NASHVILLE, TENN. — At its 89th Annual Technical Conference, the Biscuit & Cracker Manufacturers’ Association (B.C.M.A.) presented the Vander Heide Award to Kathleen Clark, Ph.D, director of continuous improvement, ConAgra Foods, Omaha. The award is the association’s highest honor in recognition of the person graduating top of the class in the previous year’s correspondence course.

“Dr. Clark has been involved in the B.C.M.A. for several years and is an exceptional example of personal commitment to continuous learning and improvement,” Stuart Vander Heide said upon presentation of the award. “She continually shows mastering of industry trends, and her B.C.M.A. course work is a testament to her meticulous, unwavering work ethic and deep mastering of the manufacturing process in general.”

During the conference’s general session, the B.C.M.A. also presented the Chairman’s Award for Safety Excellence to member bakeries with the best overall safety record and DART incidence rates according to bakery size.

Bakery plants with fewer than 200 employees receiving the Chairman’s Award included ConAgra Ry Krisp plant, Minneapolis; D.F. Stauffer Biscuit Co. plant in Santa Ana, Calif.; John W. Macy’s Cheese Sticks in Elmwood Park, N.J.; and Newly Weds Foods plants in City of Lakewood, Wash.; Mount Pleasant, Tex.; Pendleton, Ore.; and Springdale, Ark. Each bakery received a DART incidence rate of 0 in 2013.

Receiving a DART incidence rate of 0 in 2013, The Kellogg Co.’s Augusta, Ga., and Columbus, Ga., facilities both earned a Chairman’s Award for bakeries with fewer than 500 employees. The company’s Grand Rapids, Mich., plant also received a Chairman’s Award for a DART incidence rate of 0.173 in 2013 for a bakery with less than 800 employees.

The final Chairman’s Award was presented to Mondel?z International’s Chicago facility for its DART rating of 2.610 for a facility with more than 800 employees.