DES MOINES, IOWA — The National Pork Board (NPB) announced Patrick Fleming is returning to the board to serve as vice president of demand development. His return coincides with the culmination of an 18-month effort funded by the Pork Checkoff to develop and deploy new consumer market research and insights across the pork industry.

Fleming will lead the marketing and domestic demand team in a novel, data-driven approach to increase the relevancy of pork to Americans.

“Our domestic demand efforts will be led by one of the best in the business,” said David Newman, senior vice president of market growth for NPB. “With decades of ‘farm-to-plate’ experience in sales and marketing, Patrick is passionate about this industry and excited to work on behalf of producers. He brings energy and momentum to the team and the work we have ahead of us. There is no one better qualified to lead the charge in making pork relatable to consumers in key markets.”

The new NPB Consumer Connect market segmentation and business tool will aid Fleming and his nine-member team in their campaign to reach consumers. The campaign is particularly interested in improving pork demand among Generation Z and Millennials, whose pork consumption continues to decline.

The team will focus on consumer demand, multicultural marketing, foodservice and retail support, packer/processor collaboration, and human nutrition strategies for NPB.

“To reposition pork in the marketplace and with younger Americans, adoption of an industry-wide approach to reaching consumers with a unified message for pork is needed to inevitably change the perception Millennials and Gen Z have of pork,” said Fleming. “The goal of this work is to encourage Americans to fall in love with pork. I can’t think of a better reason to come to work every day; it’s a big part of why I am thrilled to return to NPB.”