Charlie Negaro is chief executive officer of Chabaso Bakery, New Haven, CT, a wholesale bakery supplying artisan breads to grocery stores in the Northeast and the United States. Mr. Negaro has worked in the baking industry for 16 years and attended the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) four times. 

In this final installment of IBIE Point of View, Baking & Snack follows up with Mr. Negaro to see how IBIE 2022 helped him fulfill his goals. 

Looking at IBIE 2022, what were your biggest takeaways from the show?

Despite some tough factors facing the industry, there is a large group of passionate industry members who are willing to work together to figure out smart solutions. 

What was the most valuable aspect of the show for you?

Bumping into connections that we haven't seen in years and meeting new faces, especially at the Sosland Publishing Centennial reception.

Do you feel like you met your goals? Why or why not?

I do feel like we met our goals. We went into the show with the focus of reconnecting with industry partners, and we indeed had a handful of positive conversations that we're confident will build momentum into valuable partnerships.

What was critical to ensuring those goals were met?

We had a small team (two people) at the show, so we needed to stay very focused during the two days we were at the show. It was very helpful to walk into the show with a rough list of exactly who we wanted to make sure we speak with.

How did you support your team while onsite in Las Vegas?

We maintained steady communication with our team back in Connecticut to pass on potential opportunities and insights as we encountered them at the show.

Based on the measures you set for yourself and your team, was IBIE successful? Why or why not?

Yes, IBIE was a successful show for us. Because we went into it just with the goal of reconnecting with the right people, we were able to achieve that at the show.

How will your findings and takeaways from IBIE be influencing your company for the next three years?

We will be factoring in some of the equipment we saw at the show to long-term planning for the company, and we are working in the shorter term over the next year to move forward with some of the customer and supplier relationships we established at the show.