Convention 2009 ... New Frontiers: New Solutions

This year, MEDA's Business as a Calling convention features an intriguing slate of plenary speakers.

Stephen Kreider Yoder
Launching the series Nov. 5 is Stephen Kreider Yoder, providing a journalist's view of
Silicon Valley’s Big Move into Energy Innovation and Utilization.

He will report on the new enthusiasm in Silicon Valley for alternate energy innovations and “green” approaches to business from his 10,000-feet perspective as a journalist. His presentation will include stories about businesses in the Silicon Valley and beyond that have made changes in how they consume and think about energy.

Steve has been the San Francisco bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal since 1999, overseeing a group of 14 editors and reporters who cover the technology industry and general news in California and the Northwest. He joined the Journal in Tokyo in 1984 as a reporter, moved to the San Francisco bureau as a technology reporter in 1989, and returned to Tokyo as bureau chief in 1995. Steve and his son Isaac also write a weekly Journal column, “Yoder & Son,” about parent-teen money issues. Steve and his wife, Karen, are parents of three sons and are members of First Mennonite Church of San Francisco.

Len Penner
Next in the line-up is Len Penner, on Nov. 6, with New Frontiers in Feeding the World: Global Food Supply and Security.

Global grain production must double by 2050 to meet the growing needs around the world. Len Penner, president of Cargill Limited, Winnipeg, MB, will highlight a variety of ways to reach that ambitious goal, including scientific development of new technologies, increased production from agri-business and small holder farmers while consuming less petrochemicals and water, and an economic environment in which entrepreneurship flourishes.

Len has worked for Cargill Limited since 1975, holding positions in sales, sales management and general management; Penner became president in 2005. He holds a BS in Agriculture from the University of Manitoba. Penner and his wife, Carol, are parents of three children and are members of Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg.

Roger Bairstow and Suzanne Broetje
On Saturday evening, Nov. 7, Roger Bairstow and Suzanne Broetje will speak on Purpose, People, Planet, Profit: Quadruple Bottom Line Results at Broetje Orchards.

Broetje Orchards, a quality fruit company committed to bearing lasting fruits, is one of the largest family-owned growers of apples and cherries in the United States. During the past 40 years of extraordinary growth, the company has committed itself to walking in faith, seeking to balance the care of employees, community and environment while maintaining a profitable business. Each year, Broetje Orchards donates about 75% of its profits to local, domestic and international development projects.

Roger and Suzanne will tell the Broetje Orchard story – highlighting challenges that have faced the operation over the years, the commitment to a quadruple bottom line and the mooring that comes from faith.

They are both members of Broetje Orchards’ managing board. Additionally, they provide leadership to several affiliated non-profit businesses, including affordable housing operations, directed by Roger, and the Vista Hermosa Foundation, directed by Suzanne. They are parents of three children and attend local churches in Prescott, WA.

Share this article | Back to the MEDAzine