Chicago IFT Suppliers' Night 2008

November 12th • Chicago IFT Suppliers' Night 2008
Noon - 6 PM
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center • Rosemont, IL
Product Dynamics and RQA, Inc.  booth is #219
 Attendance is free!

2008 IFT Annual Meeting Presentations/Hilton New Orleans Riverside
Posted: May 5, 2008

Pre-Annual Meeting Short Course: Recalls: Best Practices in Prevention, Management and Crisis Communication
Friday & Saturday, June 27 & 28, 2008, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Melanie Neumann, Vice President of Crisis Management and General Counsel for RQA, Inc.
Angie Lawless, Director of Crisis Management for RQA, Inc.
Quality assurance is paramount to preventing a food crisis situation, Food safety issues, however, can still arise, and when they do, risk communication becomes a vital part of your risk management plan. Various crisis communication strategies are appropriate for different circumstances. Learn about the approaches needed to prevent food safety issues and effective strategies for communicating about a food safety emergency, including pre- and post recall. Gain an insider's view into what to consider when building communications around a food safety crisis. More...

You will be able to:

IFT Symposium #106: Managing the Recall Crisis
 Monday, June 30, 2008, 4:30 - 4:55 PM in Room 293
Lawrence E. Platt, President of RQA, Inc.
If the food processor is to survive a recall crisis, there must be in place a functional management, information handling and operations programs. This session discusses the necessary infrastructure and decision making processes that must be in place. It will define the appropriate roles of both internal and external resources and provide a case study of how food processors manage recalls for the minimum damage to the enterprise. More...

IFT Symposium #146: Food Forensics: Solving the Mysteries of Food Contaminants
Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 8:30 - 10:00 AM in Room 391
Melanie Neumann, Vice President of Crisis Management and General Counsel for RQA, Inc.
Contamination is a threat to product integrity and a common cause of consumer complaints. Timely, accurate identification is the single most important piece of intelligence required when determining the response to product contamination. Three known industry leaders will lead this session, providing information on product contamination and identification services. This program will offer a unique opportunity to learn new and innovative ways to handle contaminated products. Participation will offer a highly effective response process for you and your company to follow in case of a contamination incident. More...

IFT Symposium #190: The Embedded Consumer: Using the Consumer as a Team Member Throughout the Brand Development Process
Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 2:00 - 3:35 PM in Room 394
Judy Lindsey, Vice President and General Manager for Product Dynamics, a Division of RQA, Inc.
The marketplace continues to become more and more consumer-centric. The food industry has been excellent at getting consumer feedback on brand/product ideas as they go through the early and end stages of the brand development process. Generally it has been at an arms length and has been singularly focused – either for the use of the product developer (guidance testing, CLT, HUT) or for the use of the marketer (ethnography, focus groups, ad research). New methodologies and thinking are challenging the traditional approach and putting the consumer on the team. This session will explore case studies of methodologies which actively incorporate consumers into the development process – in the lab, with the team, translating insights of other consumers and more. Explore how each interaction with the consumer can have duality of focus and offer opportunity to all components of a brand in its development. A variety of methods and perspectives will be presented, offering each attendee the opportunity to find an element which they can put into practice. More...

Judy Lindsey, Product Dynamics' Vice President and General Manager to Speak at Conferences
Posted: February 18, 2008

Portland, OR
Food Ingredient Expo (FIX – formerly called the Oregon Suppliers' Night) on Monday, February 25:
2:00-3:00 p.m. "Moms, Kids and Health – Is a Meeting of the Minds Possible?"
More information > www.ift.org/sections/oregon/2008%20Suppliers%20Night.pdf

Seattle, WA
Puget Sound IFT Section Symposium and Suppliers' Night on Tuesday, February 26:
1:45-2:30 p.m. “Trends & Fads:  Their Impact on Your Development Approach”
More information > www.ift.org/sections/puget/newsletter.html 

The Research Chef’s Association Annual Meeting and Conference on Thursday, March 6:
12:30-2:00 p.m. "Tools and Tricks to Speeding up the Design and Development Process"
More information > www.culinology.org/annualconference/program_details.html

Rosemont, IL
IFT's Food Technology Presents on Wednesday, February 27:
2:00-3:00 p.m. "Applying Insights Gained from Obesity Trends to Effect Product Development"
More information > www.ift.org/ftpc

New VP for RQA's Product Dynamic's Division
Posted: July 20, 2007

We are pleased to announce that Pamela Vaillancourt has joined Product Dynamics, a Division of RQA, Inc. as Vice-President, Business Development. Her areas of responsibility will include: Consumer Research, Sensory Evaluation, Product Formulation and Development, in addition to other innovative and custom services. Pamela will be working with our clients to incorporate these services into their business from concept to commercialization. You’ll find Pam to be an experienced resource, who will make your goals her top priority, and hopefully make your job easier.

Pamela joins Product Dynamics with over eleven years of experience in sales and service within the food industry and over twenty years of experience in food manufacturing and food service. She is also well versed in regulatory affairs and quality assurance. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) and has recently been elected by her peers to serve a 3-year term on the IFT Nominations and Elections Committee. She is an active member of the Research Chefs Association, American Candy Technologists, and the American Society of Cereal Chemists.

Her degrees include a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology from Washington State University and a Master of Science in Food Science from the University of Washington. She has also had culinary courses from the Culinary Institute in St. Helena, California and multiple business and marketing courses.

Pamela will work with Judy Lindsey, VP and General Manager, and Cynthia Wolter, Director, Research, who along with the entire Product Dynamics team, will continue to provide you with professional and timely services. Pamela is anxious to meet you and explore means of expanding your success through partnering with Product Dynamics. She will be in touch with you shortly to introduce herself, share Product Dynamics in-house capabilities, and to discuss your specific needs and challenges.

RQA, Inc. would like to thank you for your support. Our business is only as successful as those of our clients and we appreciate the opportunity to be your supplier of choice for your third party services and needs.

Larry Platt
President - RQA, Inc.

Pamela can be reached at the Product Dynamics facility in Orland Park, IL or at her office in Sacramento CA:
Pamela Vaillancourt
(708) 364-7060 x182
(206) 510-0440 cell
p.vaillancourt@rqa-inc.com

Product Dynamics Announces Major Expansion
August 11, 2006 Orland Park, IL - Product Dynamics, a division of RQA, Inc., recently completed a major expansion of its offices and testing labs in the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

The expansion, completed in June, boosted Product Dynamics' offices to 38,000 square feet, from 6,000 square feet.

"The roomier facility gives Product Dynamics more space to run consumer tests of products," says Judy Lindsey, vice president and general manager. "Everything we do involves consumers interacting with product."

Click <HERE> to download a PDF of the floor plan.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.