FOOD INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP CENTER
Click here to visit the home website for the Food Industry Leadership Center!
The Food Industry Leadership Center (FILC) began in 1994 as a partnership between Portland State University’s School of Business Administration and the food industry. Retail and packaged goods companies provided seed funding in order to establish a world-class resource for recruiting and developing top management talent specific to the food industry.
The scope of the FILC is threefold:
- The FILC executive education programs provide lifelong learning and career development for professionals within the food industry.
- FILC undergraduate and graduate students gain valuable industry knowledge, customized skills and important industry executive contacts.
- FILC special initiatives, such as its initiatives in diversity and sustainability, represent partnership programs with leading industry firms, and associations to help develop and disseminate competitive best practices.
The FILC Mission:
To assist and support the retail, food & beverage and consumer products industry develop a new generation of leaders through the delivery of high quality educational and research programs.
What Does the FILC Offer? The FILC offers courses, programs, conferences, forums, seminars and internships to current industry employees as well as talented students interested in developing careers in food industry management. The Center also has a strong applied-research component that draws upon PSU faculty expertise in marketing, supply and logistics management, human resources, accounting, finance, information systems, and strategy. Custom-designed programs on or off site are also available to develop management and leadership tactics for responding to industry needs.
FILC Objectives:
- To be a nationally renowned leadership resource for the food and consumer packaged goods industry.
- To provide talented and well-prepared graduates seeking careers in the food and packaged goods industry.
- To be a valuable strategic resource in meeting the educational and research needs of the food and consumer packaged goods industry.
What is Different about the PSU FILC?
The FILC believes the interdependencies along the value chain, from grower to grocer, are a significant source of sustainable competitive advantage. While many other programs isolate certain segments, such as retailing or food technology, the FILC’s focus is on the interrelationships among trading partners as they work to satisfy consumer needs and wants. The FILC also focuses on cross functional business activities rather than to focus on just marketing or finance issues.
Dr. Tom Gillpatrick, Executive Director, explains, “Industry managers come to us to get additional leadership skills. Many of them have reached the top of a functional area—such as sales, distribution or research—but don’t feel prepared for the challenges of general management. Now they're faced with putting together information systems and learning to deal more effectively with customers. With the help of the FILC, these people become leaders who are equipped to think more broadly.”
All of the Center’s activities continue to be developed in close collaboration with industry representatives. More than 500 companies—including food processors, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and brokers—have participated in the various executive programs. In addition, our industry advisory board meets quarterly to ensure that the programs meet the industry’s needs.
As with all our “Centers for Excellence” and all our graduate programs, the FILC is able to take advantage of the University’s ties to the business community locally, regionally and nationally.
Portland State University’s Food Industry Leadership Center (FILC) has received a $168,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program to support the recruitment of talented, diverse scholars in the Food Industry Management Program. Scholarship support from the USDA was matched with contributions from Fred Meyer Stores, Costco, WAFC, and the PepsiCo Foundation as part of the FILC’s Pathways diversity effort.