New member appointed to FAPC’s Industry Advisory Committee
By Mandy Gross
FAPC Communications Services Manager
(Stillwater, Okla. – June 7, 2012) A food industry leader of a long-time outstanding food business is the newestIndustry Advisory Council member of Oklahoma State University’s Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center.
Appointed by Gov. Mary Fallin, Edward Clements, president and chief executive officer of Clements Foods Co. in Oklahoma City, joins the 15-member advisory group to help oversee FAPC’s mission and vision.
“I feel very proud to be thought of and work in a way to help our state by promoting food processing and what the FAPC does,” Clements said. “I look forward to expanding the visibility of the FAPC and how it can be of assistance to food processors.”
To learn more about the FAPC, Clements visited the center on May 25. He met with FAPC Director Roy Escoubas, administrators from OSU’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, FAPC faculty and staff, and took a tour of the FAPC facility.
“It’s been enjoyable to get a closer look at what goes on in the facility,” Clements said. “A great amount of technology and equipment has been added since I visited the center early on in its development. The potential is mind boggling.”
Clements said he is looking forward to working with everyone at the FAPC and the other members of the Industry Advisory Committee.
“The center is valuable to elements of the food processing and distribution community in Oklahoma,” Clements said. “It is definitely a hidden and underutilized gem within the United States.”
As president and chief executive officer of Clements Foods Co., Clements is responsible for the profitability and well being of the company. Since joining the workforce of the family business in 1985, Clements has held multiple roles including assistant sales manager and vice president.
The Oklahoma City company is located on the original site, which it was founded in 1952. Clements Foods Co. is known for its solid reputation as a manufacturer of quality branded and private label fruit preserves and jellies, syrups, mayonnaise and salad dressings, barbecue sauces, mustards, vinegars and peanut butter.
As the third-generation leader, Clements has expanded the company’s products and business to national brands and national wholesalers and suppliers through highly effective marketing programs, quality products and effective customer-directed services.
“We were very fortunate to have Mr. Clements visit the FAPC and learn more about our capabilities of helping the food industry,” Escoubas said. “We also are looking forward to Mr. Clements contributing to our Industry Advisory Committee, especially with his extensive knowledge and experience in the food processing industry.”
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Oklahoma State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local Governments Cooperating. The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service offers its programs to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, or status as a veteran, and is an equal opportunity employer.
