ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
Global Market Development Center (GMDC), Colorado Springs, Colo.
Tom Duffy was named vice president of member development, tasked with focusing on expanding the association’s reach within the retail and consumer product industry. Duffy maintains more than three decades of industry expertise. He most recently served as executive vice president of industry affairs at Acosta, where he was responsible for marketing, communications and industry affairs initiatives. Prior to that, Duffy was vice president of industry services at Nielsen, where he was responsible for development of client, partner and industry relations, trade strategy and thought leadership development for 10 years. He has also been intricately involved in GMDC throughout the years, serving as co-chair of the association’s education leadership council, where he was the architect of the GMDC-exclusive GM hierarchy benchmarking initiative. From 2004-2007, Duffy served as director of business and industry partnership of TDLinkx, a division of Nielsen, and was director of marketing for FulTilt Solutions and vice president of marketing and administration for UCCnet.
The Poultry Federation (TPF), Little Rock, Ark.
Lauren Sanders was named marketing coordinator, responsible for assisting with all marketing efforts. Sanders maintains experience in social media, event planning, marketing, advertising and sales.
Gulf Seafood Institute (GSI), Metairie, La.
Kristin McLaren was named executive director. McLaren maintains experience in fisheries and federal grant programs. Previously, she was interim executive director for the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board. She also managed recovery efforts from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in April 2010 and secured more than $1.9 million in federal funding for fisheries.
International Dairy Federation (IDF), Belgium
John Allan, vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards for International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), was elected to serve as vice chair of the U.S. National Committee, taking over for Cary Frye, senior vice president of regulatory affairs for IDFA, whose term ended. Allan will aid in the committee’s efforts to protect and enhance the U.S. dairy industry in the global dairy sector. He will also aid in IDF’s efforts to provide science-based information to foreign governments and international organizations. Previous vice chair Shawna Morris, vice president of trade policy at the National Milk Producers Federation, was elected the new U.S. IDF chair.
PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
BRF S.A., Brazil
José Aurélio Drummond Jr. announced his resignation as global chief executive officer. Lorival Nogueira Luz Jr. will act as interim global chief executive officer, concurrently with his present position as chief financial and investor relations officer.
JBS USA, Greeley, Colo.
Lance Kotschwar was named head of ethics and compliance for the company’s operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, responsible for overseeing JBS’ global compliance policies and programs, including the code of conduct, whistleblower hotline, global anti-corruption policies, antitrust and competition law, trade compliance and conflict of interest policies. He spent nearly a decade in the agriculture industry, implementing and managing compliance programs and regulatory issues, on top of his nearly two decades of federal legislative and regulatory experience with USDA and both bodies of Congress. Prior to joining JBS USA and Pilgrim’s, Kotschwar served as chief ethics and compliance officer and vice president for government and industry affairs at The Gavilon Group, LLC. During his time in Washington D.C., Kotschwar served as general counsel for the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee; chief counsel for the U.S. House Agriculture Committee; general counsel for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee; and staff attorney for the USDA Office of General Counsel. He played an instrumental role in several significant pieces of legislation affecting the food and agriculture industries, including the 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills, the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 and the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.
Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, Saranac, Mich.
Rose Plummer was appointed regional project director of the company’s new cold storage facility in Chambersburg, Pa. Plummer will continue to oversee Pennsylvania operations and manage the expansion in Mercersburg, Pa., where Herbruck’s finalized an agreement to procure a farm.
Albertsons Cos., Boise, Idaho
Sean Barrett was promoted to senior vice president of advertising and marketing, effective April 30. Barrett joined Albertsons in April 2015, where he served as group vice president innovation, product and brands for the company’s Own Brands team, which includes O Organics, Lucerne, Open Nature and the Signature line. Following the merger between Albertsons and Safeway, he helped integrate Own Brands into all Albertsons stores, and has been at the forefront of the team’s innovation efforts. Previous to Albertsons, Barrett served as chief marketing officer for the Procter & Gamble and Whirlpool joint venture, as well as for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products and SEI Investments.
SPINS, Chicago
Chris Locke was named chief financial officer, tasked with leading all of SPINS' financial planning and analysis, accounting, tax, treasury and M&A functions. He will partner with SPINS' business unit presidents and senior leadership to drive growth through expansion of products and services. Prior to joining SPINS, Locke served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of HelloWorld Inc., and helped lead the sale of the business in December 2017 to Merkle Inc. Locke has also held chief financial officer or chief operating officer positions at SingleHop, Fooda and Rewards Network.
FOODSERVICE:
Dunkin' Donuts, Canton, Mass.
Stephanie Meltzer-Paul was named vice president, digital and loyalty marketing, Dunkin' Donuts U.S., responsible for further developing the brand's DD Perks loyalty platform, continuing the expansion of on-the-go mobile ordering and further strengthening the brand's strategic partnerships. Meltzer-Paul maintains more than 20 years of experience in customer loyalty and digital marketing. Most recently, she served as vice president, member engagement and loyalty at BJ's Wholesale Club, where she led a team responsible for developing and spearheading the marketing strategy for the My BJ's Perks program and customer relationship management efforts. Meltzer-Paul also drove the company’s membership engagement and retention, and leveraged data to improve in-store conversion rates and drive member visit frequency. Previously, Meltzer-Paul was senior director of global loyalty marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where she transformed, rebranded and increased membership in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. She also served as director of marketing, loyalty and communications for American Express, leading a team responsible for increasing card spend in the company's Blue rewards program. Earlier in her career, Meltzer-Paul was in marketing and customer acquisition for TIME Inc.
Chicken Salad Chick, Auburn, Ala.
Barbara Blackwell was appointed director of catering, tasked with overseeing the brand's catering operations and spearheading initiatives to drive incremental catering sales and streamline operations across all 86 locations. Blackwell maintains nearly two decades of experience at various fast casual, quick-service and fine dining concepts, including Corner Bakery Café, Arby's and LeDuff America. Prior to Chicken Salad Chick, Blackwell served as director of catering for Bruegger's Bagels, where she developed and managed catering sales strategies, marketing promotions, training and menu optimization for all corporate and franchised locations across North America.
SUPPLIERS:
Navistar International Corp., Lisle, Ill.
Mark Hernandez was named senior vice president, global manufacturing, effective immediately, replacing William Osborne, who announced his retirement earlier this month. Hernandez will focus on lean manufacturing and waste elimination, improving both processes and quality, as well as achieving cost savings throughout the company's plants. Previously, he served as a practice expert in lean for commercial vehicles and transportation for McKinsey and Co., leading lean efforts for manufacturing clients, driving savings and efficiencies. Prior to joining McKinsey, he spent more than two decades at Daimler Trucks North America, most recently as the general manager for the Mt. Holly, N.C., truck manufacturing plant. Hernandez also served as general manager for Daimler’s Cleveland, N.C., and Saltillo, Mexico, truck plants, and the director of manufacturing for Daimler’s Gaffney, S.C., custom chassis manufacturing facility. Before joining Daimler, Hernandez worked for Corning Inc., and prior to Corning, served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.
ARI, Mount Laurel, N.J.
Company veteran Bob White was named president of ARI, responsible for all ARI operations globally, including the United States, Canada, Germany, the UK and Mexico. White has held a number of progressive leadership positions with ARI for the past 30 years, including vice president of operations, and most recently, executive vice president and COO. White assumes the role from Chris Conroy, who was appointed president and CEO of Holman Business Services, a fleet and automotive services group that includes ARI, Auto Truck Group and Holman Parts Distribution. Mark Bryan was named executive vice president and COO. Bryan most recently served as senior vice president of the company’s European operations, which included a number of acquisitions. He will now lead ARI’s fleet management, supply chain and product management teams globally, and will act as a key member of the larger Holman technology team. Bryan joined the company in 2007 after spending nearly 20 years in the leasing industry. Rick Tousaw was named to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief commercial officer, responsible for new business development and client relations globally. Tousaw most recently headed the company’s Canadian operations, where he oversaw a multi-site facilities’ expansion strategy and worked to strengthen ARI’s market position and offerings. Tousaw joined ARI in 2010 after nearly 20 years of sales and marketing leadership in the beverage and consumer packaged goods industries. Gernot Leinenbach was named executive vice president and CFO for Holman Business Services, charged with overseeing finance and strategy initiatives for ARI, Auto Truck Group and Holman Parts Distribution. Leinenbach joined ARI in 2016 as group CFO and senior vice president of finance after serving in senior financial roles at Microsoft and BMW, both in Europe and North America.
CBRE, Inc., Stamford, Conn.
Jessica Curtis, a 16-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry, joined as senior vice president and restaurant practice leader, emerging concepts, concentrating on emerging restaurant concepts and assisting brands to create real estate strategies and establish a regional and national presence. Currently, Curtis serves as the exclusive national broker for Barteca Restaurants, which includes bartaco and Barcelona Wine Bar, expanding the brand from five locations to 48 across the United States. Other clients include tenants Island Creek Oyster Bar, Row 34, Hawkers Asian Street Fare, James Beard nominee Bill Taibe and Caffe Nero. She has also worked with landlords such as SL Green, RXR, Blackstone and The Rockefeller Group. Prior to joining CBRE, Curtis was a senior managing director at Newmark Knight Frank for four years, and before that, served as an associate director at Cushman & Wakefield.
Henningsen Cold Storage Co., Hillsboro, Ore.
Paul Henningsen, Jr. was appointed president, effective May 1, succeeding his cousin, Mike Henningsen, who will retire May 31. Henningsen has served the company since 1987, primarily growing through the ranks of the company’s engineering department, where he was responsible for the development, design, construction and management of all capital projects, including more than 20 expansions, improvements and new facility projects. In 2014, he was appointed chief operating officer.
DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., Long Beach, Calif.
Steve Corey was promoted to director of independent aftermarket sales. Corey most recently served as senior manager of national accounts – commercial group. David Keller was promoted to senior manager of commercial and industrial sales - heat management and automatic data capture (ADC). Keller most recently served as manager of the heat management and ADC sales group. Peter Cavallo was promoted to senior manager of commercial and industrial sales - robotics. Cavallo most recently served as manager of the robotics group. Hiroshi Yanone was promoted to senior manager of connected services. Yanone most recently served as manager of the connected services group. Reggie Cruz was promoted to senior manager of independent aftermarket sales - product development. Cruz most recently served as manager of the product development group. Jose Ramirez was promoted to senior manager of independent aftermarket sales. Ramirez most recently served as manager of the independent aftermarket sales group. Yasodara Grijalva was promoted to senior manager of the Murrieta, Calif., operations. Grijalva most recently served as operations manager of the Murrieta facility. All appointments are effective April 1.
