Longtime industry member Howard Chapman, vice president/division manager of Royal Cup Coffee and new NAMA Chair, talks big ideas with VMW Editor Emily Refermat. Click here to watch Chapman discuss the similarities between doing business and racing cars (his passion!)
The video has been transcribed below for your convenience.
Emily: Howard, thank you so much for joining us today. As you begin your term as Chair for NAMA, what are your views?
Howard: Well I would say it’s a very exciting time for NAMA as an organization but for the industry as a whole, too. We are coming off of a fantastic OneShow in Las Vegas. The breadth and scope of the new exhibitors alone was very, very intriguing and then you had a number of attendees that were first time attendees who I think were just shocked at what the industry has to offer.
Emily: And how do you feel, perhaps, that some of your past roles have prepared you for Chair of NAMA?
Howard: Those roles include being the Coffee Committee Chairman for several years during a time where we created the strategic plan for that segment and the outcomes related to CTW. But I also had the opportunity and privilege to chair the Campaign for Growth which was our $5 million capital campaign. So that was a strategic effort to look at the association’s future and working to secure the funds for financial stability for the industry and the association. That was exciting to see that come to fruition.
What is extraordinarily exciting is, and a signal to the vote of confidence, from the operators to the suppliers, is that they stepped up and spoke with their dollars.
Emily: Given that experience, how did it change your perspective or give you a more rounded perspective of the industry?
Howard: Well it certainly gave me an understanding of the strategic aspect, whether it’s something as simple as how you approach capital campaign, but also an understanding of the foundation and how it interacts with the association in general, to help fund those strategic efforts. It’s no small task.
Emily: What would you say your goals are for your tenure?
Howard: I think number one is keeping the momentum that we have; driving the industry forward. It’s an exciting time, developing key pillars of our strategic plan. The advocacy component that is off and running, the education, the networking and information. In the very near term I am personally excited about our very first NAMADC Fly-In. Currently we’ve got about 180 members that are signed up and will be participating. That’s a level of support we should all be very excited about.
