Monthly information resource for and about the members of the
Retail Bakers of America

November 2006   Volume 1 Issue 3    ©2006 Retail Bakers of America

RBA Announces New Merchant Card Processing Program Provider

Continually seeking to improve the array of benefits provided to our members, RBA is pleased to announce that Element Payment Services has been selected as the new provider of the RBA Merchant Card Processing Program. Specializing in processing for trade association programs, EPS rated favorably on service and price, and our analysis showed it to be highly consumer friendly, which is an important requirement.

As many of you are aware, selecting the credit card provider that will best meet your needs at a competitive rate is often difficult. The approaches to pricing used by the different vendors make direct price comparisons tricky at best. This new arrangement provides a great deal of flexibility in the rates quoted to our members. Regardless of your annual volume or average transaction size, we are confident that this new relationship will provide savings to your business over what you could obtain in the marketplace.

EPS offers online statements and reporting, affordable and functional hardware options, wide-ranging processing solutions, high-speed processing and knowledgeable sales and service staff to assist all of our members.

In choosing Element as your merchant service provider, you can select from a variety of payment solutions to help you increase your sales opportunities and grow your business. In addition to acceptance of Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards, Element offers innovative gift card and contactless payments to serve you.

I invite you to investigate this new opportunity which has the potential to offer you significant savings over your current merchant card processor. EPS is providing a comparative analysis of your current processing expense to the costs of this program. If you contact Element for an analysis by February 1, 2007, and the examination of your current costs does not reflect a savings to your business, Element Payment Services will write you a check for $100 as a thank-you for time and interest.

To find out more about the new RBA Merchant Card Processing Program, contact Jeff Mullin at EPS using their toll free number, 866.435.3636 x759. You can also visit their Web site, www.elementps.com.
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RBA Adds Monthly Market Update to
Member Benefits

RBA would like to introduce the latest RBA Member Benefit, the Monthly Market Report for RBA Members, prepared by BakeMark. This report is designed to help the membership better understand the fluctuating costs of baking commodities like wheat & flour, frozen eggs and soy beans. While not intended to provide specific buying information, these reports paint the trends affecting the costs of raw materials, which will allow the membership to make better decisions on pricing their products. We hope you find this new benefit to be a valuable tool. All retail members who have provided a valid email address should have received the Market Update via email last night. You can also view the report by logging in to the Members-Only Section of the RBA Web site, www.rbanet.com/memberlogon.asp.
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Announcing the 2007 Midwest Professional Bakers Educational Conference

Be sure to mark you calendars for the 2007 Midwest Professional Bakers Educational Conference, April 15 – 17, 2007, at the Wyndham Hotel Northwest Chicago in Itasca , IL . Designed to bring together retail bakers, decorators, suppliers, and industry leaders from around the Midwest and the rest of the country, the 2007 MPBEC will feature educational sessions presented by industry leaders; demonstrations showcasing the latest decorating and baking techniques; an exhibit hall with over 45 of your product and ingredient suppliers; bakery tours of some of Chicago's leading bakeries (additional fee applies); hands on sessions for practical educational and networking experience (additional fees apply) and the social highlight of the Conference, the Awards Banquet and Reception. More details are available on the RBA Web site or by clicking to www.rbanet.com/mpbec1.html.
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Torrance Bakery Named Modern Baking “Retail Bakery of the Year”

RBA Member Torrance Bakery was awarded Modern Baking’s “Retail Bakery of the Year” in the magazine’s October Issue. Owner and RBA Board of Directors Member Kirk Rossberg first purchased Torrance Bakery in 1984 after a couple of years of working for a Swiss candy maker in his neighborhood and five Los Angeles-area bakeries to gain as much experience as possible. In the 22 years since its opening, Torrance Bakery has grown from eight to 74 employees and has recently opened its third location. You can visit the bakery’s Web site, www.torrancebakery.com to learn more about the bakery and http://modernbaking.bakery-net.com/article/15074 to read the Modern Baking article.
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RBA Presents the Retail Baking Resource Store powered by Amazon.com

RBA has partnered with Amazon.com to bring the industry the Retail Bakers Resource Store. Featuring publications for retail baking professionals, the Retail Baking Resources Store is your source for your baking books and resources.

With the holidays fast approaching, these books make great gifts! You can access the Resource Store by visiting the RBA Web site or by clicking to http://astore.amazon.com/retailbakers-20.
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RBA Provides Members With Marketing Idea Kit

The holiday season is now upon us. RBA knows how important this time of year is to your business and we want to help you maximize your potential during the holidays and beyond. With this goal in mind, we have created a marketing idea kit detailing a wide spectrum of promotions and how to implement them. The ideas will give you added resources to help you capitalize on your busiest time, reach out to new customers, and keep them coming back throughout the year. The promotions and ideas can be adapted to meet your specific needs or used for inspiration to come up with other exciting ways to boost your business. RBA Members can access the Marketing Idea Kit by logging on to the Members-Only Section of the RBA Web site.
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Sunnie Guraedy Wins 6th Annual RBA Creative Decorating Competition at ABE 2006

RBA is proud to announce that Sunnie Guraedy from Minot , North Dakota , has won this year’s RBA Creative Decorating Competition, sponsored by General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice, and has been awarded the coveted title of 2006 Pillsbury Grand Champion. The two-day competition, held during the 2006 American Bakery Expo, featured 14 talented professional cake decorators from around the country competing in 5 categories Flowers and Sprays with Borders, Wedding Cake, Rolled Fondant, Custom Design Cakes and Sculpted Cakes.

A representative of the Upper Midwest Bakery Association, Sunnie is a professional decorator at Arrowhead Miracle Mart in Minot , North Dakota . She qualified for the 2006 Competition by winning her local RBA Affiliate competition back in February.

In addition to the naming of the Pillsbury Grand Champion, individual category winners were also awarded:

Custom Design Cakes
Theresa Torealba from The Great Dane Bakery in Huntington , CA , representing the California Retail Bakers Association

Wedding Cake
Christiana Popescu from Daube’s Bakery in Rochester , MN , representing the Upper Midwest Bakery Association South Region

Rolled Fondant
Becky Nels from A Taste of Elegance in Beaver Creek , OH , representing the Greater Cincinnati Retail Bakers Association

Sculpted Cake
Marcel Kopplin an instructor at Spokane Community College in Spokane , WA , representing the Pacific Northwest Baking Association

Flowers & Sprays
Tammy Montesinos from Central Continental Bakery in Mt. Prospect , IL , representing the Chicago Area Retail Bakers Association
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Flour Output on the Rise

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of the Census, US flour production in the third quarter of 2006, totaled 103,687,000 cwts (hundredweights = 100 pounds), a gain of 1.2% over 102,477,000 in the same quarter of 2005. It also marks the largest quarterly output since fourth quarter 2001, when production was 105,806,000 cwts. The third quarter also was the fifth quarter in a row in which output exceeded from the same quarter the previous year. Flour output in the first nine months of 2006 aggregated 297,309,000 cwts, up 0.9% from 294,627,000 in the same 2005 period.

General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice Names Michael Kirchner Vice President, General Manager of Bakery Channels Business

General Mills Bakeries & Foodservice announced last month that it has appointed Michael Kirchner to the position of vice president, general manager, Bakery Channels. Kirchner will now oversee all of the Bakery Channels businesses, which includes Bakery Ingredients, Fresh Bread Solutions, In-Store Bakery, Convenient Solutions Team and Wholesale Sweet Goods. Prior to his appointment, Kirchner was most recently the director of Foodservice Sales for SuperValu in the Consumer Foods Sales division, a position he has held since The Pillsbury Company integrated with General Mills in 2001.
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Get More Involved in RBA – Volunteer for the Membership Committee

Are you looking to get more out of your RBA membership? One of the best ways to do so is by getting involved in the association’s committees. The Membership Committee is currently looking for additional members. The purpose of the Membership Committee is to evaluate potential RBA Member benefits and services as well as to help guide the marketing and membership efforts of the association. If you are interested in participating, contact Mark Gedris, Director of Membership at mgedris@rbanet.com or 703.245.8093.
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Upcoming Events

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Have a Story for RBA Update?
Have a story about your bakery or company that you would like to share with your fellow RBA members, contact Mark Gedris at mgedris@rbanet.com.

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