A Message from GCCA Chairmen
It was an honor to serve as your chairmen in 2022. For a few of us, our terms ended in December and we are now contributing as Immediate Past Chairs. We are extremely proud of all that has been accomplished over the past 365 days. Being a volunteer leader for the organization has afforded us a tremendous opportunity to work with our fellow board members to set the strategic direction of the associations and keep it on a path of continued growth and success. We were also lucky enough to meet so many members around the the world as face-to-face meetings returned and travel complications eased.
It was great to be able to bring back in-person training, hosting the Institute West in Tempe, Arizona, and Institute East in Atlanta, Georgia, and the Latin America Institute in Mexico City. We certainly missed seeing our Institute students in 2021 so it was rewarding to see the students again learning from industry experts, getting to know each other, and having a bit of fun, too.
We continued to find ways throughout the year to connect our members with one another. We continued to hold “Cold Connection” events and all our regional conferences and congresses, including the 130th IARW-WFLO Convention and CEBA Conference and Expo, were held in person this year. It was great to be able to see and experience industry professionals coming together again in North America, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Brazil.
Our WLFO international project work bounced back significantly, with staff and members going out in the field to work on projects in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, and Thailand. Staff attended several international meetings to discuss the cold chain and its role in reducing food loss and waste. This included meetings conducted by the United Nations. To address this important issue, the foundation has formed new partnerships with Feeding America and the Global Foodbanking Network and we have launched a new food loss and waste initiative offering information and resources to food banks and food redistribution organizations across the world.
This past year continued the positive momentum for the industry and all of the core partners of GCCA and we are excited to see that momentum continue.
We look forward to continuing to work with our staff, members, and industry colleagues to make 2023 the best year yet.
Manual Cabrera Kabana
IARW Chairman
Daniel Kaplan
WFLO Chairman
Marko Dzeletovich
CEBA Chairman
Todd Lanter
IRTA Chairman