Dates: Saturday, April 2nd
Time: 12:00- 2:00 pm
Location: Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus. Ridge Road, Gibsonia, PA
Register: RSVP Here

Please join CRAFT's Food Innovation Lab from 12-2pm on Saturday, April 2nd at the Ester Barazzone Center on Chatham University's Eden Hall Campus for a business networking event.

Meet and network with other business owners and valuable resource providers. This event will event will also showcase the winners of the Business Pitch Competition culminating earlier in the day.

REGISTRATION
RSVP for the networking event, here.

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
n.spudic@chatham.edu

Dates: January 19th, 2022
Time: 5:30pm- 8:30pm
Location: Zoom, online
Register: Click here to register

This 3-hour bootcamp introduces skills & specific steps to build a business plan for the food industry.

A solid business plan is a foundational piece to a successful business, regardless of where you are in the business lifecycle. If you are seeking to rebuild & reboot your business from the economic impact of COVID-19 or seeking to navigate the new economy as a startup, a business plan is a tool you’ll want in your toolbox. Building a plan identifies specific action steps to move a business forward, creates short-and long-term strategies, and may uncover gaps that should be bridged to reach your business objectives.

In this bootcamp, the content is delivered in bite-sized pieces to introduce the major components for writing a business plan through an interactive approach and live Q&A. Best practices for business planning include identifying the right content, research, and presentation format. We will introduce techniques for addressing and planning specific elements in a business plan related to food business operations and how to incorporate relevant topics such as food production, food packaging, food safety, and customer and vendor management into a comprehensive business plan.

We will demonstrate how to build a business plan using the specialized software, LivePlan, and participants receive a 30-day license to access to the software. Plans may be downloaded upon completion. LivePlan software provides an online template for entrepreneurs to input their plan content in a format that meets the scrutiny for the loan application process by including the required sections for SBA loans.

Most importantly, you will have completed the first and most difficult step on the path to small business success. Don’t miss this opportunity to finally create your business plan. Committing your idea to paper in the form of a business plan may increase your chances of obtaining financing and keep your efforts on track and on budget for 2021 & beyond!

Join Debbie Magyar, CEO, Launch and Balance Consulting, LLC, to learn how to design a business plan to build capability, productivity, and performance at all stages in the business lifecycle.

REGISTRATION
Fee: Free!

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Mitra Saeidi
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

Date: January 13th, 2022
Time: 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Location: Fulton Commons Shared Workspace, Pittsburgh’s North Side
Apply: Click here to apply
More information: Click here for more information

When social media is the dominant form of communication, all businesses must have the best images to showcase their products attractively. Let the Center for Regional, Agriculture, Food, and Transformation (CRAFT) and the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship (CWE) help you with this critical business asset. On January 13, 2022, Skysight Photography, in collaboration with CRAFT & CWE, will offer a day of headshots, explainer videos, and food photography to ensure that your food business is ready for the new year. If you’re a food or agriculture business of any type (restaurant, bar, farm, food truck, meal service, food product business), this event is for you.

Applications will close on December 3, 2021.
Successful Applicants will be notified by December 15, 2021.

On the application, you will be asked to select the type of service (headshot, video, or food photography) a time slot for January 13, 2022, and information about your food business. After application review and time slot allocation, CWE & CRAFT will contact you to confirm the timing and secure a deposit for your slot. Deposits will be refunded after the appointment has occurred.

There is NO COST to receiving these services, a refundable deposit of $100 is required to reserve your appointment.

After the event, businesses will receive edited digital files that can be used without restriction. Business owners will own their media, meaning it can be printed or used digitally for any purpose.

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
N.spudic@chatham.edu

DATE: OCTOBER 27TH, 2021
TIME: 2:00 PM- 3:00 PM
LOCATION: ONLINE, ZOOM
REGISTER: CLICK HERE!

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Martina Di Folco for this informative and useful webinar.

Storytelling is a content marketing strategy focused on ways to share the story of a business, their products, and services. Storytelling is an incredible post-COVID-19 marketing strategy as it’s an informative but personal way to let consumers understand why your business is worth their interest. By attending the webinar, business owners will learn a set of actionable strategies on how to use storytelling in their digital marketing to increase customer engagement and loyalty, attract new customers and gain a competitive advantage.

Through a series of real-world examples of successful small food business experiences, you will learn about the science of storytelling and how it impacts on people’s behavior, the benefits of using storytelling within the food business environment, and how to craft an authentic story for your restaurant, food product, or agriculture business.

Presenter: Martina DiFolco, Food Innovation Lab Coordinator | CRAFT

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

Registration and Directions

Fee : Free
Location : Online - Zoom

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
n.spudic@chatham.edu

Date: October 12th, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM- 2:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to register

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Calla-Marie Norman for this informative and useful webinar.

Have you run into problems figuring out how to raise capital for your small business? Many entrepreneurs in the food and beverage industry are having issues getting loans from banks and are turning to alternative sources of funding, like crowdfunding.
This webinar will provide an overview of the three major kinds of crowdfunding for small businesses: gift/reward, equity, and loan crowdfunding and offer insight into the advantages and disadvantages of each. It will also provide some tips on how to make the most of your crowdfunding campaign.

Presenter: Calla-Marie Norman, Graduate Student Consultant | CRAFT

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

Registration and Directions

Fee : Free
Location : Online - Zoom

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
n.spudic@chatham.edu

Dates: September 13th, 2021
Time: 5:00pm- 7:00pm
Location: Oasis Community Kitchen - 717 N Homewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
Register: Click here to register

We’ve all learned virtually with each other over the past year; now it’s time to meet up in person to network and share!
Join Chatham's Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE) and the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT)f or a food industry Open House at Oasis Community Kitchen on September 13th from 5-7PM. Learn about upcoming training seminars within the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry program, get a tour of Oasis Community Kitchen, network with food industry professionals, connect with other entrepreneurs, enjoy snacks from local food businesses, and more.

To register for the Open House, CLICK HERE!

Registration and Directions

Fee: Free
Location: Oasis Community Kitchen - 717 N Homewood Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Mitra Saeidi
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

This webinar is part of a series of educational webinars for Grains Professionals. Register for all of the sessions below:

• July 12th, 2021, 12PM EST - Branding Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 13th, 2021 12PM EST - Marketing Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 19th, 2021 12PM EST - Brewing Local with John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing

• July 26th, 2021 12PM EST - Know Your Malt with CNC Malt

• August 2nd, 2021 12PM EST - Recipe Development with Local Grains with Erika Bruce of Le Beau Gateau

DESCRIPTION

Join Le Beau Gateau Owner and Head Baker Erika Bruce for a conversation on how to develop recipes with regionally sourced grains and flours! Erika will share her process in recipe development, some of her favorite recipes that use local grains and will explain how and where to source ingredients locally. She will walk you through how she transitions a recipe that uses industrial flours into one that uses regionally sourced flours, and how to keep products consistent and flavorful. Each grain has different nuances in flavor, texture, and consistency, and Erika will answer questions about how to choose between the regionally sourced options for the best result.

This webinar will start with a recipe development demonstration then move to a conversation style with one moderator asking questions, and there will be time for the audience to ask questions at the end of the hour. It is free to register and will be recorded for future use.

Erika Bruce

After working for years as a pastry chef in both bakeries and restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and Boston, Erika embarked on a 20-year career developing recipes, writing about the process, and appearing as a regular cast member on cooking shows. Most of her work can be found in Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and Milk Street Magazines, and she can been seen on episodes ofAmerica’s Test Kitchen and Milk Street TV. She also worked as a food stylist before launching her wedding cake business, Le Beau Gateau. After relocating to Pittsburgh and raising her two young children, she’s ready to re-launch her baking business, this time with a focus on sustainability and community outreach. Her most recent stint preparing meals for 412 Food Rescue’s Good Food Project has been an important reminder of the power of food to do good.

DATES: JULY 27TH
SPEAKERS: Lexy Baird, Peter Zimmer and Lindsay Anne Herring. Moderated by Ani Steele, MAFS
TIME: 12:00 PM- 1:00 PM
LOCATION: ONLINE, ZOOM
REGISTER: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The Food Lover’s Elective: A CRAFT Conversation Series is back every Tuesday in July as graduate students and community experts converse about topics related to food and everyday life.

This Week’s Episode:

Last but not least, this episode focuses on the student moderators, their experience and their preparation for their episodes. Questions around what drew them to their particular topics, new learnings and challenges will be had in this interactive final episode. Each student will also have a dish or drink that symbolizes their episode so don’t miss out!

This webinar is part of a series of educational webinars for Grains Professionals. Register for all of the sessions below:

• July 12th, 2021, 12PM EST - Branding Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 13th, 2021 12PM EST - Marketing Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 19th, 2021 12PM EST - Brewing Local with John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing

• July 26th, 2021 12PM EST - Know Your Malt with CNC Malt

• August 2nd, 2021 12PM EST - Recipe Development with Local Grains with Erika Bruce of Le Beau Gateau

DESCRIPTION

Join us alongside local maltsters Brendan and Oana Carroll from CNC Malting Company for a virtual workshop explaining malt for professionals! There will be video footage of their facility, a show of different malts and their uses, how to determine if you have a quality malt and other ways that malting can be used. Learn about the ways that malt is not just used for brewing, but also distilling and baking. After a 45 minute in depth explanation of malt, a 15-minute Q&A session with the Carrolls will top off the hour workshop. It is free to register and will be recorded for future use.

DATES: July 20th
SPEAKERS: Lindsay Anne Herring, MAFS student & Kate Eminger, Creative Director of SPACE on Ryder Farms
TIME: 2:00 PM- 3:00 PM
LOCATION: ONLINE, ZOOM
REGISTER: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The Food Lover’s Elective: A CRAFT Conversation Series is back every Tuesday in July as graduate students and community experts converse about topics related to food and everyday life.

This Week’s Episode:

Art has the ability to shed light on the delicate balance between pleasure and peril found in food today, and the ways food gives expression to social and political life. Food, social practice, and their intersection have played an increasing role in artistic production over the past decades. Previous art projects have had the ability to have us think differently about food in creative and engaging ways. Food and activism are not mutually exclusive, nor are art and food. Making food is an art in itself, and making food an art subject can be provocative. Through this conversion, we explore how such projects foster a conversation around food justice and community through art.

This webinar is part of a series of educational webinars for Grains Professionals. Register for all of the sessions below:

• July 12th, 2021, 12PM EST - Branding Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 13th, 2021 12PM EST - Marketing Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 19th, 2021 12PM EST - Brewing Local with John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing

• July 26th, 2021 12PM EST - Know Your Malt with CNC Malt

• August 2nd, 2021 12PM EST - Recipe Development with Local Grains with Erika Bruce of Le Beau Gateau

DESCRIPTION

Join John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing to learn about brewing with regionally sourced grain and Malt. John will discuss the challenges, the benefits, and his general experience using regionally sourced raw materials in their beer. If you’re interested in making the switch to regionally sourced materials or are interested in expanding your sourcing for your brewery or distillery, this webinar is for you. There will be a Q&A session at the end where audience members will be able to ask John questions directly. It is free to register and the webinar will be recorded for future use.

John Trogner

Co-Founder and Brewmaster, Tröegs Independent Brewing

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1996 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs Independent Brewing is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity. From the beginning, Tröegs has been built by family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer.

“We’re not an English ale brewery,” says co-founder John Trogner. “And we’re not a German lager brewery. We take bits and pieces from each one of those traditions and try to come up with what we think is a very creative and great-tasting beer.” Tröegs is widely known for award-winning beers like Perpetual IPA, Troegenator, Nugget Nectar and Mad Elf, as well as its experimental Scratch Series, wood-aged Splinter Series and Hop Cycle Seasonals. Tröegs started working in earnest with local ingredients back in 2002 with the debut of holiday favorite Mad Elf. 

Today, the brewery buys about 25,000 pounds of local honey and 100,000 pounds of Pennsylvania-grown barley every year. Tröegs also sources local produce including pumpkins, cherries, peaches, nectarines and strawberries from the fertile Fruit Belt of Pennsylvania. Through rotating seasonal menus, Tröegs Scratch Kitchen is a showcase for new tastes and flavors, and its Guided Production Tour was named best brewery tour in America by readers of USA Today.

DATE: JULY 13th
SPEAKERS: Peter Zimmer & Dylanna Grassinger of the The U.S. Committee for Immigrants and Refugees
TIME: 2:00 PM- 3:00 PM
LOCATION: ONLINE, ZOOM
REGISTER: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Peter Zimmer and Dylanna Grassinger, Director of the United States Committee for Immigrants and Refugees in Erie, Pennsylvania will sit down to talk about the importance and prevalence of food culture within resettled populations in Erie. They will discuss some of the opportunities and barriers for resettled populations and their food enterprise goals and how policy and community investment programs from the USCIR can be an ally to this community. Join us on July 13 at 2pmEST for this conversation to highlight the contributions of this vibrant community to our regional food systems.

This webinar is part of a series of educational webinars for Grains Professionals. Register for all of the sessions below:

• July 12th, 2021, 12PM EST - Branding Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 13th, 2021 12PM EST - Marketing Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 19th, 2021 12PM EST - Brewing Local with John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing

• July 26th, 2021 12PM EST - Know Your Malt with CNC Malt

• August 2nd, 2021 12PM EST - Recipe Development with Local Grains with Erika Bruce of Le Beau Gateau

DESCRIPTION

Join Rachel Graper, a brand marketing professional, to learn about marketing your local grains products successfully. Rachel will have a conversation with our moderator about what it means to successfully market local products, specifically local grains, and how a strong marketing plan can make all the difference when selling your local product. This webinar will be a conversation with time at the end for an audience Q&A session. This webinar is part 2 in a Branding and Marketing discussion with Rachel. It is free to register and will be recorded for future use. 

Rachel Graper

Rachel Graper is a brand marketer who specializes in building compelling narratives and marketing strategies. Over the past 15 years, she has worked in a variety of marketing roles from corporate (Heinz, GNC) to entrepreneurial endeavors, including Ideal Grain Free Granola. She partners with businesses and entrepreneurs to craft their unique brand positioning statements and select communication tactics which support their story. She earned an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and a B.S. in Hospitality Management at NYU.

This webinar is part of a series of educational webinars for Grains Professionals. Register for all of the sessions below:

• July 12th, 2021, 12PM EST - Branding Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 13th, 2021 12PM EST - Marketing Local Grains with Rachel Graper

• July 19th, 2021 12PM EST - Brewing Local with John Trogner of Tröegs Independent Brewing

• July 26th, 2021 12PM EST - Know Your Malt with CNC Malt

• August 2nd, 2021 12PM EST - Recipe Development with Local Grains with Erika Bruce of Le Beau Gateau

DESCRIPTION

Join Rachel Graper, a brand marketing professional, to learn about branding your local grains products successfully. Rachel will highlight various branding case-studies, specific to local and small grains, and point out what it means to have a strong brand with products that are utilizing local agriculture and processing facilities. This webinar format will be half lecture and half discussion , with an opportunity for participants to ask Rachel their questions as well. This webinar is part 1 in a Branding and Marketing discussion with Rachel. It is free to register and will be recorded for future use.

Rachel Graper

Rachel Graper is a brand marketer who specializes in building compelling narratives and marketing strategies. Over the past 15 years, she has worked in a variety of marketing roles from corporate (Heinz, GNC) to entrepreneurial endeavors, including Ideal Grain Free Granola. She partners with businesses and entrepreneurs to craft their unique brand positioning statements and select communication tactics which support their story. She earned an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business and a B.S. in Hospitality Management at NYU.

Date: June 8th, 2021
Speakers: Jordan Robarge | Revival Chili & Luke Cypher| Blue Sparrow
Time: 2:00 PM -3:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Register Here

With the cancelation of countless events and the temporary closing of many venues, food trucks experienced an incredibly difficult year. However, due to their mobility and ability to provide socially distant dining, is the food truck model the most resilient option as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis? Join two experienced Food Truck owners, Jordan Robarge of Revival Chili and Luke Cypher of Blue Sparrow as they recap their experiences the past year and offer suggestions and insight for the next generation of food truck owners.  

The Pandemic Pivot Speaker Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.   

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation 

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: May 12th, 2021
Speakers: Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, LDN
Time: 12:00 PM-1:00PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to register

This webinar will provide an overview of FDA and USDA regulations and requirements for developing a nutrition label for packaged food products.  We will discuss approved methods for determining nutrition data, development of a nutrition facts panel, ingredient statement development, allergen labeling requirements, and touch on health and nutrition claims and regulations for making claims for consumer product goods.  

This webinar will be helpful for companies new to developing packaged food products for retail sale or those who want a refresher on FDA and USDA labeling requirements and health and nutrition claim marketing. 
This Workshop Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: May 7th, 2021
Speakers: Oliver Pinder| Wild Rise Bakery, Sharif Rashid | Power Bites, and Katie Heldstab |  Leona’s Ice Cream 
Time: 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Register Here!

Save the date for the 3rd installment of our Pandemic Pivot Speaker Series, focused on Food Makers and Manufacturers. This hour-long chat will feature Oliver Pinder owner of Wild Rise Bakery, Sharif Rashid, owner of Power Bites, and Katie Heldstab, co-owner of Leona’s Ice Cream. Topics of discussion include changes to their business models, ordering and manufacturing challenges, future plans, and more.

This Workshop Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: May 7th, 2021
Speakers: Michael Keefe
Time: 11:00 AM -12:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to register

From farmers to restauranteurs and everyone in between all food businesses have faced a variety of changes to their business model in the past calendar year. Have you taken the opportunity to reevaluate your core competencies to understand how to thrive in the coming year? This 1-hour session is designed to provide business owners a method of accounting for these changes. Learn how to evaluate your business and use your strengths and opportunities to your advantage while minimizing your weaknesses and threats.  

Businesses in attendance will be invited to shares their experience over the past year and engage in an easy, take-home method to reevaluate their business model for 2021 and beyond.

This Workshop Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: April 8th, 2021
Speakers: Erika Bruce, Autumn Stankay
Time: 4:00 pm-5:30pm
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to register

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), Skysight Photography's Autumn Stankay and Le Beau Gateau's Erika Bruce as they provide a comprehensive overview of how to style your food products and use your camera phone to take photos for your social media, website, and more. Learn time-tested and straightforward ways to ensure your food looks just as good as it tastes and valuable tips on creating dynamic and exciting photos followers will love! This workshop is ideal for any food product maker, farmer, or restaurant owner looking to increase their photo quality and gain valuable skills for presenting photos to their target audience.

This Workshop Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: March 29th, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM -1:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Rachel Graper, serial Food Entrepreneur & Marketing Professional as she provides valuable guidance for food-based businesses to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities brought upon by the pandemic.

Through four interactive webinars on March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, we’ll explore marketing tactics and best practices to best communicate in today’s market. Business owners will learn tools and techniques to evaluate their sales models, create meaningful brand impressions, and meet their customers’ needs. Topics will include strategies to clearly communicate your brand message and maximize its impact through essential channels: website, email, social media, and more. Exercises will also include brand message building (for new businesses) and brand messaging audits (for existing businesses).

Webinar 4 - March 29: Integration: Maximizing Effort for Impact
This webinar will integrate the content covered in the three previous webinars and examine how to combine the sales model, branding, and marketing efforts for maximum impact and minimum duplication. We will also examine fundraising campaigns with a focus on crowdfunding platforms. This series will wrap up with a discussion on how to “Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing,” saying “Yes” to the most impactful opportunities, and just as importantly, saying “No” to the least impactful opportunities.

The March Marketing Monday Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kate Booker
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

Date: March 22nd, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM -1:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Rachel Graper, serial Food Entrepreneur & Marketing Professional as she provides valuable guidance for food-based businesses to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities brought upon by the pandemic.

Through four interactive webinars on March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, we’ll explore marketing tactics and best practices to best communicate in today’s market. Business owners will learn tools and techniques to evaluate their sales models, create meaningful brand impressions, and meet their customers’ needs. Topics will include strategies to clearly communicate your brand message and maximize its impact through essential channels: website, email, social media, and more. Exercises will also include brand message building (for new businesses) and brand messaging audits (for existing businesses).

Webinar 3 - March 22: Marketing: Maximizing your Customer Outreach
This webinar will review the brand audits from the prior week and how to put your brand impression into practice. Strategic best practices for customer relationship marketing including goals, templates, and segmentation will be covered. Email marketing will be given special attention with practical examples and a review of current email marketing products. Topics such as lead generation websites, virtual and in-person events, and business partnerships will also be discussed.

The March Marketing Monday Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kate Booker
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

Date: March 18th, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM -1:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to Register

The alcohol industry was arguably one of the hardest hit in the Commonwealth. Quickly changing regulations, capacity restrictions, and supply chain issues all became problems that regional wine, beer, and, spirit producers are still struggling with today. Join 3 industry professionals, Roberto Smiraglio Operations Manager of Narcisi Winery, Bert Mooney, Operations Manager of Strange Roots Experimental Ales, and Meredith Grelli, Owner of Wigle Whiskey to discuss these challenges and how to move forward with longevity in mind. Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), for this installment of the Pandemic Pivot series and learn how these dynamic businesses are dealing with ongoing pandemic issues and looking forward to new opportunities.

The Pandemic Pivot Speaker Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Nicolette Spudic
412-365-1370
CRAFT@chatham.edu

Date: March 15th, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM -1:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Rachel Graper, serial Food Entrepreneur & Marketing Professional as she provides valuable guidance for food-based businesses to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities brought upon by the pandemic.

Through four interactive webinars on March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, we’ll explore marketing tactics and best practices to best communicate in today’s market. Business owners will learn tools and techniques to evaluate their sales models, create meaningful brand impressions, and meet their customers’ needs. Topics will include strategies to clearly communicate your brand message and maximize its impact through essential channels: website, email, social media, and more. Exercises will also include brand message building (for new businesses) and brand messaging audits (for existing businesses).

Webinar 2 - March 15: Brand: Maximizing your Impression
This interactive brand webinar will cover what a brand is, how customers learn about your brand, and channel identification with a focus on “less is more.” How to audit your current channels (offline/online), what is your call to action (CTA), branding exercises, audience reviews, and revamping your current strategy. There will be actionable best practice takeaways that cover communication hierarchy, domains, email marketing, and website reviews.

The March Marketing Monday Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kate Booker
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

Date: March 8th, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM -1:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Rachel Graper, serial Food Entrepreneur & Marketing Professional as she provides valuable guidance for food-based businesses to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities brought upon by the pandemic.

Through four interactive webinars on March 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, we’ll explore marketing tactics and best practices to best communicate in today’s market. Business owners will learn tools and techniques to evaluate their sales models, create meaningful brand impressions, and meet their customers’ needs. Topics will include strategies to clearly communicate your brand message and maximize its impact through essential channels: website, email, social media, and more. Exercises will also include brand message building (for new businesses) and brand messaging audits (for existing businesses).

Webinar 1 - March 8: Sales: Maximizing your Offering
This webinar will provide best practices to implement during the pandemic with special attention paid to changing customer needs. Topics covered include understanding what you’re selling, your customer values, product versus service businesses, and how to examine the most profitable or efficient product in your line-up. During a pandemic, what opportunities can one uncover to meet customer needs and propel your businesses?

The March Marketing Monday Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kate Booker
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu

Date: February 24, 2021
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Online, Zoom
Register: Click here to register

Join the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship (CWE), the Center for Regional Agriculture and Food Transformation (CRAFT), and Raji Sankar, Co-Chief Executive Officer at Wholesome International (local Five Guys Burgers and Fries franchisee and Choolaah mastermind) as she recaps her journey of resilience, creativity, and growth. With over 15 years in the food industry, 25 locations, and more than 700 employees, Wholesome International has found a way to succeed by incorporating best practices and performance excellence. Raji will talk about business resources, lessons learned, and how Wholesome International incorporated its mission, vision, and values into the strategic shifts required throughout this unprecedented year in the restaurant industry.

The Pandemic Pivot Speaker Series is part of the Back to Business: Recovery & Growth for the Food Industry programming.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the Hillman Family Foundation

EVENT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Kate Booker
412-365-1253
womens-entrepreneurship@chatham.edu