By Joel Zukovski
The 2004 Annual Retreat for Managers of the Inter-American Division Health Food Company (IAHFC) was held the days of March 29th through the 1st of April. The meetings were held in conference rooms at the Hotel Los Lagos located in La Fortuna, San Carlos, Costa Rica.
Dr. Germán Retana presented a seminar on the characteristics of change and its impact on leadership. With mastery he based his talk on the cutting edge of the organization’s future, emphasizing that success in the past does not guarantee success in the future. The challenges new leaders face today as well as their food industries are “the outside” culture, innovation, strategic alliances, intense use of technology and accelerated learning.
In spite of the economic difficulties currently facing the market, the 10 management report presentations were excellent in content and strategies currently used. As a result, the total sales for the IAHFC, during 2003, exceeded $14.3 million dollars. Of equal significance was the 8.3 million tons of product that was placed in the Inter-American Division territory by affiliates of the IAHFC making a positive contribution to the health of their consumers.
The fauna and flora of Costa Rica, situated under the restless Arenal Volcano, enriched the Manager’s Retreat. In addition, the hot spring waters from the volcano relaxed the managers and gave them an incentive to begin another year of intense work and responsibilities.
Costa Rica’s affiliate, Soyapac Cetebedi, S.A., hosted the event. The management and personnel prepared everything for the event with enthusiasm and dedication. We are thankful to them all for their participation.
