SEIFT Suppliers Night Seminar Speakers
Food Innovation Driven by Transformational Leadership
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Luis Martinez, Sr VP of R&D & Commercialization,
Rubix Foods
Luis is Senior Vice President of R&D and Commercialization at Rubix Foods, a culinary and food science-focused provider of flavor and functional ingredients for restaurants and food manufacturers. For 12 years he has actively served on the IFT Florida IFT Board where he has led the development and growth of the Suppliers Night Expo, transforming it, with the support from his team, into the fastest growing IFT Expo in the US. Luis holds a M.S. degree in Foods Science, a minor in Agribusiness Management, a B.S. degree in Food Science from the University of Florida, and a B.S. degree in Food Engineering from ESPOL in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
With over 18 years experience in the food and beverage industry, he is a proven transformational leader that specializes in delivering accelerated growth through proactive innovations and culinary creations, driving increased revenue and profit margins across categories. As a strategic thinker, Luis has a demonstrated ability to identify, create, monetize, and commercialize technology-driven ideas—turning innovation into tangible growth and value. His expertise spans manufacturing, product development, commercialization, innovation, and technical sales, supported by a diverse educational background.
In his role at Rubix as SVP, Luis is a member of the executive leadership team and a contributor to the Management Operating System. He leads cross-functional initiatives that shape strategic direction and align Innovation, Product Development, and Commercialization with overall business goals.
Luis is committed to fostering disruptive, value-driven innovation and excels at diagnosing industry challenges and developing proactive solutions that advance the food industry. His passion for innovation and leadership continues to drive meaningful change and inspire others in the field.
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Advancing Food Innovation: The Changing Landscape of R&D & Product Development
Dr. Jim Gratzek
Director of UGA's Food Innovation & Commercialization Center
James Gratzek holds a PhD in Food Science & Technology from the University of Georgia with a focus on Thermal Processed, Plant Based foods and Product Develop in general. With over 30 years of experience, he has excelled in various roles, from Senior Vice President at SunOpta, Inc., where he led Research & Development and later Food Safety & Quality, to serving as thermal process authority for Campbell Soup and Tetra Pak Inc. His expertise extends from food technology startups, like Food Physics USA focusing on Pulsed Electric Field processing, to major corporations like General Mills and Tetra Pak. He has worked with a variety of foods including soups, sauces, dairy, alternative-dairy, fruit, vegetables, snacks, ready-meals among others. Dr. Gratzek has made significant contributions to the food industry, particularly in the areas of aseptic technology, food safety, and product development. He was instrumental in the introduction and development of several market-transforming aseptically processed products including moving cooking stocks from cans to carton, facilitating initial growth of the nutritional beverage category, and transitioning many alt-dairy and dairy product to shelf stable distribution. Since mid-2022, Jim has been based on UGA’s Griffin campus as Director of the Food Product Innovation & Commercialization Center (FoodPIC) where he focuses on business and student development
Dr. Gratzek holds 30+ years of expertise. Formerly Senior VP at SunOpta, Inc., he led R&D and later Food Safety & Quality, and served as process engineer and thermal process authority for Campbell Soup and Tetra Pak Inc. Notable for his work with startups like Food Physics USA and major players like General Mills, his contributions span soups, sauces, dairy, alt-dairy, fruits, veggies, snacks, and more. At UGA’s FoodPIC since mid-2022, he directs business and student development, focusing on aseptic technology, food safety, and product innovation, shaping the industry's landscape.
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Academic Contributions to Food Innovation
Dr. Josh Herring
Professor of Food Biochemistry
Alabama A&M University
RESEARCH
The primary focus is on adding value. Adding value comes in the form of reusing food waste streams (discarded fruits and vegetables for ethanolic fermentation) and improving shelf-life by natural coatings. A secondary focus is on probiotic and pathogen interactions. Competitive inhibition is analyzed in poultry production to increase the safety of our food supply.
PEOPLE
Growing up on a family farm, practical science and logic was always a necessity. A B.S. degree was earned at Auburn University in Animal & Dairy Sciences Pre-Veterinary Medicine and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Mississippi State University in Food Science with a minor in Microbiology. Dr. Herring has extensive research hours in sensory science, muscle foods and food chemistry. Funded projects include topics such as gelatin from catfish skins, pathogen reduction by probiotics with poultry, and experiential learning in food science for undergraduates. Dr. Herring teaches multiple food science courses and is HACCP certified.
Pioneering Food Science: Breakthroughs in Research & Innovation
Dr. Brian Bowker - USDA
Brian Bowker received a B.S. degree in Animal Sciences and a Ph.D. in meat science and muscle biology from Purdue University. Following graduate school, Dr. Bowker was awarded the Federation of Animal Science Societies Congressional Science Fellowship and spent a year working on agriculture and science policy as a staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives (Washington D.C.). In 2004 Dr. Bowker joined USDA-ARS as a Chemist in the Food Technology & Safety Laboratory (Beltsville, MD) where he conducted research to determine the impact of novel postharvest processing technologies on the quality of red meat products. In 2011 Dr. Bowker joined the Quality & Safety Assessment Research Unit (QSARU) as a Food Technologist at the USDA-ARS U.S. National Poultry Research Center (Athens, GA) to lead a multi-faceted research project investigating meat quality issues affecting fresh and further-processed poultry meat products. In 2021 Dr. Bowker was selected as the Research Leader of QSARU where he currently leads and manages a diverse team of 25-30 food technologists, animal scientists, chemists, and agricultural engineers in research to develop strategies and technologies to improve the quality and safety characteristics of poultry products.