NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO MOVE UNDERVALUED BEEF CUTS

CHICAGO (October 22, 1998) - A beef checkoff-funded New Product Development Team has been named to create appealing new beef product concepts and work with beef manufacturers to custom develop exciting new products that are not only convenient, but will increase overall demand for beef.

The team includes leaders and successful visionaries in new product design, as well as people with extensive beef industry and food experience, and is being coordinated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). To effectively manage the program, the team is used on an "as-needed" basis.

"The group we’ve selected is made up of the best and brightest of people in new product development and beef improvement," said Lee Hall, a beef producer from Lexington, Ky., and chairman of the beef industry’s New Marketing Initiatives Committee. "They will have a major influence on the number of successful new products in the market today and the speed with which they are introduced to consumers."

Members of the team include:

• Eugene Gagliardi, Jr., Founder/CEO of Visionary Design, a new product development firm. New product successes include Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Popcorn Chickenâ and the revolutionary Steak-ummmâ .

• Elizabeth A. Timmons, Executive Vice President, Visionary Design. Has extensive background in new food concept development and foodservice management.

• Tim Straus, Turnover-Straus Group Inc. More than 20 years of experience developing and repositioning new products, as well as growing existing lines for top food manufacturers such as Tyson and Procter and Gamble.

• Alan S. Turover, Turover-Straus Group, Inc. Turover is a creative senior executive with 25 years of accomplishments in the food and beverage industries. He has held senior-level new product positions at Kraft General Foods and Nestle, among others.

• Larry Smith, Senior Chef, Turover-Straus Group, Inc. With 23 years of experience, Smith was formerly a senior Chef-Instructor at the highly regarded Culinary School of Kendall College in Evanston, Ill.

• Eduardo Orozco, Orozco and Associates. In the food industry for 18 years with extensive experience developing and designing meat products.

• Susan Lamb Parenti, Parenti Partners, Ltd. Former director of the NCBA Beef and Culinary Center. Is a noted food professional specializing in creative recipe development, testing and new product development.

• Antonio Mata Ph.D., Mata and Associates. With more than 18 years in the food industry, Mata has held various technical and managerial positions in meat production development, specifically food service and retail.

• Joseph A. DePippo, Holleran and Associates. Has held senior-level positions in marketing, sales, new product and market research, and general management with leading companies such as ConAgra and Perdue.

• Carl Blackwell, Executive Director, Product Development, NCBA. Blackwell’s food industry career includes experience in new product development, retail, food service and consumer marketing. He guided the recent rollout of 26 new beef and veal products with leading foodservice company Sysco.

The team is creating new products for both foodservice and retail applications that add value and increase sales of chuck, round and ground beef. NCBA has helped launch 31 new beef and veal products in the last six months, including rotisserie beef, veal bacon and breaded steak fingers.

According to Carl Blackwell, NCBA executive director of new product development, the team may have as many as 10 new projects being developed at various locations across the U.S. These products will help enhance the value of the entire beef carcass by focusing on underutilized beef cuts.

"We have an opportunity with this program to encourage product introductions and help those new products succeed," said Blackwell, who will head up the Team. "The team members are excited about the challenge, and with their wealth of beef and new product expertise at our fingertips, the potential is tremendous."

-- NCBA --

Coordination of the team is conducted by the NCBA, the marketing organization and trade association for America’s one million cattle ranchers and farmers. With offices in Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C., NCBA is a consumer-focused, producer-directed organization representing the largest segment of the nation’s food and fiber industry.