BiteSized: The Future of Protein Supply Chains
BiteSized: Supply Chain Event
A focused mini-conference on the future of protein supply chains
Protein supply chains are under more pressure than ever due to climate volatility, biosecurity risk, regulatory shifts like FSMA, geopolitical disruption, and increasingly unforgiving retail demand.
Yet many of the most experienced operators, investors, and builders working on these problems are right here in our backyard.
This bite-sized conference is designed to bring those experts into the same room, without the need to fly from coast to coast, for practical, execution-oriented conversations about what’s actually working across the protein supply chain today.
This is not a trend talk. It’s an operator conversation about resilience, scale, data, and deployment—across farm, processor, cold chain, and retail.
Who Should Attend
This event is built for leaders actively shaping the protein supply chain, including:
Retail & Brand Executives navigating demand volatility, food safety, and margin pressure
Investors & Corporate Ventures focused on food, agtech, logistics, and supply chain infrastructure
Entrepreneurs & Operators building or scaling solutions across sourcing, processing, cold chain, data, and traceability
Audience size is intentionally limited (~75) to enable real discussion and high-quality connections.
Accelerated Conference-style Agenda (only 3 Hours)
9:00 – 9:25 | Arrival & Coffee
Light networking and soft start
9:25 – 9:40 | Opening Remarks
Speakers: Dr. Matt Waller (Walton College of Business) and BiteSized Master of Ceremonies Mitch Baker (Simmons Foods)
9:40 – 10:15 | Industry Leaders Panel
How land stewardship, innovation, and predictive supply chain execution are reshaping the future of protein.
Speakers: Jon Swann (VP of Supply Chain at Tyson Foods), Marcia Reeves (SVP of Technical Services at Simmons Foods), David Cary (Founder of HighGround Ranch Developers); Facilitated by: Dirk Herdes (SVP at Crisp)
10:15 – 10:50 | Startup Panel
Data, forecasting, traceability, and scaling technology beyond pilots
Speakers: Michael Farrand (CCO at Völur), Chris Bradford (CCO at Trace Register), and Jordan Yeomans (CTO at MEQ Solutions); Facilitated by: Nick Smith (Investments at Fulcrum Collective)
11:00 – 11:25 | Keynote Conversation
Speakers: Blake Klosterman (Director of Supply Chain at Happy Egg); Facilitated by: Brian Johnson (Supply Chain Management Research Center at the Sam M. Walton College of Business)
11:25 – 11:50 | Executive Roundtable with Speakers
Moderated discussion with audience Q&A. Facilitated by: Chase Binnie (Retail Wire)
11:50 – 12:00 | Closing Remarks & Connections
Kathryn Carlisle (Arkade) and Matthew Paul (Spring Capital)