The University of Southern California’s Marshall Food Industry Management program will honor Coca-Cola as its 2022 Executive of the Year. Historically, the USC Executive of the Year award has been presented to an individual food industry retailer that has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment to education.
This year, the award will go to Coca-Cola, one of USC Marshall’s most valued consumer package goods partners. Bill O’Brien, CEO of Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling, will accept the award and serve as the keynote speaker at the April graduation banquet, which will celebrate graduating students from the FIM Class of 2022.
“Like WAFC and USC, we understand that education and leadership development are key to advancing the food and beverage industry as a whole,” O’Brien said. “We’ve seen incredible growth from the leaders we’ve had participate in the FIM Program. I’m proud to accept this honor on behalf of the Coca-Cola system and look forward to continuing our partnership with WAFC and USC.”
Over the years, Coca-Cola has enstrusted the USC FIM program with a number of its future leaders. While each participant arrived with their own unique set of experiences and backgrounds, all shared a passion for the food and beverage industry.
“Coca-Cola, as one of the top education donors with 56 years of support to the Western Association of Food Chains, has been a remarkable partner in education for the Food Industry Management Program at USC,” said Geoff Garrett, USC Marshall dean. “We are grateful for the partnership and honored that the company continues to send high-potential leaders to the USC Marshall Food Industry Management Program every year.”
The Food Industry Management Program at USC’s Marshall School of Business has recently marked its 64th anniversary. Each year, 30-35 students are chosen from a wide range of companies in the food industry to participate in the semester-long program. Each student accepted into the program receives a full tuition scholarship through the Western Association of Food Chains.
Individuals selected must have proven records of management accomplishments with significant potential for future advancement.
For more information, visit marshall.usc.edu.
