SEPC welcomes Southern Exposure speakers

The Southeast Produce Council announced an exceptional lineup of speakers for the upcoming Southern Exposure: Produce Means Family conference. Taking place March 6-8 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida, this year’s event will focus on SEPC Chair Kristin Yerecic Scott’s platform celebrating the significance of family meals and the importance of coming together. The conference aims to bring together members of the produce community —wholesalers, retailers, growers and more — who support and uplift one another as a family.

Celebrity Keynote Speaker – Bethany Hamilton
Hamilton has become a source of inspiration to millions through her story of determination, faith and hope. At the age of 13, Hamilton lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her career as a rising surf star. One month after the attack, Hamilton returned to the water and within two years had won her first national title. In 2007, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and since then, her story has been told in a New York Times bestselling autobiography and in the 2011 film, Soul Surfer.

Hamilton is involved in numerous charitable efforts, including The Beautifully Flawed Foundation, which reaches out to amputees and youth, encouraging and offering hope to overcome through Jesus Christ.

Using her platform as a professional athlete to promote living a fit and healthy lifestyle, she authored the book Body and Soul in 2014. Hamilton’s latest film project, Unstoppable, a surf documentary that showcases her as one of the best women surfers in the world, released theatrically in the United States on July 12, 2019, accompanied by a photo book and a children’s book.

Passionate about family and about helping young women be unstoppable in life and faith, Hamilton launched the Unstoppable Living online courses in 2019, a mother-daughter mentorship program in 2022, known as the ‘Ohana Experience’, along with another children’s book called Surfing Past Fear. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother, and she continues to touch and inspire lives globally as a professional surfer and motivational speaker.

Industry Keynote Speaker – David Fikes
Fikes is the executive director of the FMI Foundation, which has the mission of supporting the food industry through a focus on research and education in the areas of food safety, health and well-being and social responsibility. His position allows him to act upon his conviction that humans have a right to safe food and consumers have a right to clear information and viable choices.

Formerly, Fikes served as FMI's vice president for communication and consumer/community relations and before joining FMI he was the director of communication for the American Frozen Food Institute. Before entering the world of food trade associations, he worked for 20 years as an Episcopal priest, serving parishes in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

He and his wife, Lisa, are the proud parents of 13-year-old Harper whose soccer skills have now far outpaced those of her father.

Southern Roots Luncheon Speaker – Dominique Dawes
Owner of the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics & Ninja Academies, Dominique opened the gyms to continue her commitment to developing a healthy and compassionate culture in the sport of gymnastics. Her first academy opened in the midst of a global pandemic, July 2020 and her second location opened in 2023. Dawes also holds minority ownership of the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League and served as the co-chair of the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition under the Obama administration alongside Drew Brees. Alongside LeBron James and Maverick Carter, she recently served as executive producer of the Peacock docu-series “Golden”, the journey of United States’s elite gymnasts on the road to the Tokyo Olympics, which has been nominated for a Sports Emmy.

Dawes holds her degree from the University of Maryland and was inducted into UMD's prestigious Hall of Fame in 2022. In 2024, her hometown of Montgomery County, Maryland will honor her career and legacy with a life-size statue to continue inspiring the next generation to follow in her footsteps.

As a wife, mother of four, Olympian and business owner, Dawes has transcended the world of sports, politics, entertainment and culture.

Good Seeds MENtor Program Speaker – Jason Brown
A native of Henderson, NC, Brown is a man of faith, a former professional athlete and community advocate.

Brown studied interpersonal communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill while on an athletic scholarship. His greatest accomplishment at Carolina was meeting the love of his life and wife, Dr. Tay Brown. After he graduated in 2005, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens.

As a free agent in 2009, Jason signed a five-year contract with the St. Louis Rams, served three and was released in March 2012. With several lucrative offers on the table from the Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers, Brown decided instead to take a leap of faith and walk away from the NFL.

After his departure from the NFL, Brown moved back to North Carolina and purchased a 1,000-acre farm in Louisburg. The farm has hosted several community events and collaborated with many faith and service organizations. The farm has yielded 1 million-pounds of produce which were given to food pantries and churches throughout the Triangle area. Thousands of volunteers have lent helping hands in gleaning and harvest events. In his work through Wisdom for Life Ministries and First Fruit Farm, Jason and his wife, Tay, are demonstrating how to live a life of purpose. Jason serves as a great example of community service through agriculture.

“Southern Exposure is more than a conference; it’s a gathering of our produce family to share meals, build connections and learn from incredible voices like Bethany Hamilton, David Fikes, Dominique Dawes, and Jason Brown. We look forward to welcoming everyone with open arms and the spirit of aloha!” said Yerecic Scott.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join our produce family – sharing knowledge, building relationships and celebrating our collective successes over shared meals. Register now at SEPC’s Southern Exposure webpage to secure your spot and be part of an unforgettable experience.

Top photo: SEPC Chair Kristin Yerecic Scott