ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Reusable Packaging Association (RPA), Tampa, Fla.
The new directors on the board serving 2-year terms for 2018-2019 are Andrae Kirkland, senior analyst, craft integration and reverse logistics process improvement, Anheuser-Busch InBev; Brandon D'Emidio, director, marketing and product management, CHEP; Paul Pederson, vice president, protein and dairy supply chain and food safety, Polymer Logistics; and Michael Wasson, vice president, supply chain and operations, Tosca. Wasson will also assume the role of secretary-treasurer. In addition, Morten Bielefeldt, senior vice president sales and service, Brüel Systems, was appointed to fill a vacant seat. Leaving the board after serving multiple terms are Jack Fillmore, director, engineering and new product development, Buckhorn; Cindy Doman, packaging engineer, Herman Miller; and David Rodgers, vice president of sales/business development, Tosca. In addition, Shawn Stockman, director of business solutions, ReturnCenter, was named chair of the RPA Operations and Logistics Committee. And, Susan Heil, vice president of marketing, Tosca, was appointed chair of the RPA Food and Beverage Committee. 

National Potato Promotion Board, Denver, Colo.
Newly appointed producer members joining the board, effective March 1, are as follows: Jared Smith, Alamosa, Colo.; Wes Pahl, Aberdeen, Idaho; Tyson Ruff, Aberdeen, Idaho; Kasey Poulson, Poulson Farms; Eric Searle, Burley, Idaho; Mike Larsen, Declo, Idaho; Ryan Christensen, Grace, Idaho; Jeff Blanksma, general manager at Blanksma Farms; Steve Elfering, vice president of operations, ‎Potandon Produce LLC; P.J. Stevens, seed sales and marketing advisor, ‎J.R. Simplot Co.; Blake Matthews, ‎farm manager, ‎Matthews Farms; Blake Thorlund, Greenville, Mich.; Jeffrey Jennings, co-founder of B & S Enterprises, Inc.; John Coombs Jr., farm manager, Coombs Sod Farms; Kyle Michael, owner of Crank it Up Diesel; and Adam Weber, Moses Lake, Wash.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Kraft Heinz Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Warren Buffett announced plans to retire from the company’s board of directors following the end of his term, as he decreases his travel commitments. As a result, Alexandre Van Damme was elected to fill Buffett’s vacancy. Van Damme is a board member of Anheuser-Busch Inbev and Restaurant Brands International as well as a director of DKMS.

US Foods Holding Corp., Rosemont, Ill.
David Works joined as executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Previously, Works served as chief human resources officer for Hackensack Meridian Health, and led the HR organizations at Windstream and Sears Holdings. He also served as president of Windstream’s enterprise business unit, and spent the first seven years of his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy’s submarine force. He began his post-Navy career as an engineer at Motorola, followed by time at McKinsey & Co. and ghSMART.

SUPERVALU INC., Minneapolis
Rob Woseth was promoted to executive vice president and CFO, effective Feb. 25, tasked with leading SUPERVALU’s finance and strategic planning teams to drive business initiatives, provide analytics support and build financial strategies. Woseth has served as executive vice president, chief strategy officer since March 2013, and has also served as the company’s interim CFO since July 2017. Woseth maintains more than 25 years of experience in strategic leadership, planning and finance roles, including 15 years in the grocery industry. He joined SUPERVALU’s executive team in 2013, where since then, has helped orchestrate initiatives that have resulted in over $200 million in annual cost reductions. Prior to SUPERVALU, he served as vice president, business development and strategy at Albertson’s LLC, was vice president, research for Water Tower Capital, LLC and served as vice president, investment banking at U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray.

Oppy Transport, Canada
The transportation and logistics arm of The Oppenheimer Group named Chase Wrightson as senior business development manager, responsible for overseeing new business strategy for Oppy’s third-party logistics company. Wrightson joined Oppy Transport last fall, bringing a wealth of logistics expertise. Previously, he spent seven years with C.H. Robinson/Robinson Fresh, serving as regional category manager, business analyst and account manager.

Crispy Green, Inc., Fairfield, N.J.
Christopher Faust was appointed the new role of chief revenue officer, tasked with overseeing sales and marketing as well as new strategic growth opportunities. Previously, Faust was founder and CEO of Fastlane. Also, Gabriella Costantini was named marketing associate. Previously, she was marketing assistant at Laddey, Clark & Ryan, LLP.

FOODSERVICE:
El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., Costa Mesa, Calif.
Bernard Acoca was appointed president and CEO, effective March 12, succeeding Steve Sather, who previously announced his intent to retire in 2017. Acoca joins El Pollo Loco after seven years at Starbucks, where he has served as president of Teavana for the past 2.5 years, responsible for the overall operations of over 375 Teavana specialty retail stores in North America as well as its e-commerce business. During his tenure, he oversaw the expansion of the Teavana brand to 26,000 Starbucks stores globally. Before that, Acoca served as senior vice president, marketing and category for the Americas, where he was responsible for managing categories totaling $9 billion in sales. Additionally, he served as chief marketing officer for the Americas for L’Oréal, and spent 10 years at YUM brands in marketing roles of increasing responsibility. Sather has served as president and CEO since 2010, after joining El Pollo Loco in 2006 as senior vice president of operations. During his tenure, he led a successful brand turnaround, repositioning El Pollo Loco to target the QSR niche and driving improvement in average unit volumes and restaurant level margins. 

Garden Fresh Restaurants LLC, San Diego, Calif.
The owner of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants appointed Donald Breen as chief financial officer, responsible for leading finance, accounting, IT, risk management, asset protection, facilities, property and legal support functions. Breen brings an extensive background in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, cost management and performance optimization and strategic planning. Breen joins from Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, where he served for the past 10 years as chief financial officer and corporate secretary, leading the company through substantial expansion from $100 million to more than $600 million in annual sales, as well as a sale to Darden Restaurants. His prior experience includes chief financial officer and senior management positions with Baja Fresh, Brothers Gourmet Coffee, Jamba Juice and Adolph Coors.

SUPPLIERS:
Smartcool Systems Inc., Canada
Malcolm Leggett joined the board of directors as an independent director. Leggett brings 40 years of business management. Previously, Malcolm was co-founder, president and CEO of NSC Minerals Ltd. (formerly Nu Salt Corp.) He’s also has held extensive senior management positions in the heavy construction industry.

Hannibal Industries, Inc., Los Angeles
Reed Reynolds was named chief operations officer, effective March 12, responsible for overseeing the daily operation of the company while maintaining and establishing policies and concentrating on growth through efficiency and expansion. Reynolds is a steel industry veteran that maintains more than 14 years of experience in sales and management positions. His tenure at California Steel Industries began in 2006 as an inside sales representative, and he quickly rose through the ranks to sales manager in 2013.

Interroll
Richard Keely was appointed executive vice president Americas, effective March 1, succeeding Tim McGill, who is retiring March 31. Keely maintains more than 20 years of experience in the production environment and in strategy consulting. He has been with the company since 2006, serving as vice president manufacturing/general manager for Interroll Wilmington until 2011 and as senior vice president operations for the Americas region since 2011. Keely has also held senior positions in consulting and production. McGill has held senior management positions at Interroll for 27 years, and has led Interroll's business activities to double sales in the Americas region since 2011.

IN MEMORIUM: DON FRAZIER, FRAZIER INDUSTRIAL CO.

Donald “Don” Frazier, founder of Frazier Industrial Co., Long Valley, N.J., passed Dec. 13, 2017.

Frazier initially gained his experience in the material handling world while working at Material Handling Laboratories. It was through his early work for Modern Material Handling magazine and attendance at industry events that shaped his passion for material handling. After 3.5 years with Material Handling Laboratories, he decided to start Frazier Industrial Co. in July 1946.

Frazier created the company as a small material handling equipment operation, but by the mid-1950s, he achieved the first Frazier patent—a break-formed metal rack connector. The company remained a “one-man shop” where rack components were built at a contract fabricator and later erected on nights and weekends.

He was across industry associations, serving as president of the New Jersey Chapter of American Material Handling Society, chairman of MHI, emeritus member of the MHI Roundtable Advisory Committee and member of the Rack Manufacturers Institute.