August 26 @ 11:30 am - 12:30 pm EST

Building the Next Generation of Leaders in Food Manufacturing

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Manufacturers across the food and beverage industry are navigating a significant workforce transition as experienced employees retire and organizations work to prepare the next generation of leaders. While recruiting remains important, many companies are finding that developing talent from within is critical to long-term success.

Join FIT Executive Director Louis Townsend and industry practitioners for a discussion on how manufacturers are identifying emerging talent, creating opportunities for growth, and preparing employees for greater responsibility. Through real-world experiences and practical examples, speakers will share lessons learned in leadership development, employee engagement, career progression, and workforce retention.

Whether you are responsible for operations, human resources, training, or workforce development, you'll leave with actionable ideas for strengthening your organization's leadership pipeline and supporting employee growth.
Chris Osias Headshot

Chris Osias

Field Service Technician, Multivac Group

Chris Osias is a Field Service Technician at Multivac Group and a proud graduate of the Food Industry Technician (FIT) Program. Since completing the program, he began his career as a Maintenance Mechanic at West Liberty Foods, where he gained hands-on experience maintaining and troubleshooting food processing and production equipment, before building a career servicing and commissioning food packaging equipment throughout the U.S. Chris enjoys solving technical challenges, helping others grow, and sharing his experience to inspire future technicians. He is honored to represent the FIT Program and discuss how it helped shape his professional journey. 

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Thomas Hunter

Service & Installation Manager, Friesen's Inc.

Thomas Hunter is the Service & Installation Manager at Friesen's Inc., where he leads field service, installation, facility maintenance, and recruiting efforts for technical teams supporting industrial automation systems across North America. A retired U.S. Navy veteran with 24 years of service, Thomas has spent his career leading people, solving complex technical challenges, and building high-performing teams.Throughout his career, he has hired, trained, and mentored technicians in manufacturing, facilities, and field service environments. He is passionate about developing the next generation of skilled trades professionals and believes that technical ability, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to keep learning are the foundation of a successful career.Thomas is honored to participate in today's roundtable discussion and looks forward to sharing industry perspectives while learning from the students and fellow professionals.

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Louis Townsend, Moderator

Executive Director, Food Industry Technician (FIT) Development Program

Louis provides strategic, operational, and industry leadership for FIT, a nationally recognized workforce development program that prepares technicians for careers within food production equipment manufacturing and food processing companies and is an initiative of FPSA. Louis brings more than 15 years of leadership experience across nonprofit, healthcare, and complex operational organizations, with a background spanning finance, operations, compliance, organizational strategy, workforce leadership, and enterprise-wide process improvement. Working closely with food manufacturers, equipment suppliers, educators, and workforce partners, Louis is committed to helping employers strengthen technical talent pipelines and prepare the next generation of skilled workers for the food manufacturing industry.