On April 6, Riverland celebrated a combined appreciation banquet and advisory committee meeting in the West Building Commons with more than 160 advisory committee members and other partners of Riverland career-technical programs.

Steve Bowron served as the Master of Ceremonies. Other Riverland speakers included Dr. Terry Leas and Kari Busch. Mr. Richard L. Knowlton, Chairperson of the Hormel Foundation, was the keynote speaker.

During his career, Knowlton rose through the ranks of Hormel Foods Corporation to become chief executive officer and chairman of the board.

He served as CEO of Hormel during its dramatic transition from a traditional meat processor to a value-added, consumer-branded food company.

Knowlton’s keynote address provided insight into his transformative leadership style and his unparalleled commitment to supporting education.

In addition, he shared his concept of how “points of difference” can transform organizations by adding value and promoting innovation. “Points of Difference” is also the title of his recently published book.

The evening concluded with program-level Advisory Committee break-out sessions.