ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa
Jan Archer, co-owner of Archer Farms LLC, Goldsboro, N.C., was elected president. Archer also operates Archer Consulting, an enterprise that provides personnel training to the pork industry, including certification in Pork Quality Assurance Plus, Youth PQA Plus and Transport Quality Assurance for producers and allied industry representatives. Meanwhile, Terry O’Neel, owner of O’Neel Farm, was named vice president; andSteve Rommereim, owner of Highland Swine, was named treasurer. Derrick Sleezer, product design and implementation at BarnVista, will serve as immediate past president. The four executive officers will serve 1-year terms beginning July 1.
 

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Gemstone Foods, LLC, Jackson, Miss.
William Andersen was named president and CEO of the company. Andersen maintains more than 20 years of experience in the protein industry. He previously served as executive vice president of Keystone Foods and president of USA Proteins. He has also held senior leadership positions with Southeastern Mills, Gold Kist and Tyson Foods.

Uesugi Farms, Gilroy, Calif.
Johnny Spina Jr. was named farm manager, responsible for the growing operations in the Northern California region, which consist of roughly 1,200 acres. Spina Jr. has spent many years managing his family’s operation, Spina Farms, which was recently acquired by Uesugi Farms. Joe Martins was named raw product procurement manager, responsible for projecting harvest schedules, arranging schedules with growers, selling product and more. Joe Gularte was appointed production supervisor of the packing facility, where he’ll manage production, maintenance and a 40-person crew. Gularte’s oversight ensures Uesugi Farms’ product is graded, packed and ready for delivery. He previously worked as a forklift mechanic for Toyota and routinely serviced Uesugi Farms’ forklift fleet. And, Jerritt Barr came on as a sales representative. Barr maintains more than 20 years in the produce industry, most recently working for the Harold Crawford Co.

Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark.
Tom Hayes was promoted to president, charged with leading the company’s transition and focusing on its hybrid model of branded prepared foods and fresh meats. Prior to his role as chief commercial officer for Tyson, Hayes was also president of foodservice for Tyson. He has also served as chief supply chain officer for The Hillshire Brands Co., responsible for operations, including procurement, manufacturing, food safety and quality, engineering and logistics, as well as senior vice president and chief supply chain officer for Sara Lee North America, responsible for supply chain activities in North American retail and foodservice. Prior to this role, Hayes was president of Sara Lee Foodservice. Before joining Sara Lee in 2006, Hayes served as group vice president of US Foodservice, Inc., where he oversaw the turnaround needs of broadline distribution facilities in the Northeast.  A 29-year veteran of the consumer products industry, Hayes previously held general management, sales and marketing roles at ConAgra Foods, The Fort James Corp., Stella Foods and Kraft Foods.

Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Dennis Gibson was promoted to president of the company's King Soopers division, effective July 1, replacing Russ Dispense, who will retire after 51 years of service. Gibson has been serving as president of the company's QFC division since 2014. Gibson brings 40 years of retail industry experience to his new role. He began his career in 1976 with Grand Central discount department stores. He joined Fred Meyer in 1984, where he held leadership roles of increasing responsibility, including store and district management, regional director and group vice president for store operations, for the next 27 years. In 2011, he was named vice president of operations for Kroger's Columbus, Ohio, division, and in 2013, was named to vice president of merchandising. He was promoted to his current role in 2014.

Walmart Stores, Inc., Bentonville, Ark.
Andy Clarke, president and CEO of Asda, a UK-based division of Walmart, announced plans to retire after more than 20 years, and the last six as chief executive officer, with company. Clarke will remain with the business until the end of July, at which point he will serve as an advisor for the remainder of 2016. As a result, Sean Clarke will return to the UK and Asda as president and CEO, effective July 11. Most recently, Clarke served in the same role with Walmart China, distinguishing himself by leading growth in a critical market. Also, Roger Burnley will be named deputy CEO and chief operating officer of Asda when he rejoins the business in October. He worked at Asda 1996-2002, and was part of the team responsible for integrating Asda into Walmart following its acquisition in 1999. With this move, Dirk Van De Berghe, currently president and CEO, Walmart Canada, will take over leadership of the Walmart China business, effective August 22, pending work authorization. Van De Berghe will also serve as regional president for the Asia business, including Walmart Japan. This move will allow Scott Price, currently president and CEO, Walmart Asia, to focus exclusively on his additional role as chief administrative officer – Walmart International.

Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich.
Richard Dreiling was appointed to the board of directors. Dreiling previously served as chief executive officer of Dollar General Corp. until his retirement in June 2015. He was also chairman of Dollar General from December 2008 to January 2016, and served as senior advisor from June 2015 to January 2016. Dreiling brings more than 40 years of retail industry experience, with diverse experiences across the consumer discount, drug store and grocery sectors. This includes his 34-year tenure with Safeway, Inc. in roles that spanned marketing, manufacturing, distribution, merchandising and retail operations.

CTI Foods, Wilder, Idaho
Raymond Silcock was named executive vice president and CFO, effective June 6, responsible for providing financial counsel and business insight on all strategic and operational issues. Silcock was most recently chief financial officer at Diamond Foods, where he led the sale of the business to Snyder’s-Lance, Inc. earlier this year. Prior to joining Diamond Foods, he was senior vice president and CFO of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., guiding it out of bankruptcy. Other roles include serving as chief financial officer of UST Inc. and Swift and Co.

Organic Valley, La Farge, Wis.
Robert Kirchoff was appointed to the newly created position of chief of business operations, responsible for overseeing information resources, workplace management, employee services and operations. Kirchoff was previously the president of Natrel USA, a division of Agropur. During his 25-year career in the dairy and food industry, he helped lead the Schroeder dairy brand, doubling its annual revenues and operating profit. In 2008, Kirchoff guided the company’s sale to Agropur, and continued as president of U.S. operations until 2014. From 1998-2005, Kirchoff was chief financial officer of Cott Corp., where he oversaw a complete restructuring and turnaround of that business. Earlier in his career, he held a variety of more responsible roles at Campbell Soup Co., where he worked from 1979-1997.

Houweling’s Group, Camarillo, Calif.
Arie van der Giessen was appointed corporate head grower, effective Sept. 1, overseeing the horticultural management of the more than 200 acres of greenhouse farms. For the last 18 years, he has led the horticultural operations for successful regional and national greenhouse operators in North America.

Maglio Companies, Glendale, Wis.
Joe D’Ottavio, a 35-year industry veteran, was tapped to lead the company’s operations teams in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Boston and McAllen, Texas. For the last 13 years, D’Ottavio has led distribution centers for a national food manufacturer, which included tomato-potato-onion repack and fresh-cut facilities. D’Ottavio developed whole fruit, fresh-cut, banana and pineapple programs on a regional and national level for retail, foodservice and convenience store channels. Additionally, he oversaw the acquisition and startup of a 10,000-acre farming project.

Potandon Produce LLC, Idaho Falls, Idaho
Carter Bray joined in a newly created position of director of new product development, responsible for overseeing key development projects and their related marketing strategies. Bray maintains 25 years of sales and marketing experience, with 16 of those years focused on the food industry. He was previously employed at both General Mills and The Pillsbury Co. in different developmental and managerial roles.

FOODSERVICE:
Innovative Dining Group (IDG), Los Angeles
Nicolas Kurban was named new chief operating officer, tasked with overseeing current operations as well as domestic and international operations for the brand. IDG created the position in anticipation of impending growth both at home and abroad. Previously, Kurban served as corporate vice president of food and beverage for Four Seasons Hotels in Asia Pacific, where he oversaw food and beverage operations and concept development for new restaurants and bars as well as assisted the Four Seasons brand in growing its portfolio across the Asia Pacific region. Kurban previously held similar senior leadership roles with Crown Casino, Borgata Casino and Hotel and Wynn Casino and Resort. Kurban brings extensive operational experience with celebrity chefs, such as Wolfgang Puck and Thomas Keller, managing some of the most iconic restaurants in Las Vegas, including Spago and Bouchon Bistro.

Hickory Farms, LLC, Toledo, Ohio
Judy Ransford was named new chief marketing officer, taking over for Michael Holton, who served as CMO for 14 years. In 2015, Ransford founded the ecommerce fashion brand 5 Junes. From 2008-2014, she held a number of key leadership roles at Redbox, including vice president of digital marketing, vice president customer programs and vice president core growth strategy. Other positions included head of marketing for United Ad Label (an RR Donnelley company), and 10 years as a consultant in strategy and technology at Marakon Associates and Accenture. Meanwhile, Matt James was appointed chief operating officer. James joined Redbox in 2011, where he held multiple leadership positions, including senior vice president of operations and merchandising, vice president of inventory and logistics and director and senior director of strategy and analytics. He also focused on driving revenue growth and cost efficiency through better merchandising strategy and execution, optimizing the Redbox kiosk footprint and negotiating improved terms with strategic suppliers. Before Redbox, James worked in strategy consulting at Bain & Co. and Marakon Associates.

SUPPLIERS:
Envysion Inc., Superior, Colo.
Corey Knop was hired to lead the newly created customer success team, focusing on the goal of making customers successful—from initial planning and installation to ongoing program maintenance and reviews. Previously, Knop led a global team of customer support engineers, account managers and managed services teams to deliver customer support for IBM Kenexa’s SaaS and on-premise solutions. In addition, he has led quality assurance and logistics operations teams across five countries spanning 13 time zones, supporting $53 million in revenue.

MULTIVAC, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
Jason Edwards filled the position of product manager – rollstock for the U.S. market, responsible for collaborating with MULTIVAC Global on product innovations that capitalize on developing market trends and expand the product portfolio. In addition, the position plays an important role in educating the sales team on the latest advances in thermoforming technology and functionality. Edwards comes to MULTIVAC from Charter NEX Films, where he worked as the business development manager. Prior to that, he worked as a key account manager for GEA Food Solutions and as a business development manager for PrintPack, Inc. In total, Edwards brings more than 20 years of packaging industry experience his new position. Meanwhile, Cody Allen joined as one of the field service technicians, focusing on the Northeast region of U.S. market, working directly with customers to identify issues and resolving these issues quickly. He will also work with customers on new installations by ensuring the machine is operational and functioning correctly from Day 1. Allen comes to MULTIVAC with a wealth of experience, having worked as a field service technician for National Service Gulf Packaging, responsible for the troubleshooting and repairing of industrial packaging machines. Prior to this, Allen was in the United States Army, where he was responsible for repairing and replacing all systems and components for the tank systems.

915 Labs, Denver, Colo.
Lora Spizzirri joined as vice president of packaging solutions, tasked with managing the packaging solutions program, from design to production, translating packaging visions, strategies and customer requests into projects and programs, leading the development of next generation of MATS and MAPS packaging formats and functional materials and managing the internal packaging team at the new 915 Labs Food Innovation Center. Spizzirri was most recently the director of packaging research and design at Kraft Foods, setting the company's strategic direction for packaging technology and design. In addition to leading a team of engineers, scientists and strategic suppliers in identifying and developing packaging technologies to deliver innovation across the enterprise, she created a framework to leverage the research capabilities of the company's suppliers. While at Kraft, she was also director of product/packaging development and dairy technology, where she led a renovation of the Philadelphia Soft Cream Cheese product line, which included reformulation, packaging redesign and shelf display improvements.

Lauren Manufacturing, New Philadelphia, Ohio
Chris Pfeifferwas named executive vice president, tasked with driving the company’s expansion into new markets, maintaining external relationships and developing employees. Pfeiffer initially joined Lauren’s agriculture division in 2012 as president of Lauren AgriSystems. Prior to that, he served as executive vice president of Danser, Inc. His entrepreneurial background includes founding two businesses, Enertia Trail Foods and The Bread Garage.

Fleet Advantage, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The fleet management solutions provider established a new Safety Committee dedicated to providing insight and overseeing critical safety-related programs for clients and the fleet transportation industry. Members include Mike Spence, senior vice president, fleet services, who will oversee the entire committee; Terry Clouser, vice president fleet services, will focus on safety of vehicles currently in service; Sandy Rosenfeld, safety and operations manager, will focus on CSA compliance, facility and on-road safety; Stephen Katona, director of purchasing, will focus on new truck safety specifications and education; and Luis Herrera, asset disposition sales, will focus on safety inspections of used trucks to the secondary market.