We recently received an email about the passing of a retired industry member, customer and friend. I thought about how building close business and personal relationships have been such a big part of the culture of the industries we serve. The email chains and phone calls that followed the news elicited stories from the past. Reminiscing about the good times, recalling the funny stories and the group lunches or other gatherings from which closing a sale or passing on information to help someone improve their business was always accomplished. The cliché “we are not in the meat, poultry, feed or egg business; we are in the people business” seemingly applies to our industries more than others.
The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) — sponsored by U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, American Feed Industry Association and North American Meat Institute — annually hosts the event in January that brings industry people to Atlanta. “IPPE connects the global animal food and protein communities with innovative technology, learning experiences and networking to improve their businesses” is the mission of IPPE. It is people — connecting communities around the globe within our industries that offers a showcase of products, services, technology, networking and educational opportunities — that have held this successful event together for many decades. We believe face-to-face interactions between people with common interests is important for the future success of our industries.