Executive Forum Kickoff: Does Brand Still Matter? How to Stay Relevant in a Private Label, Copycat World

Executive Forum Kickoff: Does Brand Still Matter? How to Stay Relevant in a Private Label, Copycat World
Thursday, May 21st
4:00 – 5:30 pm MT
Horizon Organic Dairy
12303 Airport Way, Suite 200, Broomfield, CO 80021

What This Roundtable Discussion Will Cover:
This high-impact, peer-led roundtable will tackle the big question on every brand leader’s mind right now. Expect candid conversation, real operator stories, and actionable perspective on:

• The private label surge: Are retailer brands genuinely eroding brand loyalty, or are branded companies ceding ground by playing it safe?
• Standing out in a copycat world: What differentiation tactics — co-branding, innovation, LTOs, rebranding — are actually moving the needle in today’s market?
• What makes a brand worth caring about: Dissecting what creates lasting customer relevance versus what just looks good on a shelf.
• Lessons from inside and outside food & beverage: The brands — from Chick-fil-A to Barbie — that cracked the code, and what natural products operators can steal from their playbook.

Discussion Questions:

• Where is your brand currently winning — or losing — relevance with your customer?
• What have you tried to differentiate — co-branding, innovation, LTOs, rebranding — and what actually moved the needle?
• What’s a brand — inside or outside food & bev — that you personally love, and why?

Speaker: John Maggio​

Founder, Venture Capital Partner & Natural Products Industry Innovator. John Maggio is a multi-company founder and proven growth leader best known for building Boulder Canyon Chips (Boulder Natural Foods) from the ground up into an internationally distributed brand, ultimately facilitating its sale to Utz Quality Foods.

He has served as CEO, co-founder, and senior executive across a portfolio of successful natural products brands — including American Outdoor Products, Snacklemouth, and Cocktail Squad — and has led or participated in the exits of six companies.

A seasoned venture capital partner and board member for brands including Justin’s, Jackson’s Honest, and Ocean’s Halo, John is one of the natural products industry’s most connected and respected operators — and an adjunct professor at the CU Boulder Leeds School of Business.

Parking information:

Complimentary parking is available in the building’s surface lot directly off Airport Way. Look for the main entrance at Suite 200. From US-36, take the Interlocken Loop/Flatiron Crossing exit and head north on Airport Way. The building is on your right. Enter through the main lobby and take the elevator or stairs to the second floor, Suite 200.