ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), Arlington, Va.
UPS Freight president Rich McArdle was appointed to the board of directors. McArdle began his career with UPS in 1982 as an early morning package sorter and truck loader. Within three years, he was named to the team that initiated UPS International Air Service between the United States and Europe.  He was promoted to industrial engineering manager in 1987, and developed operating plans for expansions to Canada, Japan, Southeast Asia and Central America. More recently,McArdle served with UPS Corporate Public Affairs to oversee global operations policy, including customs and cargo security matters. In early 2015, McArdle became mid-Atlantic district manager, and continued in that role until being named Jack Holmes' successor as UPS Freight resident in February 2016. 

Potatoes USA, Denver, Colo.
Alex Cooper was named manager of the company’s Spud Nation food truck expansion into Washington, D.C., and the surrounding Mid-Atlantic area. Cooper brings a solid set of skills from previous food truck business interests. For example, Cooper most recently served as the events director for the D.C., Maryland and Virginia Food Truck Association (DMVFTA), where he focused on creating and designing food truck-based events like the Capital City Food Truck Convention and Curbside Cook-off. Previously, he owned and managed a Nom Catering, a food truck business. He also worked as an events manager and team leader for Pfizer UK, and as an account manager at Aspire Events, specializing in conference and exhibition design. Additionally, Brandon Cassulis joined the Spud Nation Food Truck, where he will be traveling around town inspiring consumers with field-to-fork potato adventures. Cassulis has worked in the foodservice industry for over seven years. He was an assistant general manager for Friendly’s.

American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), Elizabethtown, Pa.
Nelson Gaydos was named outreach specialist, effective July. Gaydos will concentrate on giving technical and production support to members, as well as assisting with AAMP’s nutrition labeling service. He currently serves in an extension and research capacity for Penn State University’s Department of Animal Science.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Sargento Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis.
Heather Harwood accepted the position of senior shopper insights manager in the consumer products division, responsible for designing research, providing insights for retailer-specific marketing programs and optimizing the in-store experience. Before joining Sargento Foods, Harwood worked for S.C. Johnson & Son as a global shopper insights manager, where she led shopper-based initiatives to re-invent the in-store experience. Throughout her career, she has led research for brand positioning, creative development, packaging design, new product development and equity tracking.

BJ’s Wholesale Club, Inc., Westborough, Mass.
Lee Delaney was appointed executive vice president, chief growth officer,  effective May 9, responsible for the company’s merchandising and supply chain organization. Prior to joining BJ’s, Delaney was a partner for Bain & Co., and a leader in the firm’s consumer products practice, where he advised clients on corporate strategy, created new market entry plans, supported client acquisitions and advised on large cost reduction programs. Prior to joining Bain in 1996, Delaney worked for Electronic Data Systems and Deloitte Consulting advising clients on a variety of engagements.

George Weston Ltd., Canada
Newly elected directors are as follows: A. Charles Baillie, former chief executive officer of TD Bank Financial Group; Paviter Binning, president and non-independent director of George Weston Ltd. and a principal at The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants; Isabelle Marcoux, chair of the board of Transcontinental Inc.; Sarabjit Marwah, vice chairman and COO of the Bank of Nova Scotia; Gordon Nixon, chief executive officer of Royal Bank of Canada; J. Robert Prichard, chairman of the board of Bank of Montreal; Thomas Rahilly, vice chairman at RBC Capital Markets Corp.; Christi Strauss, chief executive officerof Cereal Partners Worldwide, a joint venture with General Mills and Nestlé; Barbara Stymiest, chair of the board of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, and a corporate director at BlackBerry, George Weston Ltd. and Sun Life Financial Inc.; Alannah Weston, debuty chairman of Selfridges & Co.; Galen G. Weston, executive chairman and president of Loblaw Cos. Ltd.; and W. Galen Weston, executive chairman of George Weston Ltd.

Saputo Inc., Canada
Dino Dello Sbarba, president and COO, announced plans to retire, effective April 1, 2017, after 27 years with the company. On such date, Kai Bockmann will be appointed president and COO. Bockmann has been with the company since January 2012 as president and COO of the international sector.

Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, Wenatchee, Wash.
Shahin Ashraf was named chief operating officer, responsible for overseeing financial, marketing and sales activities. Ashraf spent 20 years with Sun Gro Horticulture, where he was western region sales manager, responsible for commercial sales with estimated annual sales of $60 million.

Market Fresh Produce LLC, Nixa, Mo.
Industry veteran Craig Fields was named senior director of sales, responsible for expanding existing business, while pursuing additional growth opportunities nationwide. Fields brings a strong background in sales, vendor management and communications. His 21-plus years of professional experience includes nine years at RPE, Inc., where he worked in vendor management and sales. He also served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as lead communications trainer for a company of 250 Marines. Previous to that, he spent seven years in sales management.

Titan Farms, Ridge Springs, S.C.
The premier grower, packer and processor of peaches welcomed Sandra White and Michael Lacey to the in-house sales team, responsible for key retail accounts, managing new and existing relationships and advancing ongoing strategies to further develop the peach, broccoli and bell pepper categories. White brings 11 years of experience in the produce industry. She began her career at Del Monte Fresh and continued on to Brooks Tropicals as a sales representative. Most recently, she was the senior sales account manager at Curry & Co., where she managed the berry and carrot programs and helped increase sales by more than 50%. Lacey brings 16 years of experience in the produce industry and twice as much in food and beverage. He began his produce career as vice president of sales and marketing at Pinecrest Farms, followed with positions at Coosemans Worldwide and Tomato Thyme. Most recently, he was the national director of business development at Market Fresh Produce, responsible for developing and implementing a program to grow the brand at retail while also overseeing customer relationships.

FOODSERVICE:
Jamba Juice Co., Emeryville, Calif.
Karen Luey, executive vice president, CFO and CAO, will not be relocating to Texas when the company relocates its headquarters. As a result, Marie Perry will join the organization later this month, and after a transitionary period, will succeed Luey as chief financial officer. Perry was most recently senior vice president, treasurer and controller at Brinker International. She has held roles leading all aspects of the Brinker finance team, including having served as interim CFO during a 12-month period. She also held senior finance roles at American Airlines. Additional leadership changes include Steve Adkins, senior vice president of operations, will assume operations leadership for all store formats, including traditional, non-traditional, express and JambaGo. Dale Goss, senior vice president of development, will be responsible for all real estate and business development activities, including new unit development, new franchise development and new account development. And,Arnaud Joliff, senior vice president of supply chain and IT, will add responsibility for the company’s international business along with his current supply chain and IT organizations. Meanwhile, Tom Madsen announced plans to leave his position as senior vice president of new ventures. And, chief marketing officer Julie Washington will be leaving the organization at the end of May.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., Greenwood Village, Colo.
Carin Stutz was appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer, responsible for leading regional restaurant management teams overseeing the operational performance of more than 440 company-owned U.S. and Canadian Red Robin restaurants and 11 Red Robin Burger Works locations in the United States, as well as additional alternative platforms and all franchise operations. Stutz has more than three decades of experience in the restaurant industry. Most recently, she was president of McAlister’s Deli, and has served in operations leadership roles for major casual dining and fast casual brands, including Chili’s, Applebee’s, Cosi and Wendy’s.

SUPPLIERS:
Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A., Inc.(TMHU), Columbus, Ind.
Bret Bruin was promoted to director of aftermarket operations, responsible for all Toyota forklift service parts operations, including fleet management and telematics. Bruin has worked in the material handling industry for more than20 years. His previous role at Toyota was national manager, strategic planning and dealer development. Prior to joining Toyota, Bruinheld several managementpositions at Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America, Inc.And, Tracy Stachniak was promoted to director of human resources and training and development, responsible for human resources, internal/associate training and development and dealer and customer training. Stachniak has been at TMHU since 2005. Her previous role was national manager of human resources.

First Solar, Inc., Tempe, Ariz.
Georges Antoun, president - U.S., was appointed chief commercial officer, effective July 1. Antoun will have comprehensive leadership responsibility for global project and business development, with a primary focus on increased sales and sustainable growth in emerging markets. As president - U.S., Antoun oversaw project and business development for the United States. Previously, he served as the company's chief operations officer when he joined First Solar in June 2012, after working in the international IT and Telecommunications industries. As part of this transition, Joe Kishkill, president - international, will leave the company to pursue other interests.

Smartcool Systems Inc., Canada
Nick Weedon was named national sales manager for the company’s UK operations. Weedon brings a wealth of knowledge in the energy/renewable marketplace, having served as regional sales manager for Edmundson Electrical Ltd. and national sales and solutions manager for Rexel Ltd., responsible for managing and delivering full turnkey solutions that address energy reductions targets.

Hydrotex, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jeff Porter joined as division partner, serving the agriculture, fleet, food processing, manufacturing and pupil transportation markets in and around central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City Metro, Lawton, Stillwater and Enid. Porter will also counsel customers on reliability-based, cost-efficient machinery and equipment maintenance programs using environmentally-sustainable solutions. Prior to joining Hydrotex, Porter’s career focused on consulting with industrial companies concentrating on revenue generation and working with owners and C-level executives. His industry experience includes packaged goods, oil and gas, industrial, manufacturing, technology, transportation and foodservice.

Kansas City Southern (KCS), Kansas City, Mo.
Patrick Ottensmeyer will succeed David Starling as the company’s chief executive officer, effective July 1. Ottensmeyer will also keep the title of president, a position he assumed on March 1, 2015. Starling will serve as senior advisor to the CEO, beginning July 1 until his retirement on Dec. 31. Ottensmeyer joined KCS in 2006 as executive vice president and CFO. In 2008, he was named executive vice president of sales and marketing, before being named president in 2015.

MULTIVAC, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
Mark Turnham was named technical training manager, tasked with leading the company’s U.S. technical training program. Turnham began his career with MULTIVAC in April 2014 as regional service manager for the Tustin, Calif., customer support center, where he worked closely with technicians to build their skillsets. Turnham maintains a diverse background in manufacturing operations, with more than 25 years of industry experience.