MIS Research Center Seminar Series
8:30 AM - 11:15 AM
1st Floor Auditorium, Carlson School of Management

Abstract

We will explore the current uses of RFID within the produce industry as well as what other potential uses RFID might have to offer food safety within the food industry. We will explore how these new uses of current technologies not only could provide a near real time trace back capability but also alert shippers of breaks in the cold chain while still in route, today a major industry problem. We will look at how RFID partnering with other technologies could not only better track product though the supply chain but would provide a much safer product for the consumer.

We will look at real cases of both success and failure using these technologies and will discuss what we learned from the last E coli outbreak.

Biography

Mr. Kent Rhodes

Most recently as CEO of Revionics a startup in Retail Price Optimization Kent Rhodes took the company from a beta product to providing pricing services to over 100 retail grocery stores across the US in less than 18 months. Kent also established partnerships with the two largest retail food distributors in the US, Supervalu Inc and C&S distribution to provide optimization services to their customers. Kent is currently working with Revionics on its 2007-08 expansion plan as well as new funding requirements.

As CEO from 1995 to 2003, Kent transformed Foodconnex Worldwide from a regional multimedia company into the leading developer of e-business tools for the food industry. Services include providing the infrastructure and connectivity for customized e-commerce solutions, business-to-business extranets, company-wide intranets, web-based digital imaging services, e-training programs, customized sales presentations and digital catalogs and content for such clients as Supervalu, Trident Seafood's, Nestle, General Mills, Lawry's, USDA, National Fisheries Institute, PMA, T&A, Taylor Farms and many others.

Kent has been an active participant in several industry efficiency efforts. He worked with volunteer leaders from the Uniform Code Council (UCC) to provide industry feedback on its UCC Net project. He was a featured presenter at several Efficient Foodservice Response (EFR) committee meetings regarding how information systems flow between trading partners. He worked with the International Foodservice Distributors Association's (IFDA) Supply Chain Forecasting Committee relating to standardized product information. He also sat on the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) committee that developed the first industry product standards for produce.

Kent 's International experience includes assisting IGA International launch its digital training programs for employees in Australia , Singapore , Japan and China . As part of this effort, he created a joint-venture relationship with David's International which distributed these programs and built alliances with IGA franchisees in the Pacific Rim . A graduate of California State University , Sacramento in political science, Kent is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been repeatedly interviewed in trade publications relating to technology and the food industry. He also served as an adjunct professor at American River College.