ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Idaho Potato Commission (IPC), Eagle Idaho
Matt Brigotti joined as foodservice promotions director for the Northeast and Midwest, taking over for Tod Schmidt, regional foodservice promotion director and 16-year veteran who will be retiring in October. Brigotti will lead marketing outreach to restaurant operators, distributors and produce specialists, as well as conduct Idaho potato product seminars and educational sessions and represent the brand and industry at foodservice tradeshows. Brigotti brings over 17 years of sales, marketing, promotion and management expertise. He began his career as president of the New York Spaghetti House, where he turned around an aging restaurant, bringing it into the 21st century and restoring its popularity and profitability. He also worked as a marketing associate for Sysco Food Service, and spent 10 years representing Taylor Farms, managing the McDonalds and US Foods accounts.

ASHRAE, Atlanta
Bjarne Olesen, professor at Technical University of Denmark, was elected chairman for the 2017-18 term. Elected officers who will serve 1-year terms are as follows: president-elect Sheila Hayter, group manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; treasurer Darryl Boyce, assistant vice president, facilities management and planning, Carleton University; vice president Michael Schwedler, principal and senior applications manager, Trane Co.; vice president Ginger Scoggins, president, Engineered Designs; vice president Edward Tsui, managing director, Intelligent Technologies Ltd.; and vice president Julia Keen, associate professor, Architectural Engineering and Construction Sciences, Kansas State University. Newly elected directors who will serve 3-year terms are as follows: region VII director and regional chair Michael Cooper, senior vice president, Bernhard MCC; region VIII director and regional chair Jonathan Symko, president, QSC Consultants LLC; region IX director and regional chair Trenton Hunt, systems engineer/account manager, Mechanical Products Intermountain; region X director and regional chair Marites Dagulo Calad, vice president, Norman S. Wright Mechanical; region XIV director and regional chair Constantinos Balaras, research/development engineer, National Observatory of Athens; region-at-large director and regional chair Farooq Mehboob, owner, S. Mehboob & Co.; director-at-large Van Baxter, senior R&D engineer, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; director-at-large Donald Brandt, sales engineer, Trane Co.; and director-at-large Tim McGinn, partner, DIALOG.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, Long Beach, Calif.
Stacey Lewis was appointed director of human resources services, effective July 1, charged with leading the division that administers employment for the harbor department. Lewis joined the Port of Long Beach in 2008. She was appointed assistant director of human resources in January 2009. Prior to coming to the port, she was the president of a consulting firm providing services to several local municipalities and non-profit organizations, including the port. She was also the civil service manager for the City of Torrance, Calif., and currently serves as a commissioner for the Long Beach Unified School District Personnel Commission.

American Dairy Science Association (ADSA), Champaign, Ill.
Karen Schmidt, professor of animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University, assumed the role of president, serving a 1-year term. Schmidt has served as vice president of the organization for the past year and as director of the dairy foods division prior to that. Schmidt has taught several classes, such as dairy products evaluation, dairy products processing, introduction to food science and food quality control. She was the recipient of the Milk Industry Foundation Teaching Award in 2011, and her research area has focused on the quality and functionality of dairy foods, dairy proteins and functional foods.

Dairy Processors Association of Canada (DPAC), Canada
Roger Bergeron, chief executive officer of Fromagerie Bergeron, and Luc Boivin, chief executive officer of La Fromagerie Boivin, joined the board of directors.

Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC), Washington, D.C.
Suzie Squier was hired to serve as executive director, responsible for developing and expanding the capabilities of the center’s Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC), carrying on engagement and partnerships with leading academic institutions, industry trade associations, government, law enforcement and cross-sector sharing forums, engaging private sector stakeholders and government agencies to facilitate information sharing and strengthening the retail industry’s capability and capacity to mitigate risk from cyberattacks. Squier has been connected to the R-CISC from day one, and maintains a wealth of management experience. In her previous role at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Squier was integral in the origination and formation of the R-CISC. She served as RILA’s executive vice president of member services, where oversaw the membership and marketing functions and had oversight of the CIO Leaders Council, Cybersecurity Leaders Council and the Internal Audit Committee. Squier replaced Brian Engle.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
SUPERVALU INC., Minneapolis
Bruce Besanko announced his intention to resign from his position as executive vice president, COO and CFO, effective July 5, to pursue an opportunity outside the company. As a result, Rob Woseth, executive vice president, chief strategy officer, will assume the additional position of interim CFO, and David Johnson, vice president, controller, will assume the additional position of interim CAO.

Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark.
George Chappelle, chief operating officer at AdvancePierre Foods, was selected chief integration officer  to support acquisitions that help drive the company’s strategic growth. Chappelle will manage the integration management office and lead all aspects of the integration of AdvancePierre, which Tyson Foods acquired earlier this month. Chappelle will also continue to lead operations for AdvancePierre, which he joined in 2014 as senior vice president-supply chain; he became chief operating officer in 2016. He previously held operations and information technology leadership roles at Solo Cup, Sara Lee Foods, Heinz and the Gillette Co.

Albertsons Cos., Boise, Idaho
Dennis Clark was promoted to senior vice president of merchandising. Clark started his career with Safeway and joined Albertsons in 1988, working his way up in the business. Previously, he was group vice president of marketing and merchandising, and 18 months prior to that, was vice president of marketing and merchandising for ACME under both SUPERVALU’s and new Albertson’s ownership. In 2015, he joined the company’s integration team to help develop the go-forward operating strategy following the merger. Also, Pat Brown was named group vice president of merchandising, leading deli, prepared foods and business initiatives. Previously, Brown was vice president of merchandising strategic initiatives for Natural Markets Food Group, where he was the CEO for 2.5 years. His prior roles include chief operating officer for New Seasons Market and director of retail operations for H-E-B, where he was instrumental in developing their Central market format.

G. Willi-Food International Ltd., Israel
Iram Graiver resigned as president.

TreeHouse Foods, Inc., Oak Brook, Ill.
Lee Wise was tapped as vice president, treasurer, effective July 5. Wise has served as vice president, treasurer and corporate development for Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. since 2011. Prior to Mead Johnson, Wise was director of strategy and development for Brunswick Corp. He maintains over 15 years of experience across the finance function, including treasury, risk management, strategy, planning and tax.

Specialty Foods Group, LLC, Owensboro, Ky.
Lorie Waisberg, chairman and director of Chemtrade Logistics Income Fund, and a director of Americas Silver Corp. and Tembec Inc., among other entities, joined the board of managers, effective July 6. Prior to retirement, Waisberg served as executive vice president, finance and administration of Co-Steel Inc. Prior to that, he practiced law with a major Canadian law firm.

Santa Monica Seafood, Rancho Dominguez, Calif.
Roger O’Brien was named new president and CEO, continuing to focus on the company’s growth, expansion and business strategy while taking on additional operational oversight of all sales, operations and administrative departments. Anthony Cigliano will relinquish his position as president, but remain as chairman of the board. O’Brien has served as chief executive officer since January 2015, and has been an executive board advisor since 2005. 

FOODSERVICE:
CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc., Franklin, Tenn.
The parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s appointed Jeff Jenkins as chief marketing officer, responsible for focusing on reinvigorating creative campaigns, bringing to life the brands’ energy and passion and highlighting CKE’s quality food. Brennan will work directly with franchisees to drive sales and rebuild back-of-house operations. Jenkins maintains more than 15 years of experience in digital and deep foodservice marketing, most recently at Whole Foods Market, where he launched the company into the digital era. Prior to Whole Foods Market, he was the director of digital experience and new platforms for Taco Bell, where he was responsible for the development and launch of the Cannes Lion mobile ordering app. Tom Brennan joined as chief operating officer. Previously, Brennan spent nearly 11 years with 7-Eleven, working in a variety of roles, including store operations, merchandising and store development. He brings a great deal of experience in multi-unit leadership, as well as working directly with franchisees to expand the core business. Brennan also worked at Target Corp. as a part of their financial planning and analysis team, and spent 6 years on active duty as part of the U.S. Army’s Armor Corps. Lastly, Chip Seigel was promoted to chief legal officer, where he will oversee the legal department.

SUPPLIERS:
Flow-Rite Controls, Byron Center, Mich.
Michael Leonard was named sales and marketing director, effective July 3, tasked with overseeing all sales, marketing and customer service efforts for Flow-Rite’s battery maintenance and marine businesses. Leonard brings over 27 years of experience and senior leadership from the battery industry. Previously, he was director of OE sales and engineering for Johnson Controls, and before that, he was director of electric vehicle programs for Exide Technologies.

CX North America Information Services Inc., Canada
David Kreidler assumed the role of director of business development. Kreidler maintains 20 years of experience in freight transportation and logistics management. Previously, he was vice president of operations at Trans Dynamics, where he spearheaded the company’s growth from $5 million in annual revenue to over $20 million. After its sale to Savage Services, he served as managing director. Before that, he spent time at Twin Modal, where he built a brokerage branch office from the ground up, eventually leading it to achieve revenues of $20 million per year. And, at American Backhaulers, Kreidler was part of the team that elevated the importance of carrier relationships and helped launch a computer system that set the industry standard for its time. 

Navistar International Corp., Lisle, Ill.
Michael Cancelliere was promoted to president, truck and parts, effective July 1, replacing William Kozek, who will assume a planning role focused on emerging industry opportunities, focusing on vehicle electrification and potential disruptive technologies. In his new role, Cancelliere will oversee all aspects of the company's truck and parts business. Most recently, he served as senior vice president, global parts and customer service. Cancelliere has been with the company for more than 37 years in a variety of truck and parts sales leadership positions. Also, Bernardo Valenzuela is returning to the company in the newly created role of vice president of export, and president of Mexico and global operations, responsible for the company's Mexico and export markets, as well as overseeing the company's global operations in South America and Asia. Previously, Valenzuela spent 16 years at Navistar, working in roles of increasing responsibility across its export and Mexico businesses. He served as vice president of global trucks sales from 2008-2014, before leaving and founding Terranova GTS LLC.

TruTag Technologies, Emeryville, Calif.
Saih Bang Wong was named managing director of Asia sales, responsible for leading the expansion into greater China, and overseeing the formation of business partnerships across the region. Wong maintains more than two decades of experience with senior executive positions in sales, marketing and business development in multinational companies, including AT&T Consumer Electronics, Hewlett-Packard, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing and STATSChipPAC Ltd. Prior to joining TruTag Technologies, Wong was vice president, corporate sales for STATS ChipPAC Ltd., responsible for the Asia Pacific region.

The Greenbrier Cos., Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore.
Wanda Felton and David Starling were appointed to the company's board of directors. Felton maintains approximately 25 years of investment banking and private equity advisory experience. After twice being confirmed by the United States Senate, Felton recently completed service as first vice president and vice chair of the Export Import Bank of the United States, where she voted on policy matters and approved transactions that spanned global markets and addressed many industry sectors, including manufacturing and transportation, among others. Earlier in her career, Felton worked in corporate finance, serving clients in the financial services industry. She also led transactions that steered more than $3.5 billion to emerging markets, including sub‐Saharan Africa. Prior to that, she operated MAP Capital Advisors, and was a managing director at Helix Associates, a division of Jefferies Inc.; a director at Credit Suisse First Boston; and a managing director at Hamilton Lane Advisors. Starling recently retired from the board of directors of Kansas City Southern (KCS), where he has served since 2010. From 2008-2016, Starling also served as president and COO at KCS and as president and CEO of its affiliate, Kansas City Southern Railroad. Starling possesses substantial experience in the North American rail industry and in intermodal transportation and global shipping logistics. He began his railroad career in 1971 with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad (the Frisco), and over the next 14 years, held various positions in rail operations at the Frisco and later Burlington Northern, after it acquired Frisco. From 1988-1999, he served in various roles for American President Lines, including vice president of Central Asia, where he oversaw operations in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. Subsequently, he relocated to Panama to serve as president and director general of Panama Canal Railway Co., a KCS affiliate, responsible for the reconstruction of the railroad and its subsequent operation. 

Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI), Washington, D.C.
Thomas Murta was named executive director, effective July 10. Murta maintains significant industry knowledge in compliance assessment, risk reduction, crisis management and emergency planning. He most recently served as assistant vice president of safety and operations compliance for CSX Transportation, where he held a variety of positions spanning his 24 years with the company, including positions responsible for safety and compliance, hazardous materials systems, environmental compliance and infrastructure. Prior to CSX, Murta spent six years with the Kentucky Department of Natural Resources.

Bettcher Industries, Inc., Birmingham, Ohio
Thomas Holm was promoted to vice president of global sales, responsible for leading the worldwide sales efforts of Bettcher Industries and its subsidiary company, Gainco, and overseeing Bettcher’s direct and company-owned presence in the the United States, Europe, Brazil and China. Holm maintains an extensive background in the food, food processing and agricultural industries. He joined Bettcher in 2012 as managing director of the company’s European subsidiary company. Prior to joining Bettcher, Holm held a variety of sales, business development and management positions at Scanvaegt International and FOSS. He was also a member of “Patrulje Delingen,” a special operations taskforce within the Royal Danish Army.

Transervice Logistics, Inc., Lake Success, N.Y.
David Wilke was named director of sales, Midwest, responsible for managing sales opportunities and developing new customer relationships in the Midwest region. Previously, Wilke was director of operations for Compass Lease, LLC, where he oversaw operations and the maintenance functions for some 4,000 trailers at five national branches. He was also general manager of the new Compass Truck Rental division, where he headed up the sales, maintenance and finance departments at three locations; and rental account manager for Ryder System, Inc., responsible for generating rental, lease and used vehicle sales leads and processes.

Matrix Technologies, Inc., Maumee, Ohio
David Blaida was named president, responsible for all production divisions, while continuing to coordinate the activities of the sales and marketing department. Bishop will also continue his CEO role. Blaida has been with Matrix Technologies for 27 years in various positions, including engineer, group leader, department manager, director of sales and marketing and vice president. 

ESE, Inc., Marshfield, Wis.
Adam Sharrett was hired as an inside sales application specialist. Sharrett maintains six years of automation and sales experience, ranging from working on PLC upgrades and collaborating with food processing equipment OEMs to calling on food packaging companies. Previously, he served as a sales associate and account manager at Professional Control Corp.

IN MEMORIUM: THOMAS PERRY, PERRY’S ICE CREAM

Thomas Charles Perry, chairman emeritus of Perry’s Ice Cream, Akron, N.Y., passed away June 4.

Perry began his career in the family ice cream business at the age of 14. He was the third-generation Perry family member to lead the organization started by his grandfather, H. Morton Perry. As president and CEO, he led the development of long-term business strategies and goals and oversaw all aspects of the organization until he retired.

One of his most significant achievements was the planning and execution of the move of Perry’s corporate headquarters to Ice Cream Plaza in 1982. After retiring as president and CEO in 2000, he remained involved until as chairman until 2016, responsible for managing the board of directors and acting as a consultant/advisor until his retirement to chairman emeritus last year.

Perry was also very involved in the dairy/ice cream industry, having served as treasurer of the International Ice Cream Association (IICA) from 1989-1991. Perry also served as IICA chair from 1999-2001.  

In addition to his wife, Marilyn Peterson, he is survived by their three children, Brian (Jayne) Perry of Akron, Gayle (Robert) Denning of Clarence Center and Marcia (Alvaro) Rodriguez of St. Charles, IL; 8 grandchildren, Jenna Perry, Leah, Paige, Lindsay, and Noah Denning, Claire, Lauren, and Rachel Rodriguez; sister, Linda (Joseph) Capan of Akron and Allyn (Marilyn) Perry of Wilson; aunt, Betty Perry Meyer of Scottsdale, AZ, and several nieces and nephews. Tom was the brother of the late Dale Perry.

IN MEMORIUM: GLENN GRIMES, AG ECONOMIST & HOG SPECIALIST

Glenn Grimes, professor and agricultural economist at University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., passed away July 2.

Grimes served in the Army Air Corps in World War II transporting B-29s to the Pacific Theatre of Operations.

After his discharge, he attended the University of Missouri and became an agricultural extension agent in 1951, and a state livestock marketing specialist from 1956-1985, when he retired to work part-time as a consultant for clients such as the National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board. He also developed the demand index as a way to quantify the status of demand for meat products and livestock.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, two sons and thousands of friends and admirers.

Funeral arrangements are pending and are being handled by Memorial Funeral Home, Columbia, Mo.