I love to ask participants to fill in the blank to this sentence, “I trust my grocery store to ______.” For a while, I got responses like “sell safe food,” “be clean” and “have a good assortment of food.” But in recent years, I hear more answers along the lines of “give me product information,” “know where my food comes from,” and “be good to their employees.”

My kids are in college and while they are enjoying their campus experience, they can’t wait to graduate. I tell them all the time that graduation will come and go, but you’ll never stop learning. In today’s fast-pace food retail industry professionals need to be life-long learners—always seeking new skills and fine-tuning their knowledge.

Portland State University, home of the Vikings, first established the Center for Retail Leadership (CRL) in the 1990s and around the same time started the Food Industry Leadership Certificate (FILC) in response to industry demand for a pipeline of talent. The Center has evolved as the industry has changed and today prides itself on being the testing ground for innovation in retail. Today’s program is called the Food, Beverage & Goods Leadership Certificate and provides undergraduate students with an educational foundation in the field of food distribution, marketing, and management.

The 50 State Legislative Outlook report contains a snapshot of budget fitness and anticipated legislative and regulatory actions for each state, and where available, local information is also included.