ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), Denver, Colo.
Takemichi Yamashoji was promoted to Japan director, responsible for managing market development programs for U.S. pork and beef, identifying emerging opportunities for U.S. exporters, monitoring regulatory and public policy proceedings and evaluating economic trends and conditions in the Japanese market. Yamashoji has been with USMEF since 1999, most recently as senior marketing director.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
The Fresh Market, Inc., Greensboro, N.C.
The specialty grocery retailer appointed Pamela Kohn as executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, responsible for enhancing the customer experience while accelerating the improvement of merchandise selection, customer value, brand messaging and in-store experience. Kohn maintains a 30-year career in retail, which most recently includes 12 years at Walmart Stores, Inc. in supply chain, merchandising, store operations, real estate, sourcing and merchandising operations.  During her tenure there, she led Walmart’s perishables business and Neighborhood Market program. Prior to her career at Walmart, Kohn led the merchandising program at The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co., and was chief merchandising and marketing officer of Food Lion.

The Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Jeff Burt was promoted to president of Fred Meyer Stores, taking over for Lynn Gust, who announced plans to retire Jan. 31 after 45 years of service. Burt is currently president of Kroger's Central division, which operates stores primarily in Indiana and Illinois. Burt began his career with Kroger in 1986 as a management trainee. He has held a variety of leadership positions with the company, including store manager, produce merchandiser and vice president of merchandising and operations. In 2004, he was named corporate vice president of deli/bakery merchandising and procurement, before being promoted to group vice president of perishables merchandising and procurement in 2010. He has served as president of Kroger's Central division since 2013. Gust started his career with Kroger in 1970 as a parcel clerk at Fred Meyer's Fourth Plain store in Vancouver, Wash. In 1972, he entered Fred Meyer's food management program and advanced to serve in a variety of leadership roles in the division, including food department manager, training coordinator, grocery buyer and director of grocery sales and merchandising. He also attended the Cornell Food Executive Program in 1994. After serving as group vice president for the food group, he was named senior vice president of the store operations group in 2003. Gust was named executive vice president of corporate merchandising and advertising in 2006, followed by vice president of operations in 2011. He was promoted to president of Fred Meyer in 2012. Under his leadership, Fred Meyer reached $10 billion in annual sales for the first time.

Peacock Foods, Geneva, Ill.
As part of the integration of L&L Foods, John Pooley, the founder and CEO of L&L Foods, join the board of directors. Also, Duncan Lavery was appointed president of the produce and foodservice division.

WhiteWave Foods Co., Denver, Colo.
Anthony Magro was appointed to the board of directors. Magro brings decades of leadership experience in the investment and corporate advisory services industry. For example, he is a senior advisor of Evercore, and has held various positions with Bank of America Merrill Lynch, including vice chairman of global investment banking and group head and managing director of global investment banking for Banc of America Securities. Magro also headed the merger and acquisition group of Bear, Stearns & Co., and worked in mergers and acquisitions at Kidder, Peabody & Co. and Dillon, Read & Co.

Hy-Vee, Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa
Executive vice president and chief retail officer Jay Marshall was named new chief operating officer, becoming only the fourth person in the company’s history to hold that title. Marshall will retain all responsibility for retail operations and store development, and will assume responsibility for all merchandising areas in the coming months.

PUBLIX, Lakeland, Fla.
Ed Crenshaw announced plans to retire as chief executive officer of Publix Super Markets, effective April 30. Crenshaw began his Publix career in 1974 as a front service clerk. After working in a variety of retail and support positions, he was promoted to director of retail operations in 1984. In 1990, he became vice president and was elected to the board of directors. In 1991, Crenshaw started the Atlanta division as division vice president. He was promoted to executive vice president of retail in 1994, and to president in 1996. He was named chief executive officer in 2008. Current chairman of the board Charlie Jenkins Jr. will become chairman emeritus. And, president Todd Jones will become president and CEO. Jones began his career in 1980 as a front service clerk, and worked in a variety of store positions before becoming a store manager in 1988. He was promoted to district manager in 1997, regional director in 1999 and vice president of the Jacksonville division in 2003. In 2005, Jones was promoted to senior vice president of product business development. He was named president in 2008.

SUPPLIERS:

915 Labs, Centennial, Colo.
David Behringer, an award-winning food innovator, research and development executive and certified professional chef, joined as chief technology officer, responsible for technology development, product applications, engineering and the company's packaging program. Behringer comes from the Kraft Foods Group, where he was most recently a Kraft Fellow in Disruptive Innovation and Supplier Integration, heading the discovery, incubation and adoption of enterprise-wide disruptive innovation. He also partnered with the company's procurement leadership to identify and implement integrated supplier relationships across the ingredient and commodity supply chains. Behringer also participated in the development and commercialization of new products, including fat-free salad dressings and South Beach Diet entrées and snacks, as well as the acquisition of the Back to Nature brand and its expansion into multiple categories.

TPC Wire & Cable Corp. (TPC), Macedonia, Ohio
Jeff Crane joined as president and CEO, effective Jan. 11. Crane brings a track record of leading high-performance teams executing organic and M&A-fueled growth strategies. Crane most recently served as president and CEO of ERIKS North America, and president and CEO of Lewis-Goetz and Co.

Quest Resource Holding Corp., The Colony, Texas
The sustainability, recycling and resource management firm named S. Ray Hatch as president and CEO, effective Feb. 1. Hatch, a 25-year veteran, most recently served as president of Merchants Market Group. From June 2008 to January 2014, he served in various roles such as executive vice president and COO of Oakleaf Waste Management.

Horton Holding, Inc., Roseville, Minn.
The leader in airflow solutions promoted Cordell Dietz to president and CEO, taking over for Geert Henk Touw, who retired. Dietz joined Horton in September 2015 as chief operating officer, responsible for the company’s domestic and global operations, including strategic business development and overseeing the company’s expanding North American and European initiatives and facilities.

Baumer USA, Southington, Conn.
Christopher Gostebskijoined as controller. Gostebski has held various positions in accounting, finance, analysis and supply chain management with Stanley Black & Decker, United Technologies and Pratt & Whitney division.

Phoseon Technology, Hillsboro, Ore.
Stacy Fender was appointed vice president of worldwide sales, tasked with driving the company’s continued worldwide growth. Fender brings over 29 years of experience in international sales, business development and sales management from the semiconductor and software industries. Prior to joining Phoseon, he was the vice president of worldwide sales at eASIC, and has held multinational executive roles at Lattice Semiconductor and Xilinx Inc.

Partner Logistics, UK
This integrated logistics provider appointed Jolin Dophemont as supply chain developer, responsible for overseeing integrated warehousing and transport projects and establishing and managing relationships with distribution partners. Dophemont has worked in the logistics industry for over 20 years, and maintains extensive experience in managing frozen storage and distribution and knowledge of rail, road and air-freight transportation. Also, Mark Knibbeler was named supply chain specialist, responsible for acting as the connecting link between customers, carriers and the frozen food storage facilities. Knibbeler brings 14 years’ experience from the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, where amongst other roles, he worked as a transport planner.