FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ontario Independent Meat Processors’ 30th Anniversary:
Proud of our history and prepared for the future
GUELPH, ON – January 6, 2010 – Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP) is celebrating 30 years as the representative voice of the province’s independent meat and poultry processing industry. The association is commemorating its growth and accomplishments over the past three decades, while taking steps to prepare the industry’s workforce for the future.
“We enter the new decade as an association that is bigger and stronger than ever,” said Tony Facciolo, President, OIMP. “With more voices and more collective experience behind us, we’re b! etter equipped to help Ontario’s family-owned and operated meat processing and retail businesses meet the challenges they face now and in the years to come.”
Among the biggest hurdles ahead is a demographic shift in the industry’s workforce. OIMP recently developed The Business Case for Training Investment in Ontario's Meat Processing Sector, a document that sets out five goals for 2015 and provides seven recommendations to ensure the sector is ready for the future.
“Ensuring our people have the right skills is one of the keys to our sustainability and our future success,” said Facciolo. “With our workforce facing ever-increasing retirements over the next decade, we believe the only choice is to be proactive and prepare.”
OIMP’s anniversary celebrations began in the fall of 2009, with the distribution of 20,000 copies of the Ontario Finest Meat 2010 Calendar throughout the province. The association will mark the milestone at OIMP’s 30th Annual Conference – The Meating Place – in Ni! agara Falls, February 26-28.
“In addition to presenting a full slate of professional development and networking opportunities, our Conference will give us an opportunity to look at how far we’ve come as an association, as an industry, and as a community, and to set the tone for the next 30 years,” said Laurie Nicol, Executive Director, OIMP.
Ontario Independent Meat Processors (OIMP) is the representative voice of the independent meat processor in Ontario, working closely with agricultural and commodity organizations and various levels of government for over 30 years. OIMP’s membership includes 205 Business Members (meat and poultry processors, retailers and wholesalers); 56 Associate Members (industry suppliers); and five Affiliate Members (not-for-profit organizations that support OIMP’s objectives). The meat sector represents 20% of Ontario’s food manufacturing industry, contributing over $6.5 billion to the province’s economy.
For more information, visit
www.oimp.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Laurie Nicol
OIMP Executive Director
519.763.4558
laurie.nicol@oimp.ca
