The International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) announced that John Scroggins, vice president of Noble, an advertising and public relations firm in Springfield, Missouri, was the recipient of the 2013 Betty Bastion Outstanding Service Award. The council’s highest honor, informally called the “Betty,” is presented annually to an IFEC member who has made significant contributions to the well-being of IFEC and the field of foodservice communications through outstanding leadership, service, and professionalism.
An active participant in IFEC for more than 10 years, John has chaired numerous program committees and served as a member of the Board of Directors. Most recently, he served two terms as treasurer and chairman of the Financial Planning & Investment Committee.
“John finds a way to interact with all the IFEC members. He works tirelessly and tactfully behind the scenes to put his clients in a positive light, and seems to always be looking for ways to be of help to others,” said one of several IFEC colleagues who nominated John for the Betty. Another nominator described John as the “enviably discreet figure in the background of his agency’s and IFEC’s most successful programs and events … who does his ‘moving and shaking’ with a subtle hand.”
As a vice president for Noble, John oversees media planning, public relations, event management, direct marketing, and philanthropy for the agency’s roster of blue-chip food companies. His brand and client responsibilities include Heinz, JIF Peanut Butter, M&M’s, Mars, the No Kid Hungry campaign, Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, Smucker Foodservice, Ventura Foods, Otis Spunkmeyer, and Wrigley. John began his career with Noble in 1989, first managing corporate public relations and training and then transferring to Chicago and serving as editor in chief for the company’s award-winning Food Channel. Eventually he became the director of public relations, responsible for Noble corporate programs and clients, including the Pillsbury Company, Keebler, Tyson Foods, Haagen-Dazs, and Wal-Mart.
Among the first communications responders called to the city of Joplin following the 2011 tornado, John supported the city’s media relations and community outreach efforts, as well as communications and fundraising for the Joplin School District. In addition to IFEC, he is an active member of the American Advertising Federation and the International Food Futurists.
The Betty is named for IFEC’s first executive director, Betty Bastion Varese, who retired in 1991 and continues as an honorary member. IFEC is a 250-member professional association that brings foodservice editors and public relations and marketing communications professionals together to exchange ideas and share resources. Editor members are the voices of the leading print and digital magazines, while PR members represent key suppliers, restaurants, non-commercial operations, trade groups and more. Through education and networking activities, tuition assistance for members’ continuing education, and scholarships for students preparing for foodservice communications careers, the council strives to encourage high professional and aesthetic standards among those working in and with the foodservice media and the entry of high-caliber individuals into the field.
