ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), Eagle, Idaho
Ritchey Toevs, owner of Toevs Farm, was elected chairman for the 2016-2017 fiscal year, while Lynn Wilcox, president of Wilcox, Floyd & Sons, was named vice chairman.
 
Flexible Packaging Association, Annapolis, Md.
Alison Keane, Esq., was named president and CEO, effective Oct. 3, providing strategic leadership and advocacy to advance and grow the flexible packaging industry. Keane previously served as the vice president of government affairs and industry programs for the American Coatings Association, where she was responsible for advocacy on behalf of the U.S. paint and coating industry. An environmental attorney with 20 years of experience in the association and government sectors, Keane also served at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Maryland State Senate.

Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, Long Beach, Calif.
Duane Kenagy is being considered for the interim chief executive officer position of the Port of Long Beach, taking over for CEO Jon Slangerup, who on Sept. 8, announced he is leaving the port to become chairman and CEO of an aviation technology company. Kenagy currently serves as the port’s capital programs executive, overseeing nearly $4.5 billion in construction and improvement projects, including overseeing the replacement of the Gerald Desmond Bridge and the redevelopment of the Middle Harbor Container Terminal. Kenagy joined the port in 2014, and maintains more than 35 years of engineering and design project management experience in the United States and overseas. Prior to joining the port, Kenagy worked for Moffatt & Nichol, and was a key player in the Alameda Corridor rail project.

 

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Houweling’s Group of Cos., Camarillo, Calif.
Kevin Doran was appointed to chief executive officer. Doran joined the company in 2015 as chief operating officer, and was added the responsibility of president in January. Doran maintains extensive experience in the produce industry, both in North America and Europe, along with a career foundation built in retail merchandising, marketing and operations.

CSM Bakery Solutions, Atlanta
Marianne Kirkegaard was elected president and CEO, succeeding Robert Sharpe, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. Since joining CSM in 2011, Kirkegaard has served in senior marketing, sales and commercial roles, including senior vice president, products and marketing, as well as her most recent position as chief commercial officer. She spearheaded the globalization and digitization of the company's sales and marketing capabilities, and led the development of new category and channel strategies as well as the optimization of the company's product portfolio. Kirkegaard joined from Unilever, where she spent 20 years in various commercial general management roles of increasing seniority. She has also held executive positions at Carlsberg Group and the Coca-Cola Co.

United Producers Inc., Columbus, Ohio
Steve Pieper was named new manager of the Shelbyville, Ill., facility, effective Sept. 14, responsible for growing relationships with livestock producers in the area, managing the day-to-day operation of the facility and providing leadership to the Shelbyville team. Pieper has worked for the cooperative for over 30 years, holding several positions at the Shelbyville market.

Sysco Corp., Houston, Texas
Daniel Brutto, Bradley Halverson and Edward Shirley joined the company’s board of directors, expanding the size of the board to 15 members. Brutto served as president of UPS International and senior vice president of UPS from January 2008 until his retirement in June 2013. Brutto’s 38-year career at UPS provided him with extensive experience in executive leadership/management, strategy development, business operations, finance, information systems, mergers and acquisitions, marketing and international/global operations. Halverson currently serves as group president, financial products and corporate services and CFO of Caterpillar. During Halverson’s nearly 30-year career with Caterpillar, together with his prior service with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, he has developed deep expertise in accounting, financial reporting and corporate finance, along with leadership experience in the areas of executive management, corporate strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, risk management, information technology systems oversight and international business. Shirley served as president and CEO of Bacardi Ltd. from 2012-2014. Prior to that, he spent a combined 32 years with The Procter & Gamble Co., with 27 of those years spent as a senior executive with The Gillette Co. As a result of his many years of experience with large consumer products companies, Shirley gained deep expertise in the areas of executive leadership, strategy development, marketing/brand development and business operations.

Alpine Fresh, Inc., Doral, Fla.
Lilia Rivera was named new food safety director. Rivera is well versed in all things food safety, having led the compliance department in a fresh-cut processing facility for the past five years. She also maintains experience in HACCP, test and hold programs, product testing, environmental testing and social compliance.

ARYZTA AG, Switzerland
Gary McGann will join the board as chairman, and Rolf Watter will join as a non-executive director. McGann maintains extensive experience in leading, managing and governance of major global businesses. He is currently chairman of Paddy Power Betfair Plc., and director of Smurfit Kappa Group plc, Green REIT plc and MPS plc. McGann retired from his position as group chief executive officer of SKG in late 2015 after 17 years of service (13 as group CEO). Previous roles included group CEO of Aer Lingus, chief executive officer of Gilbeys of Ireland and group financial controller of Ericsson Ireland. Watter has been a partner at the Zurich law firm Bar & Karrer since 1994. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions, and is a leading expert in corporate governance. He is currently chairman of PostFinance AG and serves as a non-executive director of AW Faber Castell AG and AP Alternative Portfolio AG. Meanwhile, Denis Lucey announced plans to retire from the board as chairman, effective this year. And, Shaun Higgins is not standing for further re-election.

FOODSERVICE:
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Plano, Texas
Helen Vaid was appointed to the newly created position of chief customer officer, effective Sept. 26, tasked with overseeing the transformation of the company’s in-restaurant and digital customer experience and leading the international e-commerce, technology and operations business. Vaid most recently served as vice president, digital store operations and experience for Wal-Mart, where she was responsible for the growth, profitability, traffic growth and conversion of the online retailer site. Prior to Wal-Mart, Vaid was general manager at Snapfish.

SUPPLIERS:
The Allen Lund Co. (ALC), La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Mark Zitzer was appointed manager of the company’s newly opened office in Little Rock, Utah. Zitzer maintains 15 years of 3PL experience in Arkansas. He joined ALC in 2016 as manager of the Little Rock office.

JBT Corp., Chicago
Jason Clayton will be joining as executive vice president, human resources, effective Sept. 28, taking over for Mark Montague, JBT's current executive vice president, human resources, who announced his retirement. Montague will remain with JBT through early 2017. Clayton maintains 16 years of industrial experience and a broad HR background, including leadership roles in talent acquisition and management and compensation. Clayton comes from Signode Industrial Group, where he served as vice president, human resources. Previously, he was vice president, human resources for IDEX Corp., and has held HR management roles with Pepsi and Newell Rubbermaid.     

Americold, Atlanta
Andrea Darweesh joined as executive vice president and chief human resources officer, responsible for all human resource policy implementation, motivating company culture, talent management and succession planning, compensation development, employee relations and mentoring the human resources organization. Darweesh brings more than 20 years of executive-level human resources experience, having previously served in senior roles with Equifax, Nordstrom and Coca Cola. She most recently served as executive vice president and chief human resources officer with The Weather Channel.

ORBIS Corp., Oconomowoc, Wis.
David Heer was hired as senior commercial director for ORBIS Europe, responsible for leading the company’s reusable packaging expansion in the European market. Heer has more than 20 years of progressive management and marketing experience in Europe, Asia and North America, with a high-level understanding of reusable packaging used in food, beverage, consumer goods and automotive industries. Heer will lead the ORBIS Europe team, including marketing, sales, customer service and operations, with a strong focus on customer relationships, new product development and market expansion. Throughout his career, Heer has held various senior management positions throughout Europe in supply chain and logistics, customer solutions and sales, with expertise in strategic planning and execution.

Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc., New Richmond, Wis.
Paul Jenks was appointed director of sales and marketing, effective July 25, responsible for all sales and marketing functions pertaining to Bosch’s New Richmond facility, and for growing market share in territories such as Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central America. Jenks brings with 20 years of experience in the packaging industry and over 17 years of sales and marketing expertise.

The Greenbrier Cos., Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore.
Jim Cowan was appointed president, Greenbrier International, and will remain as chief executive officer of GBW Railcar Services, LLC, a 50/50 railcar repair and refurbishment joint venture with Watco Cos., LLC. In this newly-created role, Cowan's broad experience in manufacturing and the rail industry will support Greenbrier's rapidly-growing international operations. Cowan's responsibilities extend to all railcar markets outside the Americas and include international project coordination with Greenbrier's global manufacturing organization. Prior to joining Greenbrier in 2014, Cowan worked for Amsted Rail supporting their activities in Brazil. Previously, Cowan served as president and CEO of American Railcar Industries, Inc. (ARI), where he maintained oversight of ARI's activities in international rail markets. Ray Pericola, who has served at GBW since its creation in 2014, was promoted to president.

Spiroflow Systems, Monroe, N.C.
Don Mackrill was named chief operating officer, effective immediately, obtaining complete operational control for all powder handling projects, from engineering through production, customer delivery and customer service. Mackrill is a 21-year veteran of the powder handling industry, most recently serving as president and COO of Control and Metering before joining Spiroflow in April 2013. Since joining the Spiroflow team, he has held management roles in sales and production.

Advanced Training Systems (ATS), St. Petersburg, Fla.
Reginald Welles was appointed chief technology officer, effective Sept. 1, playing a key role in shaping ATS's simulation technology strategy. Welles brings more than 40 years of engineering, technical and corporate management experience. His expertise includes actively managing research and design in advanced, high-fidelity simulator technologies, with a focus on human factor integration and behavioral modification through synthetic interactive training environments. Welles co-founded three simulation companies, including I-Sim Corp., which sold to GE Capital in 2000. He’s also received five patents, and his work has been incorporated into simulation solutions at Eaton Corp., Goodyear and the Federal DOT.