impact your life and future? Join our Mass Tort News Newsletter today, and become part of a community dedicated to justice, accountability, and awareness. https://masstortnews.org/ Mark York engages in a detailed discussion of the NEC necrotizing case with his guest, Jose Rojas. Together, they thoroughly examine the critical nature of this case, shedding light on the issues related to the lack of effective monitoring within the commerce stream in the United States. The case primarily centers around formula feeding in neonatal care units and its potential link to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in prematurely born infants. They extensively explore the legal journey, the challenges they encountered, and the broader implications for infant healthcare. Jose Rojas provides insights into how he became involved in the mass tort space, the initial case at Yale Hospital concerning formula-fed infants, and the subsequent medical malpractice and product liability cases filed against Abbott and Mead Johnson. This case marked the first instance in which formula was alleged to cause NEC in prematurely born infants, leading to a nationwide legal battle. Mark York and Jose Rojas explore the intricacies of overseeing an MDL (Multi-District Litigation) and highlight the distinctions from managing individual cases. They emphasize the crucial role of collaborative leadership and their strong commitment to increasing awareness of the matter while advocating for changes in hospital practices concerning formula feeding in NICUs. Additionally, they shed light on the questionable tactics employed by formula companies and underscore the persistent call for justice on behalf of affected families. Throughout the episode, the discussion highlights the corporate greed of pharmaceutical companies and their prioritization of profits over safety. They emphasize the role of lawyers in exposing such misconduct and advocating for the rights of the most vulnerable individuals. Jose emphasizes the justness of their cause, the supporting evidence, and the severe harm inflicted on infants. While recognizing the challenges ahead, they remain committed to sitting at the negotiation table when the time is right. Jose also notes a shift in focus away from justifying the use of formula, particularly towards defending the use of fortified products. They discuss the uncertainties surrounding the opposition's motivations, acknowledging the need to keep pressing forward and striving for victory. Switching gears, the conversation shifts to Jose's involvement in the Bard Port MDL, the newest MDL in the country. Jose commends the group's leadership, highlighting the blend of single-event trial lawyers and experienced MDL practitioners. He shares the importance of having a diverse range of legal backgrounds in such leadership roles and the merits of seeing a case through from inception to conclusion. The Bard Port MDL involves implants made of inferior materials and the serious health risks associated with them. Bard's corporate practices, driven by profit motives, are brought to light. The conversation touches on the significance of holding companies accountable for prioritizing profits over safety. Mark and Jose also discuss Shades of Mass, a group focusing on diversity and inclusion in mass tort leadership. Jose highlights the resistance faced by newcomers in the legal space, emphasizing the need to break through the existing control structures and showcase the value of diversity, not only in terms of race and ethnicity but also in fresh perspectives and ideas that can enhance the pursuit of justice. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on legal matters, corporate responsibility, and the importance of diverse representation in mass tort leadership. Don't miss this enlightening LegalCast episode. Listeners are encouraged to contact Jose Rojas via email at jose@lrcr.law for questions or information related to NEC cases.    Remember to subscribe and follow us on social media…   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mass-tort-news Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/masstortnewsorg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masstortnews.org

  CME link for Episode 32 https://cmetracker.net/UTHSCSA/Publisher?page=pubOpen#/getCertificate/10093840   FACULTY: Linda D. Parsi, MD owns a pediatric practice in San Antonio and serves as adjunct faculty in pediatrics at the UT Health Science Center Medical school and the University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.   OVERVIEW: Pediatrics Now Host and Producer Holly Wayment interviews Dr. Linda Parsi about how we can get real about coding and her passion for teaching coding, especially to pediatric practices “so together as a team -we can be a voice for our children and serve them with our best as well as keeping the joy of medicine in our own lives”.   DISCLOSURES: Linda D. Parsi, MD has disclosed she is a consultant/has ownership interest in the PEDSMD Company; and is on the speakers bureau for Mead Johnson. The relevant financial relationships noted for Dr. Parsi have been mitigated.     The Pediatric Grand Rounds Planning Committee (Deepak Kamat, MD, PhD, Daniel Ranch, MD and Elizabeth Hanson, MD) has no financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose.  Planning Committee member Steven Seidner, MD has disclosed he receives funding from Draeger Medical for the Clinical Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of the Infinity Acute Care System Workstation Neonatal Care Babylog VN500 Device in High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation (HFOV) Mode in Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW) Neonates for which he is a co-principal investigator. The relevant financial relationships noted for Dr. Seidner have been mitigated.     The UT Health Science Center San Antonio and Deepak Kamat, MD course director and content reviewer for the activity, have reviewed all financial disclosure information for all speakers, facilitators, and planning committee members; and determined and resolved all conflicts of interests.   CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION STATEMENTS: The UT Health Science Center San Antonio is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.   The UT Health Science Center San Antonio designates this live activity up to a maximum of 0.50 AMAPRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.   CREDITS: AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (0.50) Non-Physician Participation Credit (0.50)      

Dr. Angela Naef, Ph.D. is Chief Research & Development Officer at Reckitt ( https://www.reckitt.com/about-us/our-leadership/executive-team/angela-naef/ ) where she is responsible for elevating the company's science capability and platforms, as well as for driving external partnerships, including amplifying the mission of the Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute ( https://www.rghi.org/ ). With 43,000 employees and over $13 billion in revenue, Reckitt is an Anglo-Dutch multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough, England. It is a producer of health, hygiene and nutrition products. Reckitt's brands include the indigestion remedy Gaviscon, the baby food brand Mead Johnson, the air freshener Air Wick, and other brands and products like: Calgon, Clearasil, Durex, Lysol, Enfamil and Nutramigen. Dr. Naef came to Reckitt with over 20 years of diverse senior leadership experience in product and business development roles. Most recently, Dr. Naef spent 10 years at DuPont, in various technical and commercial leadership roles, where she led the Nutrition & Biosciences Global Technology and Innovation organization. She has very a strong track record of accelerating innovation in the areas of food, nutrition science and biotechnology. Dr. Naef is a graduate of the University of California, Davis with a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and is a Six Sigma Black Belt. Dr. Naef is also an accomplished author and you can find her book "The Fabulous and Fun World of Chemistry!: A science book for girls by girls!!" on various on-line outlets ( https://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Fun-World-Chemistry-science/dp/1493670409 ). Support the show

[English description below]Reckitt/Mead Johnson là công ty mẹ đứng sau hàng loạt những thương hiệu tiêu dùng đã quá nổi tiếng và gần gũi với người dùng Việt như dòng sữa dinh dưỡng Enfa, kẹo ngậm Strepsils, Dettol, Veet hay Durex…Với sứ mệnh cốt lõi là mang đến sự nuôi dưỡng, chữa lành và bảo vệ người dùng thông qua từng chiến lược phát triển, từng sản phẩm được làm ra, Reckitt hiện đang là một hệ cộng đồng với toàn cầu với quy mô 43,000 người và đang trên hành trình không ngừng chuyển đổi và tăng trưởng bền vững.Vì sao Reckitt làm được điều đó? Những chiến lược xây dựng cộng đồng bền vững của Reckiit là gì? Tại tập podcast Vietnam Innovators này, chúng ta sẽ cùng host Hảo Trần trò chuyện và tìm hiểu với ông Soren Bech - General Director tại Reckitt/Mead Johnson Vietnam.Đừng quên có thể xem bản video của podcast này tại YouTube.Và đọc những bài viết thú vị tại website vietcetera.comNếu có bất cứ góp ý, phản hồi hay mong muốn hợp tác, bạn có thể gửi email về địa chỉ team@vietcetera.comCảm ơn Viglacera đã đồng hành cùng tập podcast này.Cùng chặng đường 48 năm hình thành và phát triển, Tổng công ty Viglacera - CTCP là nhà sản xuất Vật liệu xây dựng và đầu tư kinh doanh Bất động sản lớn nhất tại Việt Nam với hơn 40 đơn vị thành viên. Chúng tôi tự hào là nhà cung cấp dịch vụ hàng đầu về vật liệu xây dựng bền vững và chất lượng cao đồng thời là nhà phát triển Khu công nghiệp hàng đầu tại Việt Nam.---Reckitt is a health, hygiene, and nutrition company with almost 200 years of heritage. Reckitt brands that are familiar to Vietnamese consumers including Enfa, Strepsils, Dettol, Veet, Durex, and more.With the core mission to protect, heal and nurture in the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world, Reckitt has now become a global community of 43,000 staff and is on track for continued transformation and sustainable growth.How can Reckitt succeed with its business model? What are the community building strategies of this giant in the consumer goods industry? Let's join host Hao Tran in this Vietnam Innovators podcast with Soren Bech - General Director at Reckitt/Mead Johnson Vietnam to find out.-----Reckitt is a health, hygiene, and nutrition company with almost 200 years of heritage. Reckitt brands that are familiar to Vietnamese consumers including Enfa, Strepsils, Dettol, Veet, Durex, and more.With the core mission to protect, heal and nurture in the pursuit of a cleaner and healthier world, Reckitt has now become a global community of 43,000 staff and is on track for continued transformation and sustainable growth.How can Reckitt succeed with its business model? What are the community building strategies of this giant in the consumer goods industry? Let's join host Hao Tran in this Vietnam Innovators podcast with Soren Bech - General Director at Reckitt/Mead Johnson Vietnam to find out.Listen to this episode on YouTubeAnd explore many amazing articles at the website vietcetera.com.Feel free to leave any questions at team@vietcetera.comViglacera Corporation is the largest real estate and building materials group in Vietnam, as well as the largest industrial park operator in Vietnam. 48 years of excellence make us a leading full-service provider of sustainable and high-quality building materials. Having a total of 40 subsidiaries, we cover the entire real estate and building materials spectrum.

With over three decades of managing operations ‘in-the-trenches,' running a successful business, and speaking, Wayne's view of ‘operational excellence' is radically different. Wayne has learned ‘operational excellence' is not a destination, but an ongoing journey, in pursuit of a company's strategic objectives. Sometimes called, ‘The Doctor of Operations,' Wayne is known for his skill in diagnosing ailing operations, prescribing a course of action, and serving as mentor during implementation. Wayne's blend of real-world examples, a conversational approach, and transparency, connects Wayne with his clients and audiences in an authentic, engaging, and ‘truly unique' way. Wayne has managed an $18 million expense budget, a $5 million capital budget, and led over 100 employees as facility manager for the Mead Johnson Nutritional Division of Bristol Myers Squibb, in Evansville, Indiana. Wayne is the founder and current CEO of a 20+-year-old facility management company. Wayne's efforts at Mead Johnson resulted in an annual average reduction of 7% in the division's facility costs over a three-year period. When you get Wayne, you get a driven, focused, and results oriented individual as demonstrated by his personal achievement of losing 230 pounds in 11 months using ‘diet and exercise. #waynewashington #growcompanyprofits #tsc #gogetit Social Media Links Youtube Channel youtube.com/c/ChipBakerTheSuccessChronicles LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/chipbakerthesuccesschronicles Facebook- Profile https://www.facebook.com/tscchipbaker Facebook- Page facebook.com/chipbakertsc Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chipbakertsc/ Twitter twitter.com/chipbaker19 TikTok tiktok.com/@chipbakertsc Linktree https://linktr.ee/ChipBakerTSC Online Store http://chip-baker-the-success-chronicles.square.site/ Chip Baker- The Success Chronicles Podcast https://anchor.fm/chip-baker

After multiple formula-related infant deaths were reported to the FDA in February, samples from Abbott Laboratories' Sturgis, Michigan baby formula production facility tested positive for cronobacter, triggering a recall and a subsequent formula shortage. In this episode, Jen uncovers monopoly and neglect in the baby formula production industry, lack of oversight by the FDA, and the United States' refusal to adopt the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! View the shownotes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd254-baby-formula-shortage Background Sources Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD234: AWOL Recall: The Rock and Play Sleeper The Formula Shortage Abbott. Jun 15, 2022. “Update on Abbott's Sturgis Plant and Formula Production.” “Testimony of Robert M. Califf, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Infant Formula Crisis: Addressing the Shortages and Getting Formula on Shelves.” May 26, 2022. U.S. Senate. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. May 18, 2022. “Guidance for Industry: Infant Formula Enforcement Discretion Policy” [FDA–2022–D–0814]. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Annie Gasparro and Jaewon Kang. May 12, 2022. “Baby Formula Shortage Could Leave Parents Scrambling for Months.” The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Feb 2022. “FDA Investigation of Cronobacter Infections: Powdered Infant Formula.” Baby Formula Monopoly Matt Stoller. May 13, 2022. “Big Bottle: The Baby Formula Nightmare.” BIG by Matt Stoler on Substack. Sam Knight. Apr 23, 2022. “Company Responsible for Tainted Baby Formula Has Monopoly Over Aid Program Sales.” Truthout. FDA Failure Letter from Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf. March 24, 2022. U.S. House of Representatives. Poisoned Baby Food House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Staff. Feb 4, 2021. “Report: Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury.” Operation Fly Formula Brenda Goodman and Deidre McPhillips. Jun 10, 2022. “How far will Operation Fly Formula shipments really go to fill America's store shelves?” CNN. The White House. May 22, 2022. “Biden Administration Announces Second Operation Fly Formula Flight.” White House Briefing Room: Statements and Releases. 60 minutes Segment Bill Whitaker. May 22, 2022. “Medical Middlemen: Broken system making it harder for hospitals and patients to get some life-saving drugs.” 60 Minutes. The WHO Code and Formula Marketing The World Health Organization. Apr 28, 2022. “Scope and impact of digital marketing strategies for promoting breastmilk substitutes.” The World Health Organization. Apr 28, 2022. “WHO reveals shocking extent of exploitative formula milk marketing.” The World Health Organization. #EndExploitativeMarketing Petition. La Leche League International. “International WHO Code.” Bonnie Goldstein. Jul 13, 2018. Paper Cuts: No Match for Mother's Milk. Project on Government Oversight. Baby-Friendly USA website. The World Health Organization. Jan 27, 1981. “International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes.” Fisher-Price Update Katie Porter [@RepKatiePorter]. Jun 15, 2022. “Following yesterday's news of previously unreported infant deaths in Fisher-Price products, I'm calling on the company to immediately recall all…” Twitter. Laws H.R.7791: Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 Jen's Highlighted PDF of Public Law 117–129 H.R.3182: Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2021 Audio Sources INFANT FORMULA CRISIS May 26, 2022 Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions The committee concluded a hearing to examine the infant formula crisis, focusing on addressing the shortage and getting formula on shelves. Witnesses: Robert M. Califf, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Food and Drug Administration Clips 37:26 Dr. Robert Califf: Frankly, the inspection results were shocking. Standing water, cracks in key equipment that presented the potential for bacterial contamination to persist, particularly in the presence of moisture, leaks in the roof, a previous citation of inadequate hand washing and current poor foot sanitation, bacteria growing from multiple sides, and many signs of a disappointing lack of attention to the culture of safety in this product that is so essential to the lives of our most precious people. 38:14 Dr. Robert Califf: As soon as we receive positive cronobacter results from environmental samples at the facility that we collected during the inspection, we contacted Abbott to ask the company to issue a voluntary recall. The need to take urgent action to protect the most vulnerable of all of our people -- infants -- presented a dilemma. This was the largest plant of the dominant manufacturer, and it was the sole source of a number of metabolic formulas essential for viability of infants with no substitution possible, because Abbott had no backup plan. We knew that ceasing plant operations would create supply problems, but we had no choice given the unsanitary conditions. 50:50 Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC): Why haven't you waived labeling requirements from trusted manufacturers in countries like the UK, Australia or Canada? Couldn't manufacturers provide temporary labels on imported formula? Cans if the label is printed in a language other than English until US manufacturing is restored? Some countries have higher nutritional requirements. Why can't we provide a waiver for their products to come into the country? Dr. Robert Califf: We've waived many of the requirements that are the ones that make sense, but the directions have to be clear to Americans in language that's understandable so the formula can be mixed correctly. An error in mixing up the formula for example, can lead to a very sick infant not getting the right nutrition. 2:16:18 Dr. Robert Califf: We saw the lack of quality in the system and the lack of accountability for the problems that were there. And so we had to invoke the Justice Department to negotiate a consent decree, which is essentially Abbott saying, “Yes, we had all these problems. Here's exactly what we're going to do to fix them.” For legal reasons, I can't discuss the exact details of the negotiation, but let's just say that it took a little armwrestling to get to the point where the Justice Department got Abbott to sign the consent decree. FORMULA SAFETY AND SUPPLY: PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF AMERICA'S BABIES May 25, 2022 Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Witnesses: Robert M. Califf, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration Frank Yiannas, Deputy Commissioner, Food Policy and Response, Food and Drug Administration Susan Mayne, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration Chris Calamari, Senior Vice President of U.S. Nutrition, Abbott Robert Cleveland, Senior Vice President of the Nutrition Business Unit for the US and Europe, Mead Johnson Nutrition Scott Fitz, Vice President of Technical and Production, Gerber Clips 41:55 Robert Califf: Because of the lack of the diversification of this market in the absence of a central hub for integrating supply chains, we concluded early on that getting the Sturgis facility up and running safely was a top priority. But we had no confidence in the integrity of the Abbott quality program at this facility. Accordingly, we initiated proceedings toward a consent decree, which requires Abbott to undertake steps to assure safe production of formula, including hiring an outside expert with reporting to FDA. 43:03 Robert Califf: Despite the overall numbers showing diminished but steady supply, we knew that distribution was an issue. Some areas were experiencing significant shortages, but overall, there was enough formula to go around. About a month ago, the reports of shortages on the shelf proliferated, although there was not a drop in production. This increase in consumption most likely represents heightened concern of parents and caregivers about shortages, leading to an understandable effort to purchase ahead to ensure adequate supply at home. This type of cycle has happened with other products throughout the pandemic, and we realize that the only solution is to have adequate supply to make sure shelves are stocked. 45:57 Robert Califf: Abbott's enormous market share left it with a responsibility for producing safe infant formula that was not met. We will do everything in our power to work with Abbott to make this happen as quickly and as safely possible, but this timing is an Abbott's control. 46:35 Robert Califf: Across the industry we regulate, we are seeing evidence that the just-in-time distribution system, market concentration, and sole-source contracting are leading to shortages. Multiple reports to Congress call for improved supply chain management. Until regulatory agencies have digital access to critical supply chain information and personnel to do the work, we will continue to react to supply chain disruptions rather than intervening to prevent them. 1:01:113 Robert Califf: It's really important for people to go to the HHS website: hhs.gov/formula. There you'll find the hotline for all the manufacturers and helpful information about where to go. 1:04:12 Robert Califf: You would be surprised to know there's no just-in-time system where all the FDA employees can see what's going on. What we really need is access to the information that the manufacturers have about each of their individual supply chains. They each have their individual supply chains, but there is no national system to make sure the supplies getting where it needs to go. 1:05:11 Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA): Did FDA not have a data analytics tool to monitor the supply chains of various products, including infant formula? Robert Califf: We requested funding for a tool and because we didn't get the funding, we cobbled it together. It's a start, but it's nowhere near — you know, again, I was at Google for five years. The technology at FDA, and in many federal agencies is outmoded and needs an upfit, there's just no question about. 1:07:33 Susan Mayne: We have been in discussion with infant formula manufacturers throughout COVID, but discussion is not the same thing as data and we do not have the authorities to demand data from the companies to get necessarily all the information that you would want to have to really monitor the supply chains as Dr. Califf indicated. 1:10:30 Robert Califf: But given what we saw, the only way we could have confidence was through a consent decree, where we literally have oversight of every single step. When we met with the CEO yesterday, there were hundreds of steps that they went through that they're having to do, many of which have already been done. So it's only if we have direct oversight over it that I would have confidence, but I do have confidence that we are seeing every single step both physically in-person, and also through following the documentation and the outside expert. 1:10:53 Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV): How will the passage of last week's FDA Bill increase the production of baby formula? Robert Califf: Production is increasing already — Rep. David McKinley The criticism, that they said that on these various tweets — it was not just one there were several — that said it was unnecessary. So I want to know, how do we increase, how do we get back to production? How to put in $28 million? How would that how's that gonna increase production? Robert Califf: Well, remember, the Abbot plant needs to get up and running, we've got to oversee and micro detail to make sure that it's done correctly. And as we bring in supply from other countries, remember, we already have overseas plants that we import from on a regular basis, almost double digits. So as we bring that product in, we've got to inspect it, make sure it's of the quality that we expect in America of formula and we need to upgrade our information systems, as I've already said, to make sure that as all this goes on, we can keep track of it and make sure that we're coordinated. 1:44:55 Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA): Is there any early warning system for products like baby formula? And not just the ingredients but for formula itself or manufacturer would let you know if they're running short or anticipate a shortage? Robert Califf: First of all, let me thank you for being a pediatrician. I sometimes call the Academy of Pediatrics just for the positive vibes that you all exude as a profession. But no, there is not such a warning system. We've repeatedly asked for that authority and have not been granted it. The industry by and large has opposed it. 1:52:21 Susan Mayne: What the data show is, we can't rule in or rule out whether or not those infants, their cronobacter was caused by this plant. The data just simply can't be used to inform it. Rep. John Joyce (R-PA): But the genetic testing you did. It does not match from the plant, correct? Susan Mayne: That is correct. But what we did not have is any sampling done at the same time that the product was manufactured that was consumed by the individuals who got sick, so we didn't have that every director 2:08:57 Rep. Ann Kuster (D-NH): I know that in this part of the country, I'm in New Hampshire, we have milk banks of mother's breast milk. And I'm wondering what is the regulation by the FDA? And can we assure our constituents that breast milk from milk bank is safe and is thoroughly vetted by the FDA? Robert Califf: You're asking some very good questions. I'm gonna refer this to Dr. Mayne who probably would have the best answer. Susan Mayne: Thank you, Congresswoman. So human breast milk is regulated as a food. And so that is reassuring and they have to have proper screening protocols and things like that in place to make sure that the donors that are donating the milk, get that, that's critical for human food safety. So that's how I would respond. Thank you. 2:26:28 Robert Califf: You would think that a critical industry like this would have resilience plans, redundancy, but we don't even have legal authority right now to require that the firms have a plan for potential failures and resilience. That's something we've asked Congress for every year for a while, and we're asking for it again. So I hope that it happens this time. I'd also add that this is not unique to this industry. We are seeing this across the entire device and medical supply industry with frequent failures as exemplified by the 60 minutes show and the contrast medium problem that I talked about. We have gone to a just-in-time, large single source contracts that lead to lack of diversification in the industry and the industry has fought us tooth and nail on requiring that there be insight into their supply chains, so that the sum of all of the industries leads to the the avoidance of preemption. We'd like to be able to stress test and prevent these things from happening rather than waiting until they happen, and then scrambling. 2:58:58 Susan Mayne: What we've seen is, first the strain of the COVID 19 pandemic, then the strain of the recall, and now we've got the Russia-Ukraine conflict. And one of the things that we know is the Ukraine region is one of the world's biggest exporters of products like sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is used as an ingredient in many food products, including infant formula. And so we have been working with the manufacturers should they be unable to maintain their supply of sunflower oil, what they would replace it with and make sure that that would meet the nutritional requirements for infant formula. 3:26:28 Chris Calamari: We plan to start production at Sturgis the first week of June. We will begin with the production of EleCare, before turning to the production of other formulas and Similac. From restart, we estimate that it will take six to eight weeks before product is available on shelves. 4:28:51 Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY): Your testimony also mentions global supply chain challenges as a factor the company has had to contend with. What, if any, steps has Gerber taken to maintain its production and distribution supply? Scott Fitz: Thank you for the question. Certainly, our industry is not immune to the global supply chain challenges brought on by the pandemic. We struggled with materials supply issues, intermittent materials supply issues, whether it be ingredients or packaging components, we struggled struggled with the material quality issues related to the pandemic, we've had transportation and logistics issues, just getting trucks and truck drivers available to move the products and supplies that we need. And we've had COVID related labor challenges and higher turnover than normal are all things that have impacted us. Through the course of the pandemic though we've we've resolved these on an ongoing basis, one at a time as they've come up. We are putting trying to put in more robust business continuity plans in place for critical components and ones that we know we will have challenges with in the future. 4:30:50 Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY): Did you not think the FDA should be notified or at least aware of your struggle? Scott Fitz: Should FDA be aware of our struggle? Rep. Tonko: Yeah, should you have shared those concerns for supply chain? Scott Fitz: If it could help, we would certainly be willing to do that. Yes. Rep. Tonko: What should you have told us during the last year? Scott Fitz: Well, as I testified, the issues that have come up for us, we've been able to resolve. Through the last six months our in-stock rates have averaged 86%. 4:35:55 Chris Calamari: On the horizon, we see in the manufacture of infant formula agricultural oils are absolutely essential, paper is absolutely essential, the cost of fuel to supply and distribute the product is essential. So I would call out those key elements ranging from agricultural oils to the cost to deliver the product would be the biggest areas of focus. 4:41:42 Robert Cleveland: We reached out and spoke to the USDA almost immediately seeking flexibility, for example in the size format. And while that sounds small, it's very significant because what that means is the WIC consumer doesn't have to look for one particular size of product at the shelf. They can find any size of the shelf to fulfill their their benefits with and that's allowed us to continue production and step up to meet the requirements of those consumers. We've since worked with the USDA to find a number of other ways to flexibly administer the program, because really, the focus for the WIC consumer is the same as the others, making sure she has safe access to formula and doesn't have to compete with non-WIC consumers to get it. So the more sizes, the more formats, the more manufacturers that the program can support, the more likely she is to have her needs met. 4:47:35 Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA): The baby formula industry in our country is really unique in that about 90% of the product is made right here in the United States. And the vast majority is made by your three companies [Abbott, Gerber, and Mead Johnson]. And so it should be no surprise that when something goes wrong, like what happened in Sturgis, it really rocks the whole industry and the facility in Sturgis is responsible for 40% of Abbott's formula on the market and makes up about 20% of the total formula on the market in the US, and that is really significant, especially when this year Similac has the contract with WIC. 5:10:40 Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA): Okay, the supply chain issues, is that because some of the ingredients were coming from other countries? Chris Calamari: Representative, yes, so global supply chains are such that we have ingredients coming from global sources and that is the nature of our supply chain. 5:19:29 Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO): Let's say my daughter, who has a six-week-old baby, called me up and said, “I need to get some formula for my baby. And my store shelves are bare.” What can we tell them between now and all of the emergency measures we put into place to start putting formula on the shelves? Who should they call? Where can they go to try to get some of this limited product right now? What's the practical suggestion? Robert Cleveland: It's very unfortunate that you have to answer that question or ask that question, but let me do my best to answer it. I think the shelves — the reality is they don't have anywhere near the product that they do. So one of the things I've often said during this crisis is it takes a village to raise a child. In this case, sometimes it's taking a village to find infant formula. So the first thing to do is work with your network of family and friends, and as they go to the stores, look for the product that's there. And I've seen many mothers and grandmothers and fathers and cousins doing this on the shelf. You can call our Consumer Response Center. Now to be fair, those folks are doing a phenomenal job of fielding waves and waves of calls. But we will help you if you call. That's one other resource. The physician's office is another. Sometimes they do have the samples that are required, and they can help transition between finding product on the shelf. And then I would be sure to look online as well as in-person at the store and be open to other formats. Many mothers and fathers have a particular type of format they like. You may need to be more flexible in the format that you use. But all infant formula regulated by the FDA is safe for your infant, whether it's a liquid or a powder or what size it's in. And so I would say shop widely. See your doctor or enroll your family friends, give us a call if you need to, and be flexible. THE INFANT FORMULA CRISIS May 25, 2022 Committee on Appropriations: Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Witnesses: Ginger Carney, Director of Clinical Nutrition, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Sarah Chamberlin, Executive Director, National PKU News Michael Gay, Owner and Manager, Food Fresh Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy, Consumer Reports Linkedin Clips 32:29 Michael Gay: WIC's rigid rules have made it difficult for the program to be responsive to critical shortages throughout the pandemic and now during the formula crisis. Substitutions may be easily available when situations like this arise. The emergency waivers instituted by the USDA during the pandemic have provided flexibility in some states, but those waivers were only available because of the pandemic. To prevent this issue from happening in the future, Congress should allow WIC vendors operating during severe supply shortages, disasters or public health emergencies to automatically substitute limited WIC approved products impacted by supply chain disruptions. The USDA should direct states to include product substitutions for WIC in their emergency preparedness plan. These changes would have allowed families to immediately switch to another formula in states with shortages allowing for smooth continuation of feeding infants. 33:27 Michael Gay: Secondly, there's a significant need for USDA to examine the long term effects of cost containment, competitiveness and peer grouping formulas for WIC vendors. States operate a peer group system to monitor vendor prices and determine reimbursements are cost competitive. These cost containment measures have led to reduced retail embursement and reduced retailer participation in the program, leading to fewer locations for families to access formula. 33:55 Michael Gay: WIC infant formula cost containment measures have led to extreme consolidation in the formula marketplace, leaving it highly vulnerable to supply disruptions like we are experiencing now. These contracting policies must be reviewed to ensure future food security of the nation's babies and families. 41:50 Brian Ronholm: The evidence suggests that the agency was too slow to act, failed to take this issue seriously, and was not forthcoming with information to parents and caregivers. The infant formula crisis exposed a greater structure and culture problem that has long existed FDA. This was merely one symptom of the overall problem, and it is clear that confidence in the food program at the FDA is eroding. A big reason for this is the food program has second class status within FDA, and it's resulted in serious problems. The FDA also lacks a single, full-time, fully empowered expert leader of all aspects of the food program. As you know, in recent decades, most FDA commissioners have been medical specialists who naturally focus on the programs impacting medical products. This is certainly warranted considering the impact these programs have on public health. And the pandemic is a perfect example of this. However, this usually results in intense competition for the commissioner's time and support and focus on the food program is typically what has suffered under this dynamic. It has become impossible for an FDA commissioner to possess the bandwidth to provide leadership and accountability to a set of offices that regulates 80% of our food supply. 51:45 Ginger Carney: I would want to warn parents not to make homemade formulas — the American Academy of Pediatrics warns against that — they should not dilute the formula, as both of these situations can lead to disastrous results and lead possibly to hospital admissions. 56:40 Brian Ronholm: Splitting out the food safety functions of the agency as it exists now and creating separate agencies while still remaining under the HHS umbrella would be an effective approach that would get to the issues that I think everyone has become aware of during this crisis. 59:32 Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT): We now have 15 agencies at the federal level who deal with some form of food safety, the principal ones are USDA and FDA. It should be one single agency! 1:06:30 Michael Gay: In a rural area such as ours, probably 85-90% of my formula is WIC formula, which is just down to one type of formula. So even like today, for example, or my truck Monday, I got about 20 cases of Gerber formula in a different variety, but that's not approved on what and the Georgia WIC office just approved some substitutions for formulas that were, you know, prescribed by the doctor with the contract formula. So therein lies the problem is there's no easy way to substitute that for the customer. 1:23:29 Brian Ronholm: Four companies that control 90% of the market and only three of them actually bid on WIC rebate contracts. Abbott is by far the largest one and I believe they have contracts in 30 or 31 states, I think it was the latest figure. So when those contracts come up, these companies submit based on their ability to meet the demand in a particular state, and Abbott is usually the only one that's big enough to do that. We mentioned that they have a large part of the market, I think when it comes to the WIC market, they have approximately 55 to 60% of the WIC market. So that's a significant size of the market that it really needs to be examined so when situations like this hit, how does it impact that particular….And it's obviously going to have a bigger impact because these companies use the WIC market to get into the overall non-WIC market to even increase the share of their market, so that creates further shortage problems. 1:40:35 Ginger Carney: One thing that we really haven't talked about is the WHO code for marketing breast milk substitutes. And that's what these formulas are, they're breast milk substitutes. So if we look at the WHO code in other countries, other developed countries are abiding by the WHO code and this gives guidelines for how companies can market their infant formulas in a safe way. So maybe we should go back to that and think about what is it about the WHO code that would benefit all of our families in the country so that they are assured when they do have to reach for infant formula when breastfeeding cannot be an option or will not be an option? What are the things that are marketed directly to our families that tell them about the formula? 1:44:20 Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL): Half of all US formula consumption goes through the WIC program, which provides free infant formula as we've been talking about today, where states negotiate bulk discounts in exchange for market exclusivity. Now, I'll take you back to 1989 when Republican President George Bush enacted legislation requiring all state WIC programs to use competitive bidding for the purchase of infant formula. In practice, this means that the state of Florida for example is required to use a single supplier for the entire state supply of WIC baby formula. The competitive bidding process has yielded $1.3 billion to $2 billion a year in savings and allowing WIC to serve about 2 million more participants annually because of the discounts. However, when there's a supply shock caused by one of the four market participants, like what happened with Abbott in this case, it creates a serious risk to infant health across the country. 1:48:00 Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL): We know that in Europe, they consistently produce a baby formula surplus. But there are rigid labeling and nutritional requirements for formula containers here in the US that the FDA requires and they prohibit the sale of many European-made products, even though the formulas themselves meet FDA nutritional and purity standards. So what sort of policy changes would you like to see undertaken to ease restrictions on baby formula imports, while still ensuring that the product meets our safety standards? Brian Ronholm: Yeah, I think it's critical that we maintain those safety standards that FDA has set on infant formula, that's absolutely critical. There's a comfort level with consumers when they're able to purchase something that they know is an FDA inspected facility overseas. But to your point, sometimes these regulations, these really strict regulations are thinly disguised trade protection measures. And so you know, that's certainly an issue that we'd have to examine carefully to make sure that we can have that access. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Christine Salvatore M.D. and Sallie Permar M.D., Ph.D. discuss congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). They share what patients should know about CMV and recent advancements in vaccine development for the infection. They discuss goals to create a multidisciplinary collaborative Congenital Infection Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine to treat CMV. The providers also highlight the partnership with government affairs towards an initiative for state legislation around CMV education and advocacy for universal testing.Additionally, Dr. Permar highlights her groundbreaking work on mother-to-child transmission of viruses including HIV and CMV, which recently earned her the prestigious 2020-21 Society of Pediatric Research Award, in Honor of E. Mead Johnson.To schedule with Christine Salvatore M.D., To schedule with Sallie Permar M.D

Diandra “Fu” Debrosse Zimmermann is managing partner of DiCello Levitt's Birmingham office, co-managing partner of the Washington, D.C. office, and co-chair of the firm's Mass Tort division. Fu is also a member of the firm's Public Client, Environmental, Personal Injury, Civil Rights, and Trial practice groups. Widely known for her passionate and relentless client advocacy, she represents individuals and public entities that have been injured by wrongful conduct, whether from defective medical devices or drugs, environmental contamination, corporate misconduct, or civil rights abuse. She is nationally recognized as a powerhouse in mass torts, class actions, products liability, discrimination, and sexual assault claims, and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in client damages.  On May 27, 2022 Fu made history, becoming the first black woman ever appointed plaintiffs' Co-Lead Counsel in a multidistrict litigation. She was appointed to the role in the massive products liability MDL, In Re: Abbott Laboratories, et al., Preterm Infant Nutrition Products Liability Litigation, against two of the world's largest manufacturers of infant formula, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) and Mead Johnson. Comprised of more than 60 state and federal lawsuits filed across the U.S., the case stems from allegations against the manufacturers of infant formulas Similac (Abbott) and Enfamil (Mead) by parents of premature infants who were fed with that formula and developed the deadly neonatal condition, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).  Fu currently represents individuals exposed to Paraquat, an herbicide thought to cause Parkinson's disease. She also represents victims of civil rights violations, defective products, and other wrongful conduct. Before joining DiCello Levitt, Fu represented dozens of cities and counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi against opioid manufacturers and distributors. She has also recovered more than $30 million in damages for victims of catastrophic personal injury, product liability, employment discrimination, and civil sexual assault claims.  Earlier this year, in February 2022, Fu announced that she along with Ben Crump co-founded Shades of Mass, an organization aimed at combatting the lack of diverse attorney leadership in lawsuits that disproportionately impact communities of color. Through collaboration, shared resources, education and networking opportunities, and pressure on our profession, Shades of Mass aims to rectify this inequity and achieve the diversity missing in mass tort and complex litigation case leadership. Learn more about Shades of Mass, its mission, its board members, and its board members here. The organization will be hosting a conference in October 2023 in Atlanta. Visit the Shades of Mass website to learn more.  She is well-known for her relentless and compassionate client advocacy which is only matched by her passion to make this world a better place for the generations to come. Fu has extensive experience handling complex litigation, including pharmaceutical, medical device, environmental contamination, and civil rights matters. And she has earned quite a few accolades for her work, including Top 40 Under 40 attorneys (National Trial Lawyers), Top 10 Under 40 attorney for the State of Alabama (National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys, Inc.), The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100, one of America's Top 100 High Stakes Litigators®, and selected as a Top Woman Attorney (B-Metro magazine).  Read more about Fu here.  Remember to subscribe and follow us on social media… LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mass-tort-news Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/masstortnewsorg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/masstortnews.org

The fate of the 32 beagle puppies living at INOTIV Labs in Mt. Vernon is unknown.  They were supposed to be euthanized yesterday and today... Astound says it's going to make good for all those outages as it transitioned from WOW... Mead Johnson's parent company says it's doing its part to alleviate the baby formula shortage... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Louisiana prolife bill, Rand Paul, Baby Formula, and guns …and more on today’s CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. My name is Toby Sumpter and today is Friday, May 6, 2022. We are just days away from the last stop of our CrossPolitic Liberty Tour in Phoenix, Arizona. I would love to meet you in person in Phoenix, on May 19th. I will be joined by Chocolate Knox, the Gabe Rench the Water Boy, Pastor Jeff Durbin of Apologia Church, and Political analyst Delano Squires, who’s made appearances on the Blaze, and the Tucker Carlson show. Tickets are only $20, and we’ll be talking about the Five Stones of True Liberty. Sign up now at crosspolitic.com/libertytour. https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-led-louisiana-house-fails-to-pass-bill-abolishing-abortion Ben Zeisloft at the DailyWire reports: Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have abolished abortion by applying homicide laws to women who procure the procedure. The Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act (HB813) — which has gained national and international media attention — recognizes “the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization by protecting them by the same laws protecting other human beings.” Accordingly, it applied state laws about homicide to children in the womb. Last week, lawmakers on the Louisiana House’s criminal justice committee approved the bill by a 7 to 2 vote. However, after legislators approved an amendment on Thursday stating that “the pregnant female shall not be held responsible for the criminal consequences” of seeking an abortion by a 65 to 26 vote, State Rep. Danny McCormick — the Republican who sponsored HB813 — asked to pull the bill from the House floor. Louisiana Right to Life announced its opposition to HB813 ahead of the House vote because it applied criminal penalties to mothers who procure abortion. Likewise, Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) — remarking that his “Catholic Christian faith” teaches him to be pro-life — followed suit in opposing the legislation. “I felt I had to join my voice to the chorus of pro-life organizations against HB813,” he said in a statement. Pro-life activist Abby Johnson recently condemned Louisiana Right to Life for opposing HB813. “Either the preborn are fully human or they aren’t,” she saidon Twitter. “When abortion is illegal, people must pay the penalty for killing their children. These children deserve justice.” Replying to Edwards’ opposition to the bill, Johnson said, “Well, well, well. Look how many pro-aborts you have made happy!!” Brian Gunter — the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Livingston, Louisiana, who was instrumental in organizing other Christians in the state to support the legislation — told The Daily Wire that Edwards “believes there are no circumstances under which a woman should be held accountable if she knowingly and intentionally kills her preborn child.” “HB813 protects a woman who is coerced into an abortion and prosecutes the person who forces her to have an abortion,” he said of the bill in its original form. “If Governor Edwards believes the preborn child is just as much a person as the born child, then it is absurd for him to suggest that the preborn child should be discriminated against and denied equal protection under law. No one should be allowed to murder preborn children without consequences.” Last week, Gunter remarked to The Daily Wire that Louisiana’s current pro-life trigger law — the “The Human Life Protection Act” — only penalizes abortionists with $1,000 fines, even though animal cruelty is fined at up to $25,000 in Louisiana. https://thehill.com/news/senate/3486654-rand-paul-objection-delays-40-billion-ukraine-aid-package/ Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly $40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. Paul objected to a deal offered by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer(D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would have set up votes on Thursday afternoon on the funding and on an amendment from Paul, who wanted to include language in the bill to expand an Afghanistan inspector general role to include oversight of the Ukraine funds. Paul blocked the votes because he wants his language inserted into the text of the bill instead of having to take his chance with an amendment vote, which could be blocked. The stalemate will delay the Senate’s passage of the Ukraine package until at least next week, and potentially beyond. “There is now only one thing holding us back, the junior senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add, at the last minute, his own changes directly into the bill … He is not even asking for an amendment. He is simply saying my way or the highway,” Schumer said. “Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion, and they need help right now,” McConnell said. Paul, however, warned about the pace of spending, arguing that “we cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.” “Americans are feeling the pain [from inflation] and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can,” Paul said. Did you know that more than 75% of those raised in evangelical, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches don’t pursue any kind of Christian higher education? Surprising isn’t it. Cornerstone Work & Worldview Institute is seeking to provide a new, exciting, and affordable option for Christians. Their mission is to build Kingdom culture in the workplace by equipping their students in a Trinitarian worldview and vocational competencies. Their low-cost full-time program offers integrative course modules, internships, and mentoring so their students can finish debt-free with vocational preparation, a robust faith, and financial potential to build strong godly families and homes rooted in their communities and churches long-term. Visit their website at www.cornerstonework.org to find out more about enrolling. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/baby-formula-shortage-abbott-recall/629828/ Derek Thompson at The Atlantic: America’s baby-formula shortage has gone from curious inconvenience to full-blown national crisis. In many states, including Texas and Tennessee, more than half of formula is sold out in stores. Nationwide, 40 percent of formula is out of stock—a twentyfold increase since the first half of 2021. As parents have started to stockpile formula, retailers such as Walgreens, CVS, and Target have all moved to limit purchases. Three factors are driving the U.S. baby-formula shortage: bacteria, a virus, and a trade policy. First, the bacteria. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major producer of infant formula, and discovered traces of the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii in a Michigan plant. As a result, the FDA recalled several brands of formula, and parents were advised to not buy or use some formula tied to the plant. That brings us to the second cause: the virus. The pandemic has snarled all sorts of supply chains, but I can’t think of a market it’s yanked around more than infant formula. “During the spring of 2020, formula sales rocketed upwards as people stockpiled formula just like they stockpiled toilet paper,” Lyman Stone, the director of research at the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, told me. Then, as “families worked through their stockpiles, sales fell a lot. This oscillation made planning for production extremely difficult. It was complicated to get an idea of the actual market size.” Meanwhile, Stone’s research has found that an uptick in births in early 2022 has corresponded with a “very dramatic decline in rates of breastfeeding” among new mothers, which pushed up demand for formula once again. In brief: Demand for formula surged as parents hoarded in 2020; then demand fell, leading suppliers to cut back production through 2021; and now, with more new mothers demanding more formula in 2022, orders are surging faster than supply is recovering. Finally, the third factor: America’s regulatory and trade policy. And while that might not sound as interesting to most people as bacteria and viruses, it might be the most important part of the story. FDA regulation of formula is so stringent that most of the stuff that comes out of Europe is illegal to buy here due to technicalities like labeling requirements. Nevertheless, one study found that many European formulas meet the FDA nutritional guidelines—and, in some ways, might even be better than American formula, because the European Union bans certain sugars, such as corn syrup, and requires formulas to have a higher share of lactose. Some parents who don’t care about the FDA’s imprimatur try to circumvent regulations by ordering formula from Europe through third-party vendors. But U.S. customs agents have been known to seize shipments at the border. U.S. policy also restricts the importation of formula that does meet FDA requirements. At high volumes, the tax on formula imports can exceed 17 percent. And under President Donald Trump, the U.S. entered into a new North American trade agreement that actively discourages formula imports from our largest trading partner, Canada. America’s formula policy warps the industry in one more way. The Department of Agriculture has a special group called WIC—short for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—that provides a variety of services to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their young children. It is also the largest purchaser of infant formula in the United States, awarding contracts to a small number of approved formula companies. As a result, the U.S. baby formula industry is minuscule, by design. A 2011 analysis by USDA reported that three companies accounted for practically all U.S. formula sales: Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Gerber. Look, it can be a real blessing to have baby formula for any number of legitimate reasons, but in general, there’s a God-given supply of baby formula ordinarily available through breast milk. Remember, we slaughter babies by the millions through abortion. This shouldn’t be a crisis. If women embraced motherhood, if men embraced fatherhood, if sex was reserved for the covenant of marriage, and if our culture celebrated the motherhood as the highest calling of a woman, sure it would be a blessing to have alternative nutrition in unusual circumstances, but if women were not so concerned about getting back to work, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Lies, Propaganda, Story Telling, and the Serrated Edge DNB: This year our national conference is in Knoxville, TN October 6th-8th. The theme of this year’s conference is Lies, Propaganda, Storytelling and the Serrated Edge. Satan is the father of lies, and the mother of those lies is a government who has rejected God. We have especially been lied to these last two years, and the COVIDpanic has been one of the central mechanisms that our government has used to lie to us and to grab more power. Because Christians have not been reading their bibles, we are susceptible to lies and weak in our ability to fight these lies. God has given us His word to fight Satan and his lies, and we need to recover all of God’s word, its serrated edge and all. Mark your calendars for October 6th-8th, as we fight, laugh and feast with fellowship, beer and Psalms, our amazing lineup of speakers, hanging with our awesome vendors, meeting new friends, and more. Early bird tickets will be available starting in the middle of March. Go to FLFNetwork.com and click on “Come to the Conference.” https://notthebee.com/article/a-federal-court-just-ruled-that-californias-under-21-prohibition-on-semiautomatic-firearms-is-unconstitutional-and-the-court-cited-the-revolutionary-war-as-precedent- California's ban on semiautomatic weapons sales to adults under 21 was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court on Wednesday... The court agreed in a 2-1 decision with the argument of the Firearms Policy Coalition, which brought the case challenging the law that took effect last July, saying it infringed on the Second Amendment rights of adults between the ages of 18 and 20… "America would not exist without the heroism of the young adults who fought and died in our Revolutionary Army," Judge Ryan Nelson wrote for the appeals court. “Today we reaffirm that our Constitution still protects the right that enabled their sacrifice: the right of young adults to keep and bear arms.” The Psalm of the Day: Psalm 72 https://open.spotify.com/track/3tJNqzPNBKzIag3yQnLqG0?si=6b841d37db2141ba 0:00-0:43 Amen! This is Toby Sumpter with CrossPolitic News. Remember you can always find the links to our news stories and these psalms at crosspolitic dot com – just click on the daily news brief and follow the links. Or find them on our App: just search “Fight Laugh Feast” in your favorite app store and never miss a show. If this content is helpful to you, would you please consider becoming a Fight Laugh Feast Club Member? We are building a cancel-proof Christian media platform, and we can’t do it without your help. Join today and get a $100 discount at the Fight Laugh Feast conference in Knoxville, TN Oct. 6-8, and have a great day.

Louisiana prolife bill, Rand Paul, Baby Formula, and guns …and more on today’s CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. My name is Toby Sumpter and today is Friday, May 6, 2022. We are just days away from the last stop of our CrossPolitic Liberty Tour in Phoenix, Arizona. I would love to meet you in person in Phoenix, on May 19th. I will be joined by Chocolate Knox, the Gabe Rench the Water Boy, Pastor Jeff Durbin of Apologia Church, and Political analyst Delano Squires, who’s made appearances on the Blaze, and the Tucker Carlson show. Tickets are only $20, and we’ll be talking about the Five Stones of True Liberty. Sign up now at crosspolitic.com/libertytour. https://www.dailywire.com/news/republican-led-louisiana-house-fails-to-pass-bill-abolishing-abortion Ben Zeisloft at the DailyWire reports: Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives failed to pass a bill that would have abolished abortion by applying homicide laws to women who procure the procedure. The Abolition of Abortion in Louisiana Act (HB813) — which has gained national and international media attention — recognizes “the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization by protecting them by the same laws protecting other human beings.” Accordingly, it applied state laws about homicide to children in the womb. Last week, lawmakers on the Louisiana House’s criminal justice committee approved the bill by a 7 to 2 vote. However, after legislators approved an amendment on Thursday stating that “the pregnant female shall not be held responsible for the criminal consequences” of seeking an abortion by a 65 to 26 vote, State Rep. Danny McCormick — the Republican who sponsored HB813 — asked to pull the bill from the House floor. Louisiana Right to Life announced its opposition to HB813 ahead of the House vote because it applied criminal penalties to mothers who procure abortion. Likewise, Governor John Bel Edwards (D-LA) — remarking that his “Catholic Christian faith” teaches him to be pro-life — followed suit in opposing the legislation. “I felt I had to join my voice to the chorus of pro-life organizations against HB813,” he said in a statement. Pro-life activist Abby Johnson recently condemned Louisiana Right to Life for opposing HB813. “Either the preborn are fully human or they aren’t,” she saidon Twitter. “When abortion is illegal, people must pay the penalty for killing their children. These children deserve justice.” Replying to Edwards’ opposition to the bill, Johnson said, “Well, well, well. Look how many pro-aborts you have made happy!!” Brian Gunter — the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Livingston, Louisiana, who was instrumental in organizing other Christians in the state to support the legislation — told The Daily Wire that Edwards “believes there are no circumstances under which a woman should be held accountable if she knowingly and intentionally kills her preborn child.” “HB813 protects a woman who is coerced into an abortion and prosecutes the person who forces her to have an abortion,” he said of the bill in its original form. “If Governor Edwards believes the preborn child is just as much a person as the born child, then it is absurd for him to suggest that the preborn child should be discriminated against and denied equal protection under law. No one should be allowed to murder preborn children without consequences.” Last week, Gunter remarked to The Daily Wire that Louisiana’s current pro-life trigger law — the “The Human Life Protection Act” — only penalizes abortionists with $1,000 fines, even though animal cruelty is fined at up to $25,000 in Louisiana. https://thehill.com/news/senate/3486654-rand-paul-objection-delays-40-billion-ukraine-aid-package/ Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) hit the brakes Thursday on bipartisan hopes that the Senate could quickly pass nearly $40 billion in Ukraine aid before leaving town for the week. Paul objected to a deal offered by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer(D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) that would have set up votes on Thursday afternoon on the funding and on an amendment from Paul, who wanted to include language in the bill to expand an Afghanistan inspector general role to include oversight of the Ukraine funds. Paul blocked the votes because he wants his language inserted into the text of the bill instead of having to take his chance with an amendment vote, which could be blocked. The stalemate will delay the Senate’s passage of the Ukraine package until at least next week, and potentially beyond. “There is now only one thing holding us back, the junior senator from Kentucky is preventing swift passage of Ukraine aid because he wants to add, at the last minute, his own changes directly into the bill … He is not even asking for an amendment. He is simply saying my way or the highway,” Schumer said. “Ukraine is not asking us to fight this war. They’re only asking for the resources they need to defend themselves against this deranged invasion, and they need help right now,” McConnell said. Paul, however, warned about the pace of spending, arguing that “we cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy.” “Americans are feeling the pain [from inflation] and Congress seems intent only on adding to that pain by shoveling more money out the door as fast as they can,” Paul said. Did you know that more than 75% of those raised in evangelical, Presbyterian, and Reformed churches don’t pursue any kind of Christian higher education? Surprising isn’t it. Cornerstone Work & Worldview Institute is seeking to provide a new, exciting, and affordable option for Christians. Their mission is to build Kingdom culture in the workplace by equipping their students in a Trinitarian worldview and vocational competencies. Their low-cost full-time program offers integrative course modules, internships, and mentoring so their students can finish debt-free with vocational preparation, a robust faith, and financial potential to build strong godly families and homes rooted in their communities and churches long-term. Visit their website at www.cornerstonework.org to find out more about enrolling. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/05/baby-formula-shortage-abbott-recall/629828/ Derek Thompson at The Atlantic: America’s baby-formula shortage has gone from curious inconvenience to full-blown national crisis. In many states, including Texas and Tennessee, more than half of formula is sold out in stores. Nationwide, 40 percent of formula is out of stock—a twentyfold increase since the first half of 2021. As parents have started to stockpile formula, retailers such as Walgreens, CVS, and Target have all moved to limit purchases. Three factors are driving the U.S. baby-formula shortage: bacteria, a virus, and a trade policy. First, the bacteria. After the recent deaths of at least two infants from a rare infection, the Food and Drug Administration investigated Abbott, a major producer of infant formula, and discovered traces of the pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii in a Michigan plant. As a result, the FDA recalled several brands of formula, and parents were advised to not buy or use some formula tied to the plant. That brings us to the second cause: the virus. The pandemic has snarled all sorts of supply chains, but I can’t think of a market it’s yanked around more than infant formula. “During the spring of 2020, formula sales rocketed upwards as people stockpiled formula just like they stockpiled toilet paper,” Lyman Stone, the director of research at the consulting firm Demographic Intelligence, told me. Then, as “families worked through their stockpiles, sales fell a lot. This oscillation made planning for production extremely difficult. It was complicated to get an idea of the actual market size.” Meanwhile, Stone’s research has found that an uptick in births in early 2022 has corresponded with a “very dramatic decline in rates of breastfeeding” among new mothers, which pushed up demand for formula once again. In brief: Demand for formula surged as parents hoarded in 2020; then demand fell, leading suppliers to cut back production through 2021; and now, with more new mothers demanding more formula in 2022, orders are surging faster than supply is recovering. Finally, the third factor: America’s regulatory and trade policy. And while that might not sound as interesting to most people as bacteria and viruses, it might be the most important part of the story. FDA regulation of formula is so stringent that most of the stuff that comes out of Europe is illegal to buy here due to technicalities like labeling requirements. Nevertheless, one study found that many European formulas meet the FDA nutritional guidelines—and, in some ways, might even be better than American formula, because the European Union bans certain sugars, such as corn syrup, and requires formulas to have a higher share of lactose. Some parents who don’t care about the FDA’s imprimatur try to circumvent regulations by ordering formula from Europe through third-party vendors. But U.S. customs agents have been known to seize shipments at the border. U.S. policy also restricts the importation of formula that does meet FDA requirements. At high volumes, the tax on formula imports can exceed 17 percent. And under President Donald Trump, the U.S. entered into a new North American trade agreement that actively discourages formula imports from our largest trading partner, Canada. America’s formula policy warps the industry in one more way. The Department of Agriculture has a special group called WIC—short for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children—that provides a variety of services to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their young children. It is also the largest purchaser of infant formula in the United States, awarding contracts to a small number of approved formula companies. As a result, the U.S. baby formula industry is minuscule, by design. A 2011 analysis by USDA reported that three companies accounted for practically all U.S. formula sales: Abbott, Mead Johnson, and Gerber. Look, it can be a real blessing to have baby formula for any number of legitimate reasons, but in general, there’s a God-given supply of baby formula ordinarily available through breast milk. Remember, we slaughter babies by the millions through abortion. This shouldn’t be a crisis. If women embraced motherhood, if men embraced fatherhood, if sex was reserved for the covenant of marriage, and if our culture celebrated the motherhood as the highest calling of a woman, sure it would be a blessing to have alternative nutrition in unusual circumstances, but if women were not so concerned about getting back to work, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Lies, Propaganda, Story Telling, and the Serrated Edge DNB: This year our national conference is in Knoxville, TN October 6th-8th. The theme of this year’s conference is Lies, Propaganda, Storytelling and the Serrated Edge. Satan is the father of lies, and the mother of those lies is a government who has rejected God. We have especially been lied to these last two years, and the COVIDpanic has been one of the central mechanisms that our government has used to lie to us and to grab more power. Because Christians have not been reading their bibles, we are susceptible to lies and weak in our ability to fight these lies. God has given us His word to fight Satan and his lies, and we need to recover all of God’s word, its serrated edge and all. Mark your calendars for October 6th-8th, as we fight, laugh and feast with fellowship, beer and Psalms, our amazing lineup of speakers, hanging with our awesome vendors, meeting new friends, and more. Early bird tickets will be available starting in the middle of March. Go to FLFNetwork.com and click on “Come to the Conference.” https://notthebee.com/article/a-federal-court-just-ruled-that-californias-under-21-prohibition-on-semiautomatic-firearms-is-unconstitutional-and-the-court-cited-the-revolutionary-war-as-precedent- California's ban on semiautomatic weapons sales to adults under 21 was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court on Wednesday... The court agreed in a 2-1 decision with the argument of the Firearms Policy Coalition, which brought the case challenging the law that took effect last July, saying it infringed on the Second Amendment rights of adults between the ages of 18 and 20… "America would not exist without the heroism of the young adults who fought and died in our Revolutionary Army," Judge Ryan Nelson wrote for the appeals court. “Today we reaffirm that our Constitution still protects the right that enabled their sacrifice: the right of young adults to keep and bear arms.” The Psalm of the Day: Psalm 72 https://open.spotify.com/track/3tJNqzPNBKzIag3yQnLqG0?si=6b841d37db2141ba 0:00-0:43 Amen! This is Toby Sumpter with CrossPolitic News. Remember you can always find the links to our news stories and these psalms at crosspolitic dot com – just click on the daily news brief and follow the links. Or find them on our App: just search “Fight Laugh Feast” in your favorite app store and never miss a show. If this content is helpful to you, would you please consider becoming a Fight Laugh Feast Club Member? We are building a cancel-proof Christian media platform, and we can’t do it without your help. Join today and get a $100 discount at the Fight Laugh Feast conference in Knoxville, TN Oct. 6-8, and have a great day.

The CPG Guys, Sri & PVSB, are joined in this episode by:Taj Peeran, VP of Digital, Commerce & Brand Engagement at ReckittRahul Kumar Singh: Co-Founder  at SigmoidThis episode is sponsored by Sigmoid.Follow Sigmoid online at: https://www.sigmoid.com/Follow Sigmoid on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sigmoid-analytics/Follow Sigmoid on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/sigmoidincFollow Rahul on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rksiit/Follow Reckitt Online at: http://reckitt.comFollow Reckitt on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reckitt/ Follow Taj on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tajpeeran/Taj and Rahul answer these questions:1) Rahul, what was your inspiration to start Sigmoid? Tell us about your data science practice and how have you been delivering impact for CPG customers?2) Taj you of course come from Mead Johnson and Reckitt. What is your role and what does a day in your life look like? Tell us how data and insights shape your marketing strategy?3) Rahul, Many CPG companies are recognizing that the digital world requires a new approach to marketing measurement. Tell our audience how Sigmoid's Multi-Touch  Attribution accelerator helps to optimize marketing spends and drive revenue?4) Taj, how are you leveraging Sigmoid in your everyday life? Do you connect their capabilities directly with ecommerce results? If so, how?5) Rahul - Connect AI to your solutions and how you extract value from AI which I believe is a buzzword in CPG? Taj - please chime in with how your role helps take Reckitt forward on this?6) Rahul - lets jump into 2 others areas - Personalized Recommendations & Customer Life-Time Value (CLTV). Take us through your offerings here.7) Rahul, why do you believe you are different from the many technology engineering analytics providers we talk to? What is your core value proposition and why should someone work with you?Please provide the CPG Guys feedback at http://ratethispodcast.com/cpgguysCPG Guys Website: http://CPGGuys.comDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from CPGGUYS, LLC or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by CPGGUYS, LLC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. The views expressed by the CPGGUYS, LLC do not represent the views of their employers or the entity they represent. CPGGUYS LLC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Stephen Reck and Jose Rojas roll in The Heart of Law to chat with Mirena Umizaj about one of the biggest, polemical cases sweeping the country. They are pioneers in the baby formula lawsuits: the Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) litigation against Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories. Currently hoping to build awareness and reverse the careless tradition of offering cow-based formula to premature infants in hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) across the U.S., the two attorneys partner with Scott D. Camassar and Paul Levin (along with firms around America), to protect preemies from mortifying disease and death. Stephen and Jose open the show by sharing their humble beginnings. Stephen reminisces about his genteel Italian grandmother, Rosa Maria Cornaglia, who raised him through high school; he fondly recalls an idyllic childhood full of incredible food, friendships, and love. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Stephen pursued a legal career and enjoyed the affluence it had to offer—for a short while. He left Wall Street and decided against the lifestyle of a well-paid defense attorney. He bravely took a sizable pay cut to live the simple life of a litigator who fought for the underdog. Stephen's plight for justice stemmed from Attorney Matthew Shafner's principled career influence. His late mentor—and legendary Legal Champion of the Working People—left an indelible imprint on his life. Stephen said, “[By helping people,] he turned my life around; although I was poor, [Matthew] taught me something very valuable … he changed my career.” Meanwhile, Jose fondly talks about how his parents fell in love and his dactylic childhood in Madrid, Spain. Raised with a strong sense of equity and fairness, Jose heads off to Boston for college. At 17, he began his life in America with a law degree firmly in mind, subsequently starting a bustling career in the Army JAG Corps. A few years later, he pivots to mass torts; after working for “big entities like the government or big corporations,” Jose discovered the deep satisfaction and joy in “representing people with real problems and having an opportunity to … effectuate change when helping people.”  No wonder these two lion-hearted attorneys cross paths and fight for the weakest of the weak. Stephen and Jose recount the first two heartbreaking cases—detailing NEC's effect on preemies' bodies. We understand why, one appalling account after another, the movement began. Stephen describes NEC's confounding injury spectrum: death, surgery, medical NEC. Next, Jose outlines the complex, multi-pronged dilemma the movement has to overcome: (1) the aggressive marketing campaigns for Similac and Enfamil, (2) the cutthroat lobbying to physicians and hospitals, (3) the enormous expense and rarity of donor milk, and (4) the “institutional laziness” within NICUs. Their plight appears insurmountable. But is it? As Jose affirms, “the solution is out there, but it's expensive, and it requires people to put their heads together and find a solution.” Let's tune in and consider how to help them in our small way. EPISODE SURVEY: [00:19:03:08 - 00:26:50:23] First NEC Case [00:28:15:08 - 00:35:47:03] Science & Temporal Causation [00:36:42:23 - 00:40:33:24] Prongs & Complexities of a Multifactorial Problem [00:40:35:00 - 00:45:36:06] NEC & its Evolution to Mass Tort  [00:53:19:00 - 00:56:48:07] Litigation Strategy & Two Tracts [00:56:50:07 - 01:00:58:00] The Extent of Infants' Injuries from NEC QUOTABLE QUOTES: Stephen M. Reck “Juries can appreciate sincerity and honesty when you're fighting for the right cause.” “[The parents] send us pictures of their children and the children are happy … Although they can't talk, they express themselves, and in many ways, it's truly a beautiful story.” “[Abbott and Meade] wanted to destroy us to end this whole litigation and that was their tactic. But it really made us stronger. I mean, they picked the wrong people to deal with.” I think together, the moms and the lawyers are going to change the practice of feeding preemies, and we are going to save lives. … I can't think of a more important case that I've ever read about anywhere in the history of the law.” Jose' Rojas “My passion is really not with representing big entities like the government or big corporations, but rather with representing people with real problems and having an opportunity to really solve those problems.” “One of the things that completely brings me passion in the field of mass torts is the ability to really effectuate change when you help people, it's satisfying. You're bringing a solution to people with real problems.” We're really hoping to make the planet safer for babies. And that's something that gets me up every morning. It drives me. It helps me work. It brings passion to the work that I do. And I really think I'm doing exactly what I should be doing right now. “There has to be an awareness, and when that awareness happens, then you'll see the solutions come very easily because the solutions are out there, and they're scientifically feasible.” “One of the things that has really amazed me about the mass tort industry, which I didn't expect, but I found, is the level of teamwork that occurs by law firms and lawyers in really trying to collaborate and cooperate to make sure we're all marching in the same direction.” “When you're touted as the guy who's going to do great things … you start to reflect a little bit and you're like, ‘have I done great things?' I think I'm doing great things right now. We know our cause is righteous and we will never stop fighting.”       ABOUT OUR GUESTS: Stephen M. Reck Partner and Co-Founder of Levin, Rojas, Camassar, and Reck, LLC Discovered the baby formula mass tort litigation that is now sweeping the country. Filed the first lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson, the manufacturers of Similac and Enfamil baby formula Member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association and the New London County Bar Association Featured as the “Top Lawyer of New England,” the “Super Lawyer” list,  and “Lawyers of Distinction” Jose' Rojas Handles cases involving personal injury, medical malpractice, and defective products Member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association Former Captain in the United States Army, JAG Corps, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale Hubbell Recognized in the  “Super Lawyers” list LINKS FROM THE SHOW: Visit Levin, Rojas, Camassar, & Reck, LLC, Stephen and Jose's firm Learn more about Stephen and Jose: Stephen's Bio and Jose's Bio Stephen's socials: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter Jose's website and LinkedIn Visit Mirena's chic website and  LinkedIn Shownotes and podcast production by Caryl Veloso

In this episode, we're talking with Travis Reedy, the President of Travis Inc. about how to maximize the technical side of live events. This conversation covers everything from how Technical Directors save events money, to what new and exciting technology is out there, to how events like the Grammys influence corporate live events. So hit the download button, screw your headphones on tight, and get ready to take notes.Travis Reedy provides a unique focus on organization, and attention to detail. This provides the foundation for the unparalleled success of his events. He has a true understanding of all technical aspects involved with a production, while his vision and quick thinking allow him to adapt to any situation during a live event; assuring a smooth and seamless program execution.Examples of recent events include: Astellas, Google, Verizon, T-Mobile, TD Ameritrade, Exxon, Mead Johnson, SCS Johnson, and Jansen. Top Tier Association work includes the American Psychiatric Association, National Council of State Boards of Nursing, American Neurological Association, Military Communications Association, MPI-CAC, and United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.CREDITSHosted and Written by Jeremy DobrishProduced by Bethany PotterTheme Music by Mike ManciniLogo design by Shraddha MaharjanSpecial thanks to Dossie McCraw WHERE TO FIND USProscenium WebsiteLinkedInInstagramTwitterFacebook

In this epic episode of HFFH podcast, Dr Jess Peatross and Jodie Meshuck interview family physician turned Gubernatorial candidate, Dr Scott Jensen. They dive into his stance on the Covid pandemic, kid's health, informed consent, and what true healthcare means to him.   Born and raised in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Dr. Scott Jensen graduated valedictorian of his 1973 high school class. He attended the University of Minnesota obtaining an undergraduate degree in physiology, magna cum laude, and then attended Luther Theological Seminary seeking answers to life‘s biggest questions. The seminary proved to be an ideal setting for profound decision making as he made two life-changing decisions: He asked his girlfriend to be his "forever valentine" - they have now been married 43 years. He decided to attend medical school and subsequently received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1981. He completed a family practice residency at Bethesda Hospital in Saint Paul Minnesota and was awarded the Mead Johnson outstanding resident award in 1982 – a coveted award granted annually to 15 family practice residents in the nation. In 2016, he was recognized by his peers and was named Family Physician of the Year by the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians. He also published his first book “Relationship Matters, The Foundation of Medical Care Is Fracturing”, which tells patient stories to emphasize the critical value of the patient-doctor relationship. The book expresses Dr. Jensen's strong belief in the absolute need for patients to be their own “champion” for their health care decisions.   The Covid pandemic has pushed Dr. Jensen into the international spotlight. He has appeared on top rated shows and often been a lone voice calling for the measurement of the impact of government imposed draconian measures versus the impact of the virus. Scott has been a voice for the voiceless - tirelessly demanding peer review and updating of government models as facts emerged, transparency in the completion of death certificates, and recognition and calls to balance and measure the effects of lockdowns and closures. Dr. Jensen's booming social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers have given hope to those seeking answers. When the mainstream media put the truth second to their biases, he provided answers and insights that spoke directly to the people. In retribution for his efforts to be a voice, the state of Minnesota sought retribution against him. In 2020, Dr. Jensen saw two complaints opened against him by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. The anonymous complaints were dismissed without any action being taken and in 2021 he returned to a post Senate life of treating his patients and seeking the truth. The path has now led him to enter the race to be the Governor of Minnesota. Here Scott will continue to tell the truth. He will not be intimidated, and he will fight "Cancel Culture". There will be no more reliance on faulty models, bad data, and decisions for our children and small businesses that are politically based. The unilateral power grab by Tim Walz has hurt people and not been based in science and the truth. Dr. Scott Jensen will change that.   To donate Health Freedom for Humanity please visit healthfreedomforhumanity.org/donate

Jesse Kauffman is the Vice President and Lead Consultant of Everyday Business Resilience Group, LLC. He has a successful 17-year career across a broad range of industries, bringing the expertise and skill needed to assist businesses. His experience includes: Developing highly effective global corporate business continuity processes and crisis management training for executive leadership teams and large-scale nutrition and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities with Mead Johnson Nutrition and AstraZeneca. Large-scale global project management for new product innovations, on schedule and on budget, for Mead Johnson Nutrition. $35 million capital process ownership and leading-edge innovative systems management development for Mead Johnson's North American manufacturing supply chain network. In this episode, Jesse shares his experiences to provide insights into business resilience and how to build it to grow and scale businesses. Insights he shares include: What is business resilience and why is it importantWhy do companies struggle to think about resilience beyond physical infrastructureIs business resilience just a cost or can it help scale businessesThe change that Jesse has encountered with business resilience since he began his journeyThe key drivers that motivate people to plan and evaluate their business resilienceThe dimensions of business resilience we need to considerKey elements to focus on to build and maintain resiliency in your businessHow best to measure and manage resilienceHow culture and leadership drive the resilience of an organizationThe systems approach and adaptability to building resilienceWhy worst-case scenario planning is unhelpful to building resilienceHow best to be resilient despite the increasing interdependence we have on other businesses and their systemsBusiness resilience successes and failures we can learn fromand much much more ...

About Mark Greenspan and Checkissuing.com: Mark Greenspan grew up in Phoenix, AZ, graduating with a Finance Degree from Arizona State University. After graduation he was the 6th employee at a credit card processing and hosting company which eventually grew to 500+ employees. He started in the Accounting Department for hosting, then moved to managing the accounting for both Hosting as well as the Credit Card side. He then expanded to the manage the Fraud side of the credit card business, establishing the fraud systems and controls for all credit card and ACH signups. Then they wanted him to create and manage a Policy Review department that reviewed all of the websites before they got approved, as well as periodically re-reviewing them. Then he moved into Business Development and started a hosting business for the company called Secured Servers, which eventually got merged into their Data Center Product, PhoenixNAP. After being there 13 years, and a VP for 7 of them, he left and started checkissuing.com. Checkissuing originally started as an idea in a restaurant in 2005 and then space in a basement in 2008. In 2010, they moved out of that basement into an office in Surprise, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. Then in 2012, the heat started getting to them and the company relocated to Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. After a while, the idea of constantly being in the cold weather got to them, and in early 2018, the company relocated into the technical community of Tempe, Arizona, another suburb of Phoenix, less than a mile from Arizona State University, where it resides to this day. The Staff at the Company have deep backgrounds in payments, engineering, development, security, compliance, finance, quality control, and technology. Combined with a resolute operational team, dedicated customer service staff, and a innovative development team, Checkissuing offers fresh solutions to systems and technology in order to provide state-of-the-art payment and statement solutions for their clients. Checkissuing is a 20+ person company and Corporations such as Lyft, Paypal, Honeywell, Airbnb, IPSY, Mead Johnson, Carvana, and hundreds of others have enjoyed working with their State-of-the-Art Systems and Technology. We take deep pride in our forward-thinking approach to creating an Amazing Payment Sending and Transfer Platform for our Clients, our Ultra-Strong approach to Security, the methodology behind our Smooth UX(User Experience) System, our Reliable and Always-There Customer Service Team, our Processes behind-the-scenes for Quality Control, and our Clients know we will do Anything to please them.

About Our Guest With over three decades of managing operations ‘in-the-trenches,' running a successful business, and speaking, Wayne's view of ‘operational excellence' is radically different. Wayne has learned ‘operational excellence' is not a destination, but an ongoing journey, in pursuit of a company's strategic objectives. Sometimes called, ‘The Doctor of Operations,' Wayne is known for his skill in diagnosing ailing operations, prescribing a course of action, and serving as mentor during implementation. Wayne's blend of real-world examples, a conversational approach, and transparency, connects Wayne with his clients and audiences in an authentic, engaging, and ‘truly unique' way. Wayne has managed an $18 million expense budget, a $5 million capital budget, and led over 100 employees as facility manager for the Mead Johnson Nutritional Division of Bristol Myers Squibb, in Evansville, Indiana. Wayne is the founder and current CEO of a 20+-year-old facility management company. Wayne's efforts at Mead Johnson resulted in an annual average reduction of 7% in the division's facility costs over a three-year period. When you get Wayne, you get a driven, focused, and results oriented individual as demonstrated by his personal achievement of losing 230 pounds in 11 months using ‘diet and exercise.' Connect with Wayne LinkedIn Website: http://growcompanyprofits.com Email: Wayne@GrowCompanyProfits.com Connect with Tiffany on Social Media Facebook: Money Talk With Tiff Twitter: @moneytalkwitht Instagram: @moneytalkwitht LinkedIn: Tiffany Grant YouTube: Money Talk With Tiff Channel Pinterest: Money Talk With Tiff

The great benefit of experience and the knowledge necessary to equip yourself with the capabilities of to be of service to others. For Jesse Kauffman the Vice President and Lead Consultant of Everyday Business Resilience Group, LLC he has s a successful 17-year career across a broad range of industries, bringing the expertise and skill needed to assist your business, including work in: Developing highly effective global corporate business continuity processes and crisis management training for executive leadership teams and large scale nutrition and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities with Mead Johnson Nutrition and AstraZeneca. · Large scale global project management for new product innovations, on schedule and on budget, for Mead Johnson Nutrition. · $35 million capital process ownership and leading edge innovative systems management development for Mead Johnson's North American manufacturing supply chain network. He Took some time out of his busy schedule to share his vast experience in the world of business. For more information: https://www.everydaybusinessresilience.com/ Facebook: @EveryDayBusinessResilience Twitter: @EBRG_Evansville LinkedIn: @Everyday Business Resilience Group, LLC

Surinder Kumar is currently Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at TruEats Modern Baking Company. Surinder has more than forty years of experience in senior management positions in Fortune 100 companies. He has been a global R&D and innovation leader at some of the finest consumer product and pharmaceutical companies in the world, including Quaker Oats, Mead Johnson, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, Warner Lambert, and Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company. He is an honored and distinguished member of Who's Who worldwide. He has been awarded 17 patents, published many scientific papers, and has served on several advisory boards. These include a Board of Trustees member, International Life Sciences Institute; Scientific Advisory Board Member at Penn State University, DePaul University, Rutgers University, and The Ohio State University. He has also worked as an adviser to the CEOs of many non-profit associations including IEEE and ISACA. Surinder received the Distinguished Alumni award from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, where he received his Ph.D. He has an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago. He has taught innovation and leadership courses at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University; University of Chicago, DePaul University, and the University of North Texas. He has authored several papers on innovation and leadership and a book on leadership, Riding the Blue Train: A Leadership Plan for Explosive Growth, which has been published in the USA, India, Turkey, and South Korea. His third book, "Everything You Need is Within You," is scheduled for release on April 6, 2021. He and his family reside in Flower Mound, Texas. “Unless you are really passionate about an idea don't even start a business. Starting a business to make money is not the best way to start. Passion alone is not sufficient either. So, you need to ask yourself what gives you the right to succeed in the marketplace? Does your product or service have a sustainable product or competitive advantage? Many entrepreneurs dream of success, they may even have a clear vision, they may be really passionate about their business, they may even have a plan in mind. Now however when you look at businesses and when you look at products the path to successful business is littered with good ideas and good intentions. I would say without hard disciplined work and executing that plan, and without resilience and persistence success is very tough to come by”…[Listen for More] Click Here for Show Notes To Listen or to Get the Show Notes go to https://wp.me/p6Tf4b-lJx

Fundadora de MemeFest, el primer festival internacional de cultura viral en México, ex Directora de PechaKucha CDMX y actual Directora de Women Index.Women Index es el primer índice digital que reúne a mujeres de todas las profesiones para visibilizar y promover su trabajo. https://www.womenindex.win/Arquitecta de formación, Tania trabajó por 10 años para algunas de las firmas de arquitectura más relevantes en México, Austria y Alemania. Su lado creativo la llevó a centrarse en el desarrollo de proyectos que combinan la cultura, la tecnología, el activismo y la estética. Hasta el momento, ha realizado más de 300 eventos con una asistencia aproximada de 63,000 personas y coacheado a más de 700 speakers nacionales e internacionales para ayudarles a dar visibilidad a sus proyectos. Ha colaborado en la creación de programas de formación, gestión de proyectos y estrategias de comunicación para empresas, startups y universidades como: ONU México, Grupo Modelo, Heinken, Mextrópli, Mead Johnson, Franklin Templeton, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Lilly, UNAM, La Salle, Autoridad del Espacio Público y la Asociación de Emprendedores de México ASEM.Support the show (http://www.queridaagenda.com)

Technology has revolutionized people's lives across the globe and Africa has been playing catch-up most of the time. For instance only 13.5% of the African population has Internet access. Our guest this week is Nitin Gajria, the Managing Director - Sub-Saharan Africa at Google. He has been at Google for 7 years. In his role, Nitin spends his time working out how the internet can be more helpful for Africa and how technology can be an enabler for amazing things. Prior to this role, Nitin led the YouTube business in India & South-East Asia, has led Google in Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos and has also worked across industries ranging from detergents and cosmetics to infant nutrition having spent time at Procter & Gamble and Mead Johnson. In this episode he discusses ways Africa can leapfrog and adopt technologies that will help its people. Which then begs the question, why is it that Africa's technological adoption differs from other parts of the world? Discover the three components hindering access to technology in the continent. As a bonus, find out the top 4 promising technological fields that have most potential in Africa and how you can get involved. Please tune in and listen.

Tommy is the Co-Founder of The RoundTrip Group (RTG), a marketing, advertising, media and sales consultancy firm based in the New York City area. RTG's goal is to help marketers better sell to their customers, agencies better sell to clients, and vendors better sell to agencies. By quickly and clearly identifying simple solutions to today's complex business challenges, RTG helps businesses in the industry "sell-in" and "sell-through" more effectively, thus driving profitability. Additionally, Tommy is also a Strategic Advisor to Glewed.TV, a privately-owned ad-support video on demand platform that is revolutionizing the streaming space. Prior to founding The RoundTrip Group, Tommy spent 24 years in the media industry driving business growth via communication solutions for some of the world’s most well-known brands.  Throughout his career, Tommy has been known as strategic, innovative, transformation expert who has a knack for quickly identifying and simplifying business challenges and coming up with innovative communications solutions that are laser focused on driving positive business outcomes for his clients. Tommy began his career in 1995 in the media department at the Grey Global Group (prior to acquisition of the group by WPP) in New York.  During his first 3 years at Grey, Tommy helped develop and modernize communications plans that propelled Procter & Gamble’s Pantene to the #1 hair care brand in the United States.  During his time with Grey he also managed the ConAgra portfolio of food products helping to successfully launch the well know Marie Callender’s frozen food line. In 1999, Tommy helped start up a youth and entertainment company, GWHIZ Entertainment, funded by Grey Global Group.  During his tenure there, he helped grow the agency from 1 client to over 15 in a 5-year span working with clients such as Dairy Queen, W Hotels, Topp’s Confection, D-Lish Fragrances, Konami Video Games and US Cellular.  He was part of a team that created the first in-game advertising experience in the industry via a partnership with Reebok and Konami and he also developed and executed the industry-first “wireless scavenger hunt” using SMS for US Cellular.  In 2004, Tommy was recruited by Publicis’s Starcom Mediavest Group to transform their unprofitable operation in Puerto Rico. As the VP, Managing Director of our Puerto Rico office, he helped to not only establish SMG as the first stand-alone media agency in the marketplace, but also helped transform the profitability of the operation by securing new business, diversifying their service offering and restructuring marketplace deals.  During his tenure, Tommy helped to elevate the talent and product across some of our most well-known global brands in the world including P&G, Kraft, Kellogg’s and Visa.  Under Tommy’s leadership the media team won a Cuspide, Puerto Rico’s most celebrated industry award. In 2007, Tommy relocated to Mexico to take on the challenge of recapturing the Coke business in their largest market in the world.  For three years Tommy transformed and led a team that won back the business in unprecedented fashion – in less than 3 years and without a pitch.  The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta cited this as a “first-ever” in their organization.  During his time running the Coca-Cola business he helped grow market share across the beverage portfolio to over 80% and more importantly grew Coca-Cola’s water brand, Ciel, and won the monthly share game against Danone’s long established Bonafont brand.  His team also won silver at the Circulo Oro Festival for Media Innovation for work done on behalf of Coca-Cola’s energy drink, Gladiator. During his last two years in Mexico, Tommy led business development discipline in LATAM for SMG as part of the Global Growth Team.  In 2010, he helped lead the Mexico office to an incredible 9 wins during that year picking up clients such as Banamex, Burger King, Subway, Expedia and Cadbury to name a few.  In 2011, he continued helping the region grow landing a big regional win in Mead Johnson and expanding the Subway business to include 6 additional markets.  Tommy was also instrumental in helping establish both a Content and Data & Analytics discipline within Latin America for SMG. In 2012, Tommy returned to the United States to run Mediavest’s business development practice.  During his time in this role, Mediavest experience unprecedented growth winning over $2.5B dollars in billings by winning clients such as Honda, Converse, Travelers, Brown Forman, Bloomin’ Brands, and Keurig Green Mountain.  In 2013, Mediavest won Adweek’s Agency of the Year as a result of its massive growth. In 2014, Tommy returned to the world of day-to-day business management where he oversaw the global businesses for Mondelez and Brown Forman and the domestic business for Sprint.  As an SVP, Global Managing Director, Tommy was responsible for the operations, talent and product for Mondelez across 40+ countries in the regions of North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.  For Brown Forman he oversaw the communications, which included both above the line media and below the line events.  Tommy led the Sprint business during a transformational time when they were looking to prepare themselves for a sale and/or merger, thus there was a massive focus on communications that could be measured and attributed to sales.  Sprint eventually merged with T-Mobile. In 2017, OMD tapped Tommy to take over and transform the Nissan business in North America.  He quickly shifted the team’s hub from Los Angeles to New York in order to have better connectivity with the clients.  Tommy helped assemble a new team of cross-athletes who were fluent in offline and online channel planning.  With this newly built team they transformed how they approached business, building a unique communications framework that was grounded in building brand over time and driving sales over night.  The use of 1st, 2nd and 3rd party data was essential in driving both targeting and messaging decisions.  Lastly, and most importantly, Tommy’s team regained the confidence of the Nissan clients so much so that Nissan renewed its contract with OMD for another three years. Tommy is originally from Charleston, SC and attended the University of Florida in Gainesville where he graduated with High Honors with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising.  He’s been married to his wife, Meredith, for over 15 years and they have a thirteen-year-old son, Gaven.  Tommy’s passions include scuba diving, traveling, music and gardening.  www.theroundtripgroup.com Full Transcript Below Roy (00:01): Hello, and welcome to another episode of senior living sales and marketing. I'm rolling. Uh, we are very fortunate enough today. We have an awesome guest, uh, Tommy Nolen. He is the seat, uh, the co founder and the chief marketing officer of the roundtrip group. They are a marketing advertising media and sales consultancy firm based out of New York city. So I'm not going to waste any more time. I want to get straight to Tommy. He's got a lot of great things to talk to us today about marketing, uh, to the, uh, senior, to the baby boomer population and some great advice on how we could put that to work, to help us in the senior living space. So, Tommy, I'm going to turn it over to you, if you would tell us just a little bit, you know, kind of about your background and how you got here and a little bit about what y'all do. Tommy (00:58): Great Roy, uh, well, uh, first off, thanks for having me on, I'm happy to be here this morning and, uh, hopefully, uh, in part, a little bit of wisdom and a little bit of what we've learned at the roundtrip group, uh, you know, in, in terms of, uh, marketing to seniors and really kind of the future generation of, of your customer base. Um, just to quick, quick bit on, on how I got here, you know, as you said, I'm the cofounder of a marketing consultancy and, you know, our focus is on helping people sell better. Uh, we say we like to help marketers better sell to their customers, agencies, better selves and their clients and, uh, vendors better sell to agencies. And, um, you know, we, we look at ourselves as a, as a collaborator, not a competitor, um, in the industry. Uh, and we started at about a year and a half ago. Tommy (01:53): Um, prior to that, uh, I spent about 25 years in the advertising business partner. Uh, Barbara Martinez spent about 30 years in the business. And, um, you know, uh, during that time I worked with some of the largest, uh, I would say most sophisticated marketers in the world. Um, people like Proctor and gamble, uh, Nissan Coca Cola, the up, you know, well known brands that you've, uh, you've heard of. Um, and, you know, I would say, uh, you know, each with a different approach to talking to consumers, but, um, uh, also allowing you to learn different things along the way. Um, you know, during my 25 years, uh, I worked in big agencies. I ran agencies, uh, ran business domestically, regionally, globally, uh, lived in Latin America for eight years. So, um, you know, my, my entire career, um, has been selling in, in some way shape or form, and the most effective way to do that is to really, uh, understand your customer. And, and, um, as you, we recently just finished a project where, uh, we had a lot of focus on kind of the baby boomers understanding them and, uh, and what that means for marketing. Roy (03:12): Yeah, no, I'm going to just give you some kudos. You're doing a good job. I drive a Nissan and I do drink a lot of Coke, so whatever, whatever you did to help them is work. And so, yeah, I'm not going to let you off the hook too. You know, we, uh, we had a talk last week a little bit, and so I'm still jealous. I talk every day about, um, you took, you had an opportunity to take a gap six months and, um, I guess this was when you were a little younger, but you were able to travel around, um, uh, what were you in Europe when you were traveling? Tommy (03:48): Uh, no, I actually, and you know, the, the ironic thing is my business partner at the time was my boss and she was the one that, uh, allowed me, uh, take a six month leave of absence. And I traveled, uh, across Asia, uh, Australia and, um, a couple of parts of Africa and, you know, uh, I always say to people, um, it was, uh, something that I'll never look back on and, or Brett, um, I, you know, never wanted to be somebody who said, I wish I would have, uh, and, you know, uh, while a lot of people, I think, uh, thought I may have been making a mistake in my career. Um, I think it was the exact opposite whenever I, uh, you know, had my resume out there and would talk to people. Uh, they actually didn't want to talk about my job experience. Tommy (04:38): I wanted to talk about my, my travel and, you know, their, their, their comment was always wish I had to get to that. Um, it was, uh, it was a great experience, um, enables you to understand, uh, that, you know, in the end, uh, consumers around the world or are a lot more similar, uh, than they are different. Um, and, uh, it was a, you know, a trip I'll never forget, uh, had some amazing experiences, uh, hiked, Kilimanjaro, um, you know, Trek, the great wall of China. Uh, I was a scuba diving and the great barrier reef. So, uh, it was a triple the lifetime. And, uh, one that I would recommend anyone who, uh, maybe has the opportunity to do it, take it. Roy (05:30): Yeah. I was going to say, we don't offer too much employment advice here, but if you're, if you're a younger person listening to this, if you have the opportunity, uh, fake it, you won't regret it. That's for sure. Well, let's get back to, um, you know, our consumer, our, I guess our approach in this industry has changed a lot from, you know, back in the day where people didn't really understand what senior living. So when they came in, we were able to explain it, basically, this is where you live, this is where you eat. And now we've kind of evolved into, you know, our consumers are very, very smart, do a lot of research and, um, you know, they know our product inside and out. So we kind of have to change our approach to start where they are. And, um, you know, instead of selling, uh, basically selling the structure, you know, to sell that dream. And so anyway, I wanted to talk to you about, uh, you were, your client was actually more of a, um, a medical, they had more of a medical model than what we do in senior living. But I think after we talked a lot of the lessons that y'all learned about the consumer for this, uh, really apply to the senior living space. Tommy (06:52): Yeah, that's right. We were, um, we're working, doing a little work, uh, on behalf of a healthcare provider, uh, in South Florida. And, you know, there, uh, I would say primarily a, a treatment facility, um, you know, really focused on accepting Medicare and Medicaid, um, and has built a great business, uh, you know, uh, amazing business. But I think, uh, one of the things that, you know, they're recognizing is that, uh, um, you know, the, the world is changing and, uh, you know, um, their core consumer today is really, what's known as the silent generation, that generation, uh, born between 1928 and 1945, but a generation that kinda drew grew up in, uh, the industrial age. Um, and what is happening is that they realized in the next 10 years, uh, you know, the silver tsunami, if you will, is going to be crashing down upon them, um, there will be a 40% increase in the number of people, uh, starting to, uh, age in if you will, to their services. Tommy (08:03): And these people are the baby boomers, uh, you know, generation that we've, we've heard about, uh, for, for decades. Um, you know, the size of them, uh, is, is enormous. And the reality is, is the baby boomers are completely different from the silent generation, right. Um, and, and, and that's a, that's a result of their life experiences. And, you know, what worked to attract, uh, you know, your current customer, if you will, the silent generation, I think this is very applicable to the senior living community, um, is not necessarily what's going to work to attract if you will, your future consumer, which is the baby boomer generation. Roy (08:47): Yeah. I think that was the most, um, poignant thing that you said in our previous conversation was that, you know, whatever we don't want to misquote you, you said it very good, but it was some basically is like, whatever we've done to get to this point, if we expect to get to 20 more years, we are going to have to change our focus and our, the way that we market to our consumers. Tommy (09:12): That's right. And, um, you know, I'll talk a little bit about just, just some of the experiences that shaped boomers, um, and, and, and again, how they're very different from the silent generation, right? If you think about silent generation, again, they kind of grew up in that industrial age. Um, and when we think about the baby boomers, right, they grew up in, in really, what's now known as the digital age. Um, and, you know, they are first and foremost, a generation of learners. Um, you know, according to a Pew research study in 2005, uh, the baby boomers are the most educated group to ever, um, move into retirement age. Um, you know, uh, a high school education was, was not, if you will, kind of the, the goal for the baby boomer generation, right. Uh, higher education became the norm, um, you know, going to college and, you know, always with the idea of being better than your parents. Tommy (10:14): And, and, uh, you know, again, the parents kind of got the high school education. Um, you know, they either worked in a factory, managed the factory, you know, they were in that industrial age and, and, you know, the world was baby boomers was, was quite different. And, you know, in addition to just going out and attaining, you know, college education, um, they didn't stop there. Uh, you know, uh, their careers started, uh, like I said, in the early days of the digital revolution and, and, you know, we're in multiple waves of that now. So continuing education was critical for them, um, you know, really to kind of keep up and, and, and keep up with where the world was moving. So, you know, that became kind of the secondary piece of their education, right? So it was first off, they go to college. Now they're doing continuing education courses, um, as part of their careers. Tommy (11:07): Um, and then, you know, if you look at, uh, you know, the, the learning, um, that they've embarked on in their life, it hasn't stopped. Uh, according to USA today in 2009, there were over 400,000 students above the age of 50 enrolled in community colleges. Right? So again, these are people taking courses for, um, you know, maybe a second career, uh, maybe just a topic that they're very interested in, but these, these, uh, these people who are coming into retirement age, um, they are highly educated. They are learners. Um, they thrive on, uh, you know, knowledge. Um, and I think that was the first that's first experience that, that you have to think about, um, that, that kind of shapes them. Uh, now a second, Roy (12:01): Sorry. I was just gonna say, before we move on that I, you know, I can identify with that because of, you know, I've been a lifelong learner. I was kind of slow to do my undergrad and did it at night for many years, and then graduate at night. But, um, you know, you, people don't think about the learning that we do on the job. Like when I first started working, I mean, you know, we basically had a big chief tablet and a number two pencil, and now we've got computers, we've got zoom and, uh, you know, teams and all this electronic, um, all these electronic tools at our disposal and also my partner, she is a writer. And so, you know, she's always in seminars and conferences to, uh, you know, keep up with what the latest trends are, you know, whether it's digital or print, whatever. So definitely can, uh, identify with that for sure. Tommy (12:59): Yeah. And that's a, that's a great, great point, Roy, and that leads me to my, my sort of second, um, experience, if you will, that shape boomers. And, you know, I think that, um, you know, unfortunately stereotypes are real right. And, uh, I think a lot of times people have a perception that, um, the older generation is not necessarily, um, open to change, uh, you know, and not necessarily media savvy. Um, and it couldn't be further from the truth. Right. Um, really, when you think about it, the baby boomers were the pioneers of media expansion. Um, you know, they were the drivers of, uh, cable TV, uh, the drivers of, you know, the internet mobile. Um, you know, if you think about it, two of the most well-known tech pioneers, um, you know, in the world, Steve jobs and bill Gates, they're boomers. Right. Um, and so one of the things that you see is that, you know, um, boomers are, are, have always embraced, learned, and incorporated, um, you know, kind of new technology and media into their life. Tommy (14:15): Um, it's really second nature to them. Um, if you think about, you know, in their very, very early, early years as a kid, you know, it was radio, right? And, and now you think to where we are now, um, the, the proliferation, um, and, and just quite frankly, the sophistication of media has changed tremendously. Um, and they've been along that journey the entire time. Um, and really, you know, they've used this media and this technology to actually create a life that, you know, is really works for them. And it's a life of personalization. Um, it's a life of convenience. Um, you know, if you look at, uh, you know, gate out there today around the baby boomer, boomer generation, 75% of these boomers use social networks to keep in touch with their friends and family, um, they're actually heavier users and spend more time on social networks than the younger generation do. Tommy (15:17): Um, it's, it's been a great tool for them, right? It's a, it's a way to keep up with family all across the country or across the world, friends, you know, from, you know, that you've reconnected with that, that were childhood friends all the way up to, you know, your, your friends that you made throughout your work life. So, um, and these guys aren't afraid to, to, um, use the tools, um, online they're online consumers, you know, 84% of them plan trips, 64% of them, you know, buy flights online, a heavy percentage, actually do grocery shopping. Um, and I think, you know, one of the things that's very interesting and, uh, I think it's something important to consider, particularly in the senior living world, they have the greatest adoptation of voice devices, things like an Amazon echo, um, more so than the younger generation as well. So, you know, media expansion and, and, and learning, and, you know, embracing new media and new technology is second nature to them. Roy (16:20): Yeah, not again, I can just speak from my personal experience that, you know, I'm kind of at the, uh, the last, uh, at the, I guess the last of the baby boomers and my mother happens to be kind of in that first class, you know, the first group of M and a, as she is on Facebook, you know, she has friends that they have kept up since high school. Some of her work friends that, you know, she was with 40, 50 years ago and they, um, you know, they chat weekly for sure. And then just, uh, you know, going through this pandemic, the, the next step for her is she's actually started ordering a lot more groceries online. So yeah, it's, it's amazing. I never would have thought she would do that, but she has adapted to it very well. They don't always know how to use it. And sometimes the, uh, remote and I have to go back over there and like, I can't get this DV thing to work with. They, they have such a complicated setup that, uh, you know, you have to have, uh, an associate degree in engineering just to get the TV and the cable thing to come along. Tommy (17:29): Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, it is, uh, you know, and even something like pandemic rice has kind of accelerated that, right. Um, with a lot of, uh, of the older folks, um, being very cautious about going out, Hey, they, you know, shopping online and, and getting your groceries delivered to you. Right. It's, um, it's, in some cases may have forced the behavior. Um, but, but again, I still think a high percentage of them were already doing it. Um, and, and the pandemic might've just, you know, put a few more of them over the edge, but, you know, they, they are, um, very, very comfortable with new media and technology. And I think that's a, that's a, uh, a perception or stereotype if you will, that, um, you know, that they're not, uh, sophisticated in that sense, that that's really important, particularly for, um, folks in your space to understand. Um, because I think the tendency is to want to use kind of the, the traditional channels and the traditional means to connect with them. Yeah. Roy (18:31): And I think it's also good to realize that they're savvy enough, that they're doing a lot of research online, you know, about the different community services and things like that. So it's kind of, double-edged, you know, we have to remember that to reach out to them, but we also have to remember that, that, you know, when they walk into one of our communities, that they are armed with a lot of information about not only our particular community, but the competitors in the area as well. Tommy (19:01): Absolutely. Absolutely. Um, and, and, you know, when I, uh, you know, I I'll say towards the end of our conversation, when I, I want to kind of lay out some of the, you know, tips, if you will, for, for the, the, the audience out there on how to, to think about leveraging this knowledge and their marketing. Um, that's certainly a place that we're going to go because, uh, research is key for them, again, goes back to being a lifelong learner. Right. Um, you know, I think another important, um, experience that, uh, the senior living, uh, marketing community needs to think about, and, and not only the market community, quite frankly, that the operational community of these senior living facilities is that, um, this is a generation that believes they will be middle-aged forever. Um, you know, uh, the silent generation, right. Uh, the, I'll say, you know, story of retirement was, you know, finish up your, your, your job. Tommy (20:05): That's been a hard job, right. You know, potentially again, and in, you know, manual labor, um, you know, finish that up and go sit on the front porch in a rocking chair, um, you know, at your, your home that you've lived in for 30 years and, and just, you know, spend the rest of your, your, your years sipping lemonade and, and, you know, watching the birds fly around. Right. Um, that's not the boomer generation of all that, that was kind of the ideal for the silent generation, but the boomer generation, you know, um, they, again, feel like they're going to be middle age. Uh, you know, when you think about it, it's the first generation that's really been to a degree, I'll say obsessed with health proactively, um, thinking about their health, uh, you know, they, they grew up in the age of, you know, chain fond that Richard Ronan, Olivia Newton, John, right. Tommy (20:59): Exercising, you know, exercising, uh, you know, not just, Oh, I'm, I'm walking somewhere, but like making a point of here's my exercise routine. Um, and you, you know, watching their diet, uh, you know, watching what they eat. Um, you know, if you look at the information out there today, 40% of maybe more members plan to work until they die, uh, you know, um, they're, uh, they're a group that oftentimes they retire and they're 66% more likely than the previous generation to retire and then decide this isn't for me and return to work. Um, and so, you know, I, I think when you think about, um, you know, who these people are, they're, they're active, they're proactive quite frankly. And, um, you know, for them, it is, you know, how do I, how do I, um, you know, stay, uh, and keep my lifestyle is as normal as possible. Um, and, uh, you know, being active is what makes them happy. Uh, you know, this isn't a generation that's ever kind of been lazy and sat around. So, um, I think it's very important when you think about the offerings and your, your, your facilities, that you have a lens of who these people are and what they're seeking. Um, and I think that's very important because, you know, if it's just a community where we're going to just sit around, it might not be for them. Right. Roy (22:39): Yeah. And I think that need to stay busy and, you know, feel useful. Everybody wants to feel useful. I think, you know, just kind of thinking, as you're talking that the silent generation, you know, they were good with that it's retirement setting in the chair. And, you know, they, most of them had had physical jobs that probably took a toll on their bodies too. So they were, you know, tired and worn out when it was time to retire. Whereas with this baby boomer generation, lot of us, you know, office jobs. And so I think it, um, we're not ready to sit in a rocking chair and just give it all up. I mean, we want to remain useful, remain relevant, even, you know, through the later years of our life. And so many people are, I mean, you know, my stepfather, he worked probably, I think until he was 85 years old and, you know, got up every day and did the same thing. He slowed down a lot after that. But, uh, up until that point, you know, you couldn't, you couldn't pry him away from you, what he was doing. Tommy (23:49): Yeah. It's, um, it's almost like a, you know, they had the reverse in terms of careers, you know, the silent generation was, as you said, labor hard work, uh, versus the boomer generation was kind of sedentary in the office, sitting behind a desk and, you know, they're looking for the exact opposite experience in retirement. Um, so yeah, it's a great, it's a great point. Uh, you know, but again, it's one of the things that, uh, you have to think about when you're attracting this future customer. Right, right. Um, you know, one other thing that I, I think is, you know, I know you're based in the, in the Dallas area in Texas. Um, and I think, you know, uh, uh, parallel, but I'll draw to, you know, the project that we're working on this, this, this client was based in South Florida. Uh, and I think one of the things that, um, you have in both of those, uh, areas or regions is a huge Hispanic population, which quite frankly, is a, uh, an extremely important, um, you know, group consumer group in America now, uh, they, they're about 20% of the population, I think, over 60 million. Tommy (25:10): And, uh, you know, I think there's some learning that, that we have to think about here as well. And one of those is that, you know, this is a, uh, when we think about boomer generation, right. Um, in terms of language, oftentimes, um, they are second or third generation now, the Hispanic consumers. Um, and I think early on in our marketing, we thought, well, if it's a Hispanic consumer, we must speak in language to them, but, uh, meaning in Spanish and our messaging needs to be in Spanish and all of that. Um, but I think one of the things is important to understand is the boomers, uh, the Hispanic population, um, within the boomer generation. A lot of these are second and third generation. I kind of say English is not a secondary language. It's just a second language and they use it. They're completely comfortable with it. Um, often times they've used it, uh, you know, throughout their working career. So I think it's just a very important, um, element to think about and marketing, because, you know, the message you deliver in the language that a true delivered in is very important. Um, and you can't ignore the Hispanic consumers, um, any longer, just the sheer size of them, uh, and, uh, you know, their, their growth in the United States. Uh, and I think they will be a future consumer, uh, in, in senior living facilities, uh, as well for a long time Roy (26:44): Rent. Yeah. I think especially the, you know, California and through the, the Southern Southwestern and Southern States for sure. Tommy (26:56): Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Um, Speaker 3 (26:59): So, so, you know, there's, yeah, Tommy (27:02): All these real, I'll say learnings and or experiences that we've been talking about. And, you know, what I kind of say to people is, you know, when you're marketing and you're targeting people, um, it's about understanding who they are. And oftentimes we get caught up in understanding who they are at a point in time. Um, but I think with this generation, it's kind of very important to understand, um, what made them, who they are at this point in time and it's those experiences. And I think we can look at how these past experiences have shaped them and anticipate kind of their future expectations in terms of meaningful engagement and marketing and what their expectation is. And I think that's kind of a really important thing for us to consider and, you know, really, I have five takeaways if you will, for, you know, marketers out there, um, thinking about the, the older community and things that they need to keep in mind when I'm there, they're trying to connect with them, they're trying to sell their products and services. Tommy (28:18): Okay. And, and I would say, number one, you have to embrace technology and digital, right. Um, don't, don't be scared of it. Don't get caught up in the, the stereotypes. Um, because, you know, as we discussed earlier, um, this generation, they're not afraid of, of, uh, technology, they've adapted to it their entire life, uh, and, and that's where they are. Um, and I know that, you know, oftentimes, you know, maybe we'll think about, well, you know, they prefer to talk to somebody that's not always the case. You know, maybe they want to inquire about information or set up an appointment, you know, via text or email versus calling a number. Right. And I think that's something important to think about. And when you're doing outreach, you know, it may not be necessarily, uh, a traditional way of doing it, whether it's, you know, direct mail, um, you know, or something like that, uh, or, or in, in print and in magazines, you might need to think about, you know, more digital, uh, communication with them. Tommy (29:26): So I think, you know, first and foremost, you need to embrace technology in your facilities. Um, but also in your communication, like I kinda was thinking the other day. Right. And, and again, one of the reasons that voice technology is so popular with this generation is you think about, uh, what you can do with voice, right. I don't have to pick up a newspaper or I don't have to, you know, kind of go on my phone and, you know, and, um, I hate to admit it, but my eyesight's going, it's much easier for me to ask, you know, Alexa, what's the weather, um, or you've gotten a lot of appointments set up, right. I can set up an, a reminder, uh, you know, right then and there. So, you know, it's interesting, you know, I think about a facility where, Hey, maybe every room has an Amazon echo in it. Tommy (30:18): Right. Keeping people on track appointments, social events, whatever. Um, but it's really easy. So I think in the end, you guys have to embrace technology and embrace digital when you're thinking about the senior living, uh, you know, community these days. For sure. Um, you know, the other thing that embracing on of digital does is it unlocks personalization. And one of the things that you start to learn when you're studying the baby boomers is that they often feel, um, I will sort of say left out by marketers. Um, you know, they don't feel like marketers cater to them. They don't feel like marketers are, um, delivering personalized messages to them. Um, and quite frankly, it's a little bit frustrating to them, right. Uh, and so they do like personalization. And the one thing that, you know, um, you know, digital does, is it unlocks personalization, right? Tommy (31:34): Um, you know, you may prefer a facility for one reason, or maybe investigating a facility for one reason, but somebody else may have a completely different reason for, or rationale for doing it. And, you know, there's a lot of data out there and it enables me to deliver a different message to try and attract one consumer to my facility versus somebody else. So I'm highlighting different features. So it's not a one size fits all message. So, you know, again, if you go back to starting to embrace digital and technology, it unlocked personalization, which is one more way that you connect with consumers and I'm sure you see it all the time. You know, if you're on a phone call with somebody you're trying to understand what their hook is or why they're interested in the facility, and then you go deeper on that. Roy (32:26): Right. Yeah. And I was just going to kind of extrapolate that to the digital that, you know, and I'm not an expert by any means, but I do know that, you know, we can tailor our messages to key words that are, or, you know, even with some online platforms, if you look up, uh, if you look up something, it will send you a related message based on, you know, kind of what you're interested in. I get those all the time. And so I, you know, like you said, if we're looking for security or maybe, you know, more help, whatever the consumer is looking for, we can tailor a message exactly to that. Tommy (33:07): Yeah. And, and the bottom line is everyone, not just boomers, everyone responds to a message that's relevant to them, right. Or is more likely to respond to a message that's relevant to them. I, you know, the, the easiest analogy, um, is, Hey, if I just had a car accident and my car has been totaled, that's what I'm paying a lot more attention to all the car ads that are out there. But if I just bought a new car, you know, and you're showing me car ads, I'm not paying attention to it. So, you know, having something that's relevant to somebody certainly, uh, makes them stand up, take notice. Um, and, and, uh, you know, and quite frankly want to research, which leads me to my next point or next really kind of key thing, which is give them information, do not hold back. Uh, I think that oftentimes, and, and I know this, you know, from my, my automotive experience, right. Tommy (34:06): You know, uh, dealers, you should just say, Hey, get them, get them to the, just figure out a way to get them to the lot and I'll take care of it. Right. And you know, what we had to kind of explain to them is, Hey, it's a different ball game now, guys, um, there's so much data and information out there by the time somebody gets to a lot, they already know what car they want. They know what price there is fair, and they're willing to pay for it. Um, and you know, they want the experience to be fast and simple, right? They're not there to get any more information from the dealer because all of that information is available out there, uh, you know, online and, you know, again, being a generation of learners, they're used to investigating learning, reading. Um, and so I think you have to think about that in your communication. Tommy (35:00): Um, and particularly on something like, uh, you know, your website, uh, you know, I actually believe that, you know, in this situation, and, and it's not often that I say this, you know, I'm usually, I usually subscribe to the less is more, but I think for something like this, providing them more information is better. Um, you know, and I kind of say to people, um, a lack of information in their mind would either equate to, you know, um, would either frustrate them or, uh, equal you're hiding something, some sort of mistrust. So put it all out there, make sure that your, your website and, and, and all of your, you know, communication about your facilities is very, very detailed. Give them the opportunity to go deep. Um, you know, I think that's so important for this generation. Uh, you know, don't, don't, don't just be surface level. Roy (35:58): Yeah. And that's important. I mean, even in my life, I will, uh, you know, when I'm making a decision and I'm doing my research, I may pick up on something, a feature service that one company has that I see on their website or in their ads that, um, the competitor didn't show. And then, you know, you'll get the phone call after the sale. And it's like, uh, you know, I bought with somebody else and they're like, Oh, well, could you tell me why? And when you explain it, then they say like, Oh, well, we do that too. And I'm like, well, but I didn't know that because all the research that I did, it never really came out and said it, but your competitor was very upfront about all the services that they had. Tommy (36:40): Yeah. And it doesn't mean, you know, you're going to have, you know, everybody's going to get the complete answer that they want, and they're not going to have questions. Right. But, you know, again, the reality is these are people that figured it out. Right. And they, they, they, they want to be, they want to have as much information as possible in making a decision. And quite frankly, they'd rather sit with the information, be able to digest it on their own terms at their own pace. Right. Versus having to call somebody, you know, you're getting it verbally, you know, versus I can see it. Right. It's okay. I can see it, I can make my notes. So, so, you know, I, I just think it's a really important thing to, to think about. Um, probably hasn't been a traditional practice. Um, but I think he got a, you gotta be willing to go really deep, um, uh, with the information you're providing them. Tommy (37:29): Right. Um, you know, I think one other thing that's really important for, um, facilities probably to think about as well. Um, and, and mind you, the research that we were doing was, was for, uh, you know, a treatment facility for, for lack of a better term. And I know that senior living facilities aren't necessarily the same, but I think that it's very important given that these guys believe they're going to be middle-aged for life. Right. And they're very proactive that, you know, these facilities think about, you know, uh, I, I would say both, I kind of say reactive care, getting, promoting reactive caregiving, but also, you know, proactive kind of activities that keep your residents happy, healthy, you know, and social, right. Again, just, just knowing how active these, these, these baby boomers and want to be and anticipate being, um, I think you have to, you know, when you're marketing yourself, you have to quite frankly, create an create and communicate a vibrant community, not a quiet sort of sedentary community, uh, for lack of a better term, because it is a completely different generation, right. They want to be active. They want to know all the things that there are to do. Um, socializing is very important to them. Uh, and so I think that's an important thing and may not be how, um, senior living facilities have always, you know, marketed themselves. Roy (39:18): Right. Yeah. That's, that's important to be sure and highlight, you know, a, a lot of these, you know, communities that I deal with, they have a lot of great stuff, a lot of activities, but sometimes in our messaging that becomes very secondary and a lot of the consumers, adult children, you know, they just don't realize how robust the, um, the life can be. If, if the resident she used to make ma chooses to make it that way. Tommy (39:49): Yeah. I mean, you know, I, uh, I have a 95 year old grandmother that's, um, in a, in a, in a facility and she's been there for years, but, you know, whenever I go visit or I talked to her, you know, she's always talking about, you know, the card games with her friends, you know, uh, you know, unfortunately right now, in, in, in the pandemic, you know, one of the biggest things she just is, is being able to go, uh, you know, to dinner with her friends, you know, because they're kind of serving them in their, in their apartments. But, um, you know, the social aspect is really important. Um, and I think that's what keeps, keeps them going and, and, you know, uh, it's what they seek out. And I don't think, as you say, it should be a secondary thought in, in your marketing. Um, I think you need to bring that to the forefront, uh, quite frankly. Um, so I think that's a really important thing for, um, you know, and a difference between, into the silent generation and the boomer generation. I mean, just think about the names, right? Silent generation, boomer generation, right. Silent, quiet. I just want to be quiet and, you know, boomers like I'm here. Notice me, so, you know, it's in the name. Roy (41:05): Yeah. That's a good analogy. I like that. Tommy (41:10): Um, you know, I think the other, the final piece right. Is, and again, it doesn't apply to all facilities, but just be mindful of language. Right. Mindful of, uh, you know, um, uh, I would say in your, um, in your collateral, in your, you know, channels, things like that, um, you know, do you need to have, uh, you know, language that, that caters to bilingual people, um, and, you know, you probably want to have, uh, Hispanic versions of that, if that is something that somebody prefers that language, but also I'll take it, you know, beyond just language, Spanish, English, something like that, but also the words that you use. Right. Um, you know, I'll say one of the things that we were, uh, you would often see, probably not as, as common in the senior living, but what we're seeing with this, this, uh, you know, kind of, uh, medical, um, facility, we were working with, everything was patient patient patient, and that has a very kind of negative connotation. Tommy (42:23): And we were like, you know, the, the, these people are members of your community, right? They're, they're not, everything is not doom. And gloom patients just has kind of the connotation of being sick and being reactive. Um, and so I think it's important that the, the language that you use, right. Um, know we always, you know, kind of have a thing in, in the marketing world, everything communicates right. And language is important and words matter. Um, so I think it really has to do go through your, your copy with a fine tooth comb. Um, you need to train your staff right on how to communicate, because let's face it. If, if somebody's coming to visit a facility to, to check it out, um, your staff, you know, who's taking them around, they're, they're the frontline of marketing for you, right. And the language that they use, um, the, the, the positivity, the energy, all of that stuff communicate. Tommy (43:23): Um, and, and I think that's very important sometimes it's, you know, uh, you know, overlooked, but, you know, I'll kinda kind of go to what I think is just a phenomenal story and marketing. Um, and, and the consistency that they've built, and it is company chick filet, right. You don't go to a chick filet without somebody saying, it's my pleasure. Right. They have trained their staff so well, right. To communicate, to have smile, you know, the positivity. Um, I think that's, you know, and, and I'm, and I'm shocked, right? That, that more companies don't focus on that because your frontline workers are really one of your biggest forms of marketing and communication. Roy (44:15): Yeah. And we do, uh, you know, we do miss the point on that a lot that, you know, I talked to him, you know, my customers, a lot about the receptionist being one of the most important contacts in this whole marketing process, because they're going to be the person that you talk to when you call to set up an appointment to go in, or they're going to be the first person that you see when you walk in. So really, um, letting you know, messaging to all the employees about how important it is to have that positive, upbeat, because I do a lot of mystery shopping, a lot of in person. And when you are touring a community, the energy and the, like you said, the positivity of the person that's taking you on this tour, it's very important. I mean, it can change the dynamics because I've been in the same community with somebody who wasn't as good and the community tended to be Bleaker. And, um, then with somebody who was really positive, upbeat, it just, it changes the whole dynamics of what, how you perceive things. Tommy (45:25): Yeah. And I think, you know, um, you're right. And I think the point here is everything communicates. Um, I used to have, uh, one of my old CEOs who said that constantly everything communicate. And I think oftentimes we think a marketing is, you know, the ad I put out right. Or, um, you know, my website, but it's so much more than that. Um, and all of the touch points that the consumer engages with, from, you know, a website, uh, uh, quite frankly, even a, uh, another resident, right. You know, word of mouth, you know, it's one of the most powerful, um, you know, forms of marketing, but everything that, uh, is a touch point with your, you know, facility is, is a point of marketing is a point of communication and, and has the opportunity to either, you know, have a customer think very positively about you and, and, and, and the, the messages you're trying to send, or it can be very negative. So I just think it's a huge thing that often just gets overlooked. And, uh, and I think when you're talking about senior living facilities, the people are so important. Um, the people are what bring me energy. Um, the people are what bring the positivity. Um, and, you know, I can't stress that enough. Right, Roy (46:58): Right now it's a very important part. Well, Tommy, I do appreciate you coming on and sharing this insight. Um, you know, about the marketing to the baby boomers, it's going to be important, you know, for us to stay on point and be sure that we change our messaging, you know, for this group versus the silent generation. So, uh, before I let you tell everybody how they can get ahold of you, if you don't mind it, is there a tool or kind of a, or something that you do every day that you just don't think you could do without? Tommy (47:36): Um, yeah. I, you know, this may not be the traditional answer, but, um, uh, music is extremely important in my life. Uh, it's, it's been something that since I was, uh, you know, a young teenager, um, I've always, I've always listened to music, loved music, uh, you know, explored different varieties of music. And, um, I don't know that I could live without Spotify. And so every morning when I, when I get set up in my office, the first thing that I do is, you know, I, I get my computer open. Um, I get Spotify on and I, you know, depending on if I'm, you know, trying to be focused on something, if I'm researching something, you know, the music that I put on my, my Barry, but, uh, you know, that's a, that's a critical app for my, uh, productivity, if you will, um, on a daily basis. Yeah. Roy (48:35): Oh, no, I agree. I could not live without my music every day. And it's something about it. Just even if you're a little bit sluggish, if you get some good music on a good song comes on and no matter the genre just seems to pick you up, lift your spirit positive outlook. So that is awesome. Well, uh, if you wouldn't mind just tell everybody, uh, first off, who is your customer, what you can do for them, and then also just a, you know, how they could reach out and get ahold of you. Tommy (49:06): Yeah. We work with, um, we work with a wide variety of, uh, I'll say customers, right. Um, and, and we are truly collaborators, not competitors in the industry, but, you know, we work with, with, uh, any type of marketer who's looking to sell better. Um, and you know, we do work all the way from, you know, branding work and helping them position themselves in the marketplace and finding kind of a white space to, um, Hey, you just need, you need help actually. Uh, where, where should I be placing this message, you know, given who my consumer is. And, and, you know, so, you know, we work with, we work with actually agencies. We work with media vendors. Um, we also work with clients direct. So, uh, you know, we have a broad customer base, um, in terms of, you know, where, where you can find us. Tommy (49:59): Um, you know, probably the easiest thing to do is go to our website, which is www.theroundtripgroup.com. And there, it talks about who we are talks about our services, um, is all the information on how to contact, you know, uh, all of us in the organization. And so, you know, I would encourage any of the listeners out there if, uh, you know, you to need, or you just want to have a conversation and see if, if we might be right for you and can help you, uh, go to the website and don't hesitate to reach out to any of them. Roy (50:36): All right. Well, again, I want to thank Tommy Nolen with the round trip group, be sure and reach out to him and, uh, you know, see how they can help you. Uh, you can also find us www.seniorlivingsalesandmarketing.com, also Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Uh, you can also reach out to me@royatseniorlivingsalesandmarketing.com. It's been a pleasure Tommy, and until next time everybody take care. Thanks a lot.    

Gail Golden is back on the podcast for part two of our conversation. In this episode we talk about her philosophy of curation over trying to juggle things until we find that elusive balance that everyone seems to always talk about. We also talk about perception, comparison, and finding happiness in the pursuit of our desired outcomes. Gail Golden, MBA, Ph.D., helps people hit peak performance and become better leaders by drawing on her unique cross-background perspective. As a licensed psychologist and an MBA-holding entrepreneur, Gail understands both the emotions and the economics successful C-suite executives must master.  Her unique approach combines sports-influenced tactics of performance coaching with psychology-trained skills of empathy to bring the best out of businesses, leaders, and employees. Gail specializes in helping companies and leaders handle rapid change, build high-performing talent, avoid burnout, plan for succession, and drive success. Current and former clients include Best Buy, BMO Harris Bank, The Chicago Architecture Center, Northern Trust, Mead Johnson, Table XI, Vi Living, and Weber Shandwick, among many others.   Gail’s book, Curating Your Life, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in April 2020.  The book is based on what she’s learned over more than two decades of helping leaders of all types maximize their achievements. Curating Your Life is full of advice on how to direct your energy toward identifying and accomplishing your most important goals. Gail has extensive experience as a public speaker and media commentator, and has taught courses at the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago. She has been quoted in Fast Company, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Today's Chicago Woman, Crain’s Chicago Business, The Chicago Tribune, and numerous other publications. To help businesses and leaders apply her insights, Gail has developed and led workshops in corporate settings on a variety of topics, including building a culture of innovation, becoming a powerful leader, and developing high performance teams. Gail is the Principal of Gail Golden Consulting, an international network of senior management psychologists and consultants.  She serves on the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago, has been elected to the International Women’s Forum, and coordinates the Chicago Coaching Roundtable, a local network of leading executive coaches. Connect with Gail at GailGoldenConsulting.com and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Gail Golden, MBA, Ph.D., helps people hit peak performance and become better leaders by drawing on her unique cross-background perspective. She joined me on the podcast to talk about her philosophy of curating our lives by putting our focus and attention on the things that we are innately good at while coming to grips with and accepting the areas where we might not inherently shine. As a licensed psychologist and an MBA-holding entrepreneur, Gail understands both the emotions and the economics successful C-suite executives must master. Her unique approach combines sports-influenced tactics of performance coaching with psychology-trained skills of empathy to bring the best out of businesses, leaders, and employees. Gail specializes in helping companies and leaders handle rapid change, build high-performing talent, avoid burnout, plan for succession, and drive success. Current and former clients include Best Buy, BMO Harris Bank, The Chicago Architecture Center, Northern Trust, Mead Johnson, Table XI, Vi Living, and Weber Shandwick, among many others.   Gail’s book, Curating Your Life, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in April 2020.  The book is based on what she’s learned over more than two decades of helping leaders of all types maximize their achievements. Curating Your Life is full of advice on how to direct your energy toward identifying and accomplishing your most important goals. Gail has extensive experience as a public speaker and media commentator, and has taught courses at the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago. She has been quoted in Fast Company, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Today's Chicago Woman, Crain’s Chicago Business, The Chicago Tribune, and numerous other publications. To help businesses and leaders apply her insights, Gail has developed and led workshops in corporate settings on a variety of topics, including building a culture of innovation, becoming a powerful leader, and developing high performance teams. Gail is the Principal of Gail Golden Consulting, an international network of senior management psychologists and consultants.  She serves on the Women’s Board of the University of Chicago, has been elected to the International Women’s Forum, and coordinates the Chicago Coaching Roundtable, a local network of leading executive coaches. Connect with Gail at GailGoldenConsulting.com and follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Meet Paul Butler. Paul is one of the world's most accomplished and in-demand leadership coaches/advisors and facilitators. With a client list that is a who's who, he can see how the world's most effective managers lead. He is known as one of those rare people with dual capability in organizational excellence and strategic decision making. He is also known for using his vast network to connect people who help each other make the world a better place. Chapters 00:00 Sabir Welcomes Paul Butler 12:58 Why It's Important to Define Success 15:34 Why Your Assumptions are Holding You Back 19:28 Change Your Assumptions Now 20:56 What You Can Learn from Keurig's Growth 22:46 It's All About Scope 29:07 Data is the Backbone of Business 27:33 What Does it Mean to be Number 1? 34:55 The Vital Few Rule 38:53 Working Collectively as a Business 41:30 The Biases That Could be Hurting Your Business 46:00 Paul Butler on “Hiring the Pizzaman” 47:20 The Questions You Need to Ask Yourself 51:40 Don't Let the Loudest Person in the Room Dictate Your Meetings 58:12 The Ultimate Growth Hack from Paul Butler After a successful career in senior management roles in sales/marketing and HR with Pfizer and Procter & Gamble (Gillette), where he led large organizations, he founded GlobalEdg, a firm dedicated to providing value to organizations. Working with organizations of all sizes from start-ups to large corporations, he has helped thousands of employees in more than 50 different organizations. There are over 3,000 alumni in his internationally known STAR (Strategic Thinking - Action - Results) program. Paul is the co-author of Think to Win, Unleashing the Power of Strategic Thinking as well as many articles on strategic leadership. He can also be found interviewing some of the world's most successful leaders on the Association of Talent Development Leadership Diary Podcast series. A sampling of clients includes Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Green Mountain-Keurig, Jamba Juice, Mead-Johnson, Staples, Cardinal Health, Metro AG, Hanes Europe, and Johnson and Johnson. Non-Profit work consists of The Sandy Hook Promise, CECP (the CEO Force for Good), and National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management. He is the founder of the Career Transition Ministry, a non-denomination group dedicated to helping people in their job search. Paul is also the founder of The HR Leadership Forum, Exclusively for Senior-Level HR Leaders who are professionally dedicated and committed to pushing the boundaries in HR Functional Excellence. He is a board member of Arts Escape and served as an officer of the Society for Sales and Marketing Training. In conjunction with his consulting business, he regularly participates in the public discussion via conferences and published articles. Paul is an “empty nester” and lives in Connecticut with his wife, Becky. He is an avid runner and a frustrated golfer. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sabir-semerkant/support

Listen NowProfessor Andrea Freeman's recently published, Skimmed: Breastfeeding, Race and Injustice, explains how and why Non-Hispanic Black women are significantly less likely to breastfeed their newborn than White, Non-Hispanics and Hispanics.  Black, Non Hispanics are, instead, significantly more likely to feed their newborns formula milk.  That formula, manufactured by Pet, Mead Johnson, Abbott Labs, Nestle and others and consisting of corn syrup and among other ingredients enzymatically dydrolyzed soy protein isolate (Freeman terms junk food for babies) does not compare to breast milk (that consists of living human cells, active hormones, antibodies and hundreds of other unique components ideal for infant health) helps explains why Black infant (and maternal) mortality remains twice that of White, Non-Hispanics.  Why Black women use formula, Professor Freeman explains, is due to a myriad of reasons that include targeted Black marketing, Professor Freeman details Pet's use of the Fultz quadruplets (born in North Carolina in 1946), federal policies that support and endorse formula use by Black women and a web of other laws, polices and practices that obstruct the ability of Black women to initiate or sustain breastfeeding. During this 30 minute interview, Professor Freeman discusses Dr. Fred Klenner's contract with Pet to market the Fultz children and numerous other variables that explain why Black women are less likely to breastfeed.  Among others, she discusses the effect 350 years of slavery has played, stereotypes of Black women, formula milk industry motivations, federal policies that reinforce/subsidize these motivations, limited legislative and regulatory oversight and limited efforts by the medical profession to contain or prohibit marketing formula milk and encourage breastfeeding.Andrea Freeman is an Associate Professor at the University of Hawaii's William Richardson School of Law.  She has also taught as a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, at the University of Denver Strum College of Law and has a Distinguished Scholar of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School. Before joining the faculty at the University of Hawaii, she taught at Santa Clara University School of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law, and California Western School of Law.  Professor Freeman is an active community member serving on the Litigation Committee of the ACLU Hawaii chapter.  She volunteers with the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, makes legal presentations to the Hawaii Judiciary History Center and Hawaii State Judiciary, and writes op eds on topics including Hawaiian sovereignty and race and health.  In 2015, Professor Freeman received the Community Faculty of the Year award from Richardson's Advocates for Public Interest Law.  Professor Freeman is the Chair of the AALS Section on Agriculture and Food Law and Treasurer of the AALS Section on Constitutional Law.  She is co-chair of the Law and Society Collaborative Research Network for Critical Race and the Law and a Founding Member of the Academy of Food Law and Policy.  After graduating from UC Berkeley School of Law, she clerked for Judge Jon O. Newman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and former chief Judge José A. Fusté of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico.  Prior to attending law school, she worked in Toronto as a counselor for women and children who experienced domestic violence and in New York as a production manager in the independent film industry.   Information on Skimmed is at: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=28151. The related CDC August 2019 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report noted during this interview is at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6834a3.htm.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.thehealthcarepolicypodcast.com

With International Women’s day coming up, we wanted to do a special edition of the Podcast. The role of women in business a topic that is becoming more and more a top priority for companies, but also one where there’s still a major ongoing debate and not necessarily a consensus yet. To discuss this, we’ve invited Anne Engerant, currently SVP of RB Health in Latin America. Anne joined RB in France, her home country, in 1997, after five years spent at P&G and a two-year sabbatical between her first two maternities during which she went back to university to and worked with NGOs taking care of homeless people and Aids affected persons. After the birth of her third daughter, in 2000 and another sabbatical spent at writing a novel, she moved in 2001 to UK to lead the European business for AirWick. She was promoted as Regional Marketing Director for South Asia in 2003, based in New Delhi (India). Here she turned India into a growth machine and … conceived her fourth daughter. After a seven month long maternity break in France, she moved back to UK in 2007 as Global Category Director Sustainability to shape, with a cross functional team, the RB Carbon 20 Program aiming at reducing RB´s carbon footprint. Sustainability is a family passion. Anne´s husband is a gardener from the Royal Horticulture Society of England and a Beekeeper from the Royal Beekeeping Society of Belgium. In 2008 Anne was promoted General Manager of Belgium where she spent two years before moving back to UK as Global Category Director for AirWick and then the RB sore throat business (Strepsils, Graneodin). She (finally?) moved to Mexico in 2014 to complete the integration of the BMS Health brands and factory and put the business to double digit growth. In 2018, she got promoted as SVP latam health and led the integration of Mead Johnson acquisition and the creation of the RB Health business unit across Latam. Main topics covered in the Podcast How women’s position in business has changed throughout the years How Anne and RB have encouraged the promotion of female talent The evolution of the topic in the next years Actions to be taken to promote gender diversity within an organization

James Biro is the Vice President of Supply Chain of Perfetti Van Melle North America and has worked with such brands as P&G, Kellogg’s, and Mead Johnson. James’s passion lies in change, or more specifically, change through growth, which he spearheads through creating a clear strategic intent and an inherent sense of trust, transparency, and empowerment. James and Mike talk about his career being a people leader rather than a business leader.

With over three decades of managing operations ‘in-the-trenches,’ running a successful business, and speaking, Wayne’s view of ‘operational excellence’ is radically different. Wayne has learned ‘operational excellence’ is not a destination, but an ongoing journey, in pursuit of a company’s strategic objectives. Sometimes called, ‘The Doctor of Operations,’ Wayne is known for his skill in diagnosing ailing operations, prescribing a course of action, and serving as mentor during implementation for one treatment option. Wayne’s blend of real world examples, a conversational approach, and transparency, connect with his audiences in an authentic, engaging, and ‘truly unique’ way. Wayne managed an $18 million expense budget and led over 100 employees as facility manager for the Mead Johnson Nutritional Division of Bristol Myers Squibb. Wayne is the founder and current CEO of a 20-year-old facility management company. Wayne’s efforts at Mead Johnson resulted in an almost 30% reduction in operating costs over a three-year period. When you get Wayne, you get a driven, focused, and results oriented individual as demonstrated by his personal achievement of losing 230 pounds in 11 months using ‘diet and exercise.’ All podcast links following my LIVE show can be found on my C-Suite Radio Network Host Page! Thank you for generously being one of nearly half a million Living Fearlessly Podcast Subscribers! Deeply grateful to each and every one of you! Uplifting you to fear less and to live more! #Grateful #Radio #Podcasts #CSuiteRadio #CTRN #HaltonHonda #Forever #LivingFearlessly Http://livingfearlesslywithlisa.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Euromonitor International recently published 2018 edition of health and wellness data inside of our Passport research database. In the health and wellness beverages market, major soft drinks companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Nestle and Danone continue to hold prominent positions. Water giants Nestle and Danone outpaced carbonates players Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Multinationals are chasing deals in the organic, naturally healthy and fortified and functional spaces. Danone’s WhiteWave acquisition allowed it to become the world’s number one organic player in 2017. Reckitt Benckiser’s merger with Mead Johnson Nutrition Company meant it became a prominent player among fortified and functional dairy companies. This may put pressure on Danone and Abbott Laboratories in the fortified and functional milk formula category thanks to Mead Johnson’s wide geographic footprint.

INGREDIENT OF THE DAY:  polylactose This episode explores the touchy subject of feeding babies human milk vs. infant formula, an ongoing controversial subject.  What’s the history behind infant formula?  Is it new or old?  What are the ingredients in infant formula?  Can they be harmful?  Should this highly processed food be fed to newborns?  These and other topics are explored in this show.     Show Notes: To Contact Show:  foodlabelsrevealed@gmail.com The podcast can be subscribed to at the iTunes store.  Search under Food Labels Revealed. References: Home Page for Mead Johnson’s Enfamil Products https://www.enfamil.com/ Center for Disease Control: Breastfeeding Rates Continue to Rise [website] http://tinyurl.com/y6upcxq4 National Institutes of Health: Human Milk Composition [website] http://tinyurl.com/y7n2f6n3 National Institutes of Health: A History of Infant Feeding [website] http://tinyurl.com/yb4fffvc DHA and ARA in Infant Formula From Food Standards Australia New Zealand, June 2003 Downloadable Word document Healthy Children.org: History of Infant Formula [website] http://tinyurl.com/y9evljub Domestic Geek Girl: A History of Baby Formula [website] http://tinyurl.com/ybwsgyno Dr. John McDougall:  Infant Formula [website] http://tinyurl.com/y7nljpv9 Parents Choice Formula:  What Should We Feed Baby [website] http://tinyurl.com/y7sqx4mg BBC.com:  Breastfeeding – Was There Ever a Golden Age? [website] http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-25629934 Music: Intro music is "Peter Gunn Theme" by Henri Mancini Outro music is "Comfortable Mystery 3" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod

The call, email or tip comes into your office; an employee reports suspicious activity somewhere across the globe. That activity might well turn into a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) issue for your company. As the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), it will be up to you to begin the process which will determine, in many instances, how the company will respond going forward. This month’s podcast series will provide to you all the steps you will need to consider going forward. This scenario was driven home in a FCPA enforcement action brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in July 2015 involving Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (Mead Johnson). In that case, the company performed two internal investigations into allegations that its Chinese business unit was engaged in conduct which violated the FCPA. Unfortunately the first investigation, performed in 2011 did not turn up any evidence of FCPA violations. It was not until 2013, when the SEC made an inquiry to the company that it performed an adequate internal investigation which uncovered FCPA violations.  Similarly, consider Zimmer Biomet, which (when it was only Biomet) resolved an FCPA violation in 2012 for nearly $23MM and entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA). Within the year, Biomet notified its Monitor that it has found evidence of additional FCPA violations, which in turn violated the terms and conditions of the DPA. However these additional violations by the company (now Zimmer Biomet) turned out to have been actions which occurred in 2010, well before the initial DPA but were not uncovered in the company’s worldwide investigation which led to the first settlement. Zimmer Biomet paid an additional $13MM for this oversight and extended out both the DPA and the Monitorship, all because the company had failed to fully investigate itself thoroughly. The 2012 FCPA Guidance states the following on investigations, “Moreover, once an allegation is made, companies should have in place an efficient, reliable, and properly funded process for investigating the allegation and documenting the company’s response, including any disciplinary or remediation measures taken.” That is simply it. This simple introduction was expanded upon in the Justice Department’s Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (Evaluation) released in February. Prong 7 in the makes the following inquiries: Effectiveness of the Reporting Mechanism – How has the company collected, analyzed, and used information from its reporting mechanisms? How has the company assessed the seriousness of the allegations it received? Has the compliance function had full access to reporting and investigative information?   Properly Scoped Investigation by Qualified Personnel – How has the company ensured that the investigations have been properly scoped, and were independent, objective, appropriately conducted, and properly documented?   Response to Investigations – Has the company’s investigation been used to identify root causes, system vulnerabilities, and accountability lapses, including among supervisory manager and senior executives? What has been the process for responding to investigative findings? How high up in the company do investigative findings go?   The Mead Johnson and Zimmer Biomet matters are but two examples which make clear the need to have robust, integrated investigations. Marc Bohn, writing in the FCPA Blog, said about the Mead Johnson matter, “Investigations that lack sufficient depth, resources, or forethought can pose significant risk because they increase the likelihood that something critical will be overlooked, potentially permitting misconduct to continue unabated.” Both Mead Johnson and Zimmer Biomet point to the critical nature of FCPA investigations and why the government takes this requirement so rigorously. But more than protecting a company from liability under the FCPA, in the internationalized world of global compliance investigations are becoming more important. Bio-Rad recently announced that its FCPA settlement was a “risk-factor” which required public disclosure under US securities law.  In the domestic arena, internal investigations can go a long way towards helping a company move past a public relations debacle or perhaps abate negative publicity. One need only consider the recently released internal investigation report commissioned by the Wells Fargo Board of Directors around the bank’s fraudulent accounts scandal. The report was merciless in its criticism of certain structural and cultural failures at the bank. It named names of culpable former senior executives at the company. However one thing it did not address were allegations from multiple whistleblowers who claimed to have reported the fraudulent conduct and were ignored or actively retaliated against. If the internal investigation turns out to have white washed these whistleblowers, the financial penalty and negative public reaction could be both swift and severe. Corrupt investigations are never a good thing for a company as they can disrupt business relationships and future opportunities. Yet today they are even more important. In the month of June I will be exploring how you can create, design and implement a robust investigation protocol for an internal investigation and when you should bring in outside counsel for an independent investigation. I will consider the Board of Director’s role in investigations and other corporate functions such as internal audit, IT and legal in any investigation. I will review special issues such as privilege, Upjohn and Miranda warnings and data privacy.  As Hallmark Seven of the Ten Elements of an Effective Compliance program states, in part, “An effective compliance program should include a mechanism for an organization’s employees and others to report suspected or actual misconduct or violations of the company’s policies on a confidential basis and without fear of retaliation” and Prong 7 of the Evaluation also deals with reporting; I will consider hotlines. Both their implementation and use in a best practices compliance program. I will feature several compliance practitioners, both lawyers and non-lawyers, who will relate how they developed their investigative strategies and navigated various stakeholders to obtain positive results for their clients.  Three Key Takeaways Failure to thoroughly and properly investigations allegations of corruption can be costly. The internationalization of global anti-corruption enforcement makes performing robust investigations even more important. Use the month of June to learn about key aspects of investigations and internal reporting mechanisms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reckitt Benckiser PLC is planning to sell its £2bn food division to help fund the takeover of Mead Johnson. Ben Harrington, Business Journalist and Editor at Betaville Blog says, “Kraft Heinz could be a bidder for the food division”. Kraft Heinz had dropped its bid for Unilever in February. Other key M&A news and Grapevine discussed in this segment are- LSE-Deutsche Boerse fall out What’s the motive behind Goldman’s 20%-25% stake in ITV? Imagination Technologies - Company is now 70% cheaper… may attract bids Rumor mill about Kering tie up and acquisition What to watch out for? - Madison Square Garden, Check out their website later in the week, says Harrington. #M&A, #UK, #US, #KraftHeinz, #ReckitBenckiser, #business, macro

With trade between China and the US worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year, companies in both countries have never had it so good. According to Forbes, the top five Chinese brands are Haier, CIMC, Tsingtao, Tongrenteng and Yanjing. Ok, now let's ask the American and Chinese public which companies from each country they're most aware of."Starbucks, Apple, KFC, McDonald's, Coca-Cola. My child's drinking milk is also an American brand, Mead Johnson.""Lenovo, you know, I mean looking at consumer electronics certainly.""One of the most impressive brands from China from my perspective as an American, is definitely Alibaba.""My favorite American brand is Google."While many American brands have permeated the Chinese market, Chinese brands are gradually becoming better known in the US.

To people who want to get a pitch meeting with television executives, but don't know where to start. Matt Herren gives sage advice in how to make initial contact and how to present your idea once you have your foot in the door… in this episode of The Doorpost Podcast Project!    BIO: Matt is a self-described change agent with 20+ years experience cultivating business development strategies & tactics for billion dollar corporations and startups. Specialized in the media sector, he has executed partnerships and digital initiatives with global content and technology leaders such as Amazon, Scripps Networks, NBC Universal, Discovery Communications, Hulu, Verizon, AOL, PBS, ION Media Networks, and Google.   Matt has developed numerous award-winning broadcast-TV series and acquired, distributed hundreds of hours of content throughout Europe, Middle East, Pan-Asia and Latin America markets (60+ countries worldwide). Currently operating under his consulting firm HerrenMedia LLC, Matt delivers disruptive sales, marketing & distribution strategies for broadcast/digital networks and emerging businesses & technology platforms. Recent projects include acquisition strategy and contract negotiation for new digital network in EMEA region; WPBT-Miami project development & strategy; PBS pledge program (Longevity Tai Chi) development & launch - co-produced with Detroit Public Television and distributed by American Public Television; and release of retail DVDs and on-demand videos through online partners and big-box retailers such as Costco, BestBuy, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.   With an extensive background in digital media since 2000, Matt has had the pleasure of collaborating with numerous distinguished academic, nonprofit & professional organizations and institutions, including The American Academy of Pediatrics, Harvard-MIT, National Dairy Council, The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, and the International Food & Information Council; as well as developed content and distribution campaigns with leading corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Mead Johnson, GE, Bristol Myers Squibb, United Health, Amazon, Best Buy, General Mills, McNeil Nutritionals, Quest Diagnostics, Purdue Pharma and McCormick & Company (among others). In 2002, Matt was instrumental in the commercial launch of GE/NBC's The Patient Channel, distributed via satellite into 2,600+ hospitals nationwide, and recently consulted with the network (now d/b/a The Wellness Network) on the launch of a new co-branded digital channel with The American Heart Association. From 2011-2013, Matt served as Vice President Business Development for Everwell TV—one of the nation's largest digital-out-of-home networks, reaching 18 million viewers—driving network advertising & sponsorship strategy and later advising the executive team and investors on the successful merger/acquisition with AccentHealth (the largest waiting-room television network reaching 30,000 physician offices with exclusive CNN programming). Previously, Matt spent 11 years as Vice President Business Development and Marketing for Information Television Network—a recognized leader in original TV production and distribution—driving overall revenue performance and strategic/tactical sales and marketing with an emphasis on business affairs, contract negotiation, global licensing & distribution, sponsorship/advertising sales, content & brand development and co-productions & partnerships.   Embracing a holistic approach to business with a focus on collaboration and developing strong partnerships, Matt consistently employs his hands-on expertise, creative thinking and big-picture vision to all of his endeavors. Matt has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida.