ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), Washington, D.C.
Charles “Chuck” Baker was elected new president, effective Feb. 4. Previously, Baker was a partner at Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell (CC&H), where, in addition to the ASLRRA, he represented clients such as the National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, the OneRail Coalition, the American Railway Development Association (NRC), Canadian National Railway, Norfolk Southern Railway and McHugh Construction. During his tenure at CC&H, Baker served as president of the NRC, responsible for the core financial, operational and legal programs, including its federal legislative and regulatory program. For One Rail, Baker coordinated activities and messaging and its interface with Congress and the Administration.
The Soil Health Institute (SHI), Research Triangle Park, N.C.
G. Mac Bean will serve as project scientist for Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia. He also will lead the team for soil pedology and genesis. Most recently, Bean focused on improving nitrogen fertilizer management as a graduate student at the University of Missouri. Bean is a member of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of Americ, and the International Society of Precision Agriculture. Shannon Cappellazzi will serve as project scientist for the western United States, and will coordinate the soil health team’s pastures and rangeland research. Cappellazzi most recently served as manager at the Oregon State University Central Analytical Laboratory. Earlier in her career, she was the equestrian manager for Wheelbarrow Creek Ranch and an agricultural commodities trader for Wilbur-Ellis Co. Capellazzi is a member of the Soil Science Society of America and serves as a board member of the Oregon Society of Soil Scientists. Kelsey Hoegenauer will serve as project scientist for the southern United States. Most recently, Hoegenauer was a graduate research assistant at the University of Arkansas, conducting research on recycling nutrients using cover crops in row crop systems. She also has served as a graduate research assistant at Auburn University, conducting research on the long- and short-term effects of cover cropping on physical and chemical soil properties in a peanut-cotton rotation. As a Lloyd Noble Scholar in Agriculture (The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation), she conducted research on blackberry management in rangelands. Hoegenauer is a member of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America and Soil and Water Conservation Society. Daniel Liptzin will serve as project scientist for the High Plains Region, providing team leadership on soil enzymes and carbon cycling. Liptzin recently served as a senior instructor at the University of Colorado, Denver, where he taught courses in biogeochemistry, environmental science and climate. His research interests include exploring human effects on the nitrogen cycle, interactions among elemental cycles, redox-sensitive biogeochemistry and ecosystem processes in seasonally snow-covered ecosystems. Liptzin is a member of the American Geophysical Union and an investigator at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research Site. Charlotte Norris will serve as project scientist for Canada. Norris has collaborated on research determining best management practices for intensive vegetable production, assessing the effects of agricultural crops on soil health and evaluating the effects of forest harvesting practices on soil health, including investigating indicators of soil health in reclaimed forest ecosystems. Elizabeth Rieke will serve as project scientist for the northern Midwest and northeastern United States, and will also lead SHI’s assessment of microbial population dynamics using genomic tools as soil health indicators. Most recently, Rieke served as a postdoctoral research associate, Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. Rieke is a member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. Michael Cope will serve as the team’s statistician and database manager. Most recently, Cope served as a statistical and research analyst at Clemson University. His expertise includes analysis of large and assorted data. Plus, he is skilled in python programming, soil science, geographic information systems, ecological modeling and cloud computing.
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), Sacramento, Calif.
Greg Komar was hired as new technical director, taking over for Mike Villaneva, who is retiring in May. Komar maintains over 20 years of experience in technical aspects of production agriculture. Komar will work with the food safety community and industry stakeholders to assure the LGMA-accepted on-farm food safety practices are fully understood and implemented. He will also help to develop and deliver training programs, and work with stakeholders to continually strive for ways to assure that leafy greens are safe and healthy for consumers. Early in his career, he worked in laboratory analysis, applied research and seed breeding. He also managed compliance programs for Mann Packing, Green Giant Fresh and Earthbound Farms, and helped manage audit programs for NSF Agriculture and SCS Global Services.
PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
GreenSpace Brands Inc., Canada
Maria Pacella resigned from the board of directors.
Niman Ranch, Northglen, Colo.
Alicia LaPorte was appointed communications manager, working with key partners, farmers, customers and chefs to promote products. Previously, LaPorte worked on food systems issue in the Mid-Atlantic, where she educated consumers on sustainable agriculture, supported small and mid-size family farmers and advocated for smart policies. She maintains over a decade of experience. Previously, she worked at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where she promoted public health, supported sustainable agriculture and protected the environment. Following her time at Pew, Alicia spent 2 years learning from the ground up about farming, meat production, food justice and the business of responsibly-produced food. She worked as a butcher’s apprentice and helped raise heritage hogs, managed on-the-ground operations of a mobile farmer’s market in underserved communities and consulted on communications for various non-profits and businesses.
Ahold Delhaize, The Netherlands
Marit van Egmond was appointed brand president and CEO of Albert Heijn, effective Feb. 1, succeeding Wouter Kolk, who will fully focus on his duties as chief executive officer Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia. van Egmond maintains more than 20 years of international retail experience. She currently serves as executive vice president commerce at Albert Heijn, and began her career as a management trainee at Ahold. She’s also held several commercial, operational and management roles within the company, including chief executive officer of Gall&Gall. Kolk will fully focus on Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia, responsible for Ahold Delhaize in all eight countries, leveraging digital, e-commerce and synergy opportunities across the different markets.
New Seasons Market, Portland, Ore.
Co-president Forrest Hoffmaster is assuming the role of chief executive officer, while co-president Kristi McFarland is taking on the role of chief strategy officer, responsible for building business strategy tied to the company’s mission. Hoffmaster joined the company as chief financial officer in 2016. As co-president, he cultivated the company’s partnership with Conscious Capitalism, advocating for sustainable business practices and oversaw business development, real estate, finance, technology and data. McFarland joined as chief people officer in 2014, building the company’s position as an employer of choice. While co-president, she oversaw the company’s people strategy, advanced progressive workplace practices, led community relations and strengthened brand engagement.
Vegolutionary Foods, Los Angeles
The creator of CAULIPOWER frozen pizza named Stuart Smith to the newly created role of chief marketing and growth officer, tasked with leading strategy for Vegolutionary Foods, CAULIPOWER and its sister brand SweetPotaTOASTS, focusing on driving continued growth through investment and innovation in the vegetable and frozen food categories. Smith maintains nearly 30 years of international marketing experience and expertise building global brands across a diversity of industries. Smith has spent the last 4 years as executive partner of Ogilvy Group and chief executive officer of Ogilvy Public Relations. Smith also spent 15 years at WPP Plc, and previously worked for Burson-Marsteller and H+K Strategies. Prior to that, he was UK CEO at Edelman.
Ralphs, subsidiary of The Kroger Co., Los Angeles
Kendra Doyel was promoted to vice president of merchandising, effective Feb. 3, succeeding Victor Smith, who was promoted to president of Kroger's Delta division. Doyel joined the company in 1998 as a pharmacist in the Fry's division. She was named pharmacy coordinator in 2002, and promoted to director, public relations for the Fry's division in 2006. In 2008, she moved to the Ralphs and Food 4 Less divisions as public affairs and government relations leader, responsible for all internal and external communication in both divisions. In 2017, she was promoted to her current role, human resources leader for both Ralphs and Food 4 Less. Doyel currently serves as chair of the board for the California Grocers Association and is on the board of directors for the Network of Executive Women.
The Kroger Co., Cincinnati
Ashok Vemuri was elected to the company's board of directors. Vemuri is chief executive officer of Conduent, a position he’s held since joining the company in 2016. Previous to that, he served as president, CEO and a member of the board of directors of IGATE Corp. (now Capgemini), and spent 14 years in a variety of leadership and business development roles at Infosys. Vemuri is also a member of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion.
Perdue Foods, Salisbury, Md.
David Zucker was appointed to the newly created position of senior vice president of e-commerce and new ventures, where he will oversee all aspects of Perdue’s e-commerce strategy. Zucker maintains more than 25 years of e-commerce, marketing, merchandising, product development, analytics and call center management experience. He most recently served as general manager and chief marketing officer of Omaha Steaks International, and was chief marketing officer for Vitacost.com and Gilt Groupe. He has also held more senior roles at Dell Inc., the Home Shopping Network, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Priceline.com.
J&J Family of Farms, Westlake, Fla.
Dick Bowman will become vice president of farming and grower development, leading the management and development of all grower partner relationships. Bowman has been director of farming since 2015. Joseph Mathi was appointed to senior grower development manager, tasked with leading on-the-ground relationships, managing sourcing during the Georgia and summer seasons up the East Coast and managing the supply chain provided by J&J’s grower partners. Mathi has been a leader in J&J’s food safety division for 9 years. Kristen Jones was promoted to senior food safety manager, taking the leadership role with J&J’s Georgia growers and East Coast growers in food safety and social responsibility. And, Doug Kling, managing partner at Kling Strategic Partners, which has been working with the J&J team since August 2018, will play a lead role in business development, value-added packaging sales and strategy.
FOODSERVICE:
On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Dallas, Texas
Luis Ruvalcaba, Jr. joined as chief operating officer. Ruvalcaba maintains more than 25 years of service and hospitality operations experience, with specializations in talent development, operational excellence and industry leading results. He most recently served as vice president of retail operations for Peet’s Coffee, responsible for 250 coffeebars across four regions. He also spent three years as president, CEO and COO of Patxi’s Pizza LLC, where he was instrumental in developing and implementing a growth plan for the business that spanned multiple states. Ruvalcaba also served 11 years as senior regional vice president of operations for BJ’s Restaurants, Inc., where he oversaw development and operations for 41 restaurants in two states. During his time there, BJ’s Restaurants grew from 29 to 150 restaurants. Ruvalcaba started his career at Chili’s in the early 90s.
FOCUS Brands, Atlanta
Geoff Henry was named president of the Jamba Juice brand. Henry previously worked at Coca Cola Co., where he led lifestyle and beverage business growth in the water, tea and coffee divisions with brands such as Honest Tea, Honest Kids and Peace Tea. He also held marketing and brand roles at Colgate-Palmolive and finance roles at JP Morgan in real estate investment banking. Shivram Vaideeswaran was named chief marketing officer. Vaideeswaran most recently served as chief marketing officer of Blaze Pizza, following his time at Tender Greens and Taco Bell, where he held menu, innovation and marketing roles. Jaime Denney was promoted to vice president of operations after previous operations and leadership roles at Jamba Juice, Tropical Smoothie Café, Aramark and Starbucks. Denney maintains over 16 years of experience in the food and beverage industry.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, Las Vegas, Nev.
Brent Erwin was tapped as senior vice president of finance, responsible for overseeing finance, accounting and human resources departments, implementing a full suite of forecasting processes, striving to increase value for franchise partners and enhancing the brand's culture internally. He will also work to further establish a sense of accountability, visibility and efficiency across the brand from a finance and accounting perspective. Erwin maintains more than a decade of experience in finance. He most recently served as director of finance operations for Compass Group’s East Coast sports and entertainment division. He also held leadership roles at Mayer Brown, where he focused on developing a robust business analytics department, and also at Accenture, where he spent nearly a decade gaining valuable mergers and acquisitions, transactional and corporate finance experience.
Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI), Canada
Daniel Schwartz was promoted to executive chairman of RBI and co-chairman of the board of directors, and will also take a more active role as partner at 3G Capital, focusing on talent acquisition, capital allocation and major strategic initiatives. Schwartz has been chief executive officer of RBI since its formation in 2014. He’s also served as chief financial officer and chief executive officer over the past 8 years, and was instrumental in the creation of RBI through the acquisitions of Burger King in 2010, Tim Hortons in 2014 and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2017. He served as chief executive officer of Burger King in 2013. Jose Cil was promoted to chief executive officer of RBI, responsible for delivering exceptional guest experiences, increasing franchisee profitability and building the power of its restaurant brands. Cil has been with Burger King for over 18 years, serving as president since 2014. He helped drive growth of the brand to more than $20 billion in system-wide sales and more than 17,000 restaurants in over 100 countries and territories across the globe. Josh Kobza was promoted to chief operating officer, tasked with overseeing the establishment of new international franchise partnerships as well as the implementation of the company's technology initiatives. Previously, Kobza served as chief financial officer from 2013-2017 and as chief technology and development officer in 2018, where he set up many of the international franchise partnerships, and was responsible for leading the acquisitions of Tim Hortons in 2014 and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in 2017.
SUPPLIERS:
Fristam Pumps, Middleton, Wis.
Wilson Hacker was promoted to customer service representative, responsible for aiding customers with technical support and customer service. Previously, Wilson served as quality assurance inspector.
Eriez, Erie, Pa.
Charlie Ingram was promoted to the newly created position of executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Jan. 1, responsible for overseeing global marketing operations and facilitating greater collaboration and standardization of marketing resources utilized by the company’s 10 subsidiaries and 12 manufacturing locations. Ingram will also champion the introduction of new Eriez products to target countries, as well as manage product line realignment and standardize product designs based on market intelligence. Other duties include monitoring the professional growth of Eriez’ sales and marketing team, enhancing customer satisfaction through improved sales processes and tracking global marketing performance. Ingram most recently served as vice president of sales and marketing. He joined Eriez in1994 as national sales manager. Prior to that, he was manager of international marketing at Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co., where he also served as general manager of the company’s Canada affiliate. His career also includes 10 years at Warner & Swasey, where he rose to manager of product sales.
Norfolk Southern Corp., Norfolk, Va.
Thomas “Colm” Kelleher was elected a director in the Finance and Risk Management Committee, effective Jan. 22. Kelleher is president of Morgan Stanley, responsible for the company’s institutional securities business and wealth management. Prior to being named president in 2016, Kelleher served as president of Morgan Stanley Institutional Securities and chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley International, overseeing the firm’s businesses outside of the United States and its institutional securities business globally. As chief financial officer and co-head of corporate strategy, between 2007- 2009, he helped guide the firm through the financial crisis and managed the company’s capital and liquidity during a period of extreme economic instability. Earlier, he was head of global capital markets. Since joining Morgan Stanley in 1989, Kelleher has worked in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. In addition, Michael Cox was named vice president taxation, effective March 1, succeeding Robert Kesler, who is retiring after nearly 28 years with the company. Cox joined Norfolk Southern in 2000 as assistant tax counsel, and has held positions of increasing responsibility during his nearly 19 years with the company. Previous to Norfolk Southern, Cox spent more than a decade in private industry and with the federal government, including serving as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s tax division. Kesler has served as vice president taxation since 2005. He began his career with Norfolk Southern in 1991 as a general tax attorney.
Tetra Pak, Vernon Hills, Ill.
Adolfo Orive was elected president and CEO, effective April 1, following the announced by Dennis Jönsson to step down after 14 years of as being president and CEO and 36 years with the company. Orive, currently cluster vice president North Central and South America, joined Tetra Pak in 1993. He has also held several managerial positions in the group, including managing director of Colombia, Spain and cluster vice president North and Central Europe. He joined the Tetra Pak global leadership team in 2014.
BluePrint Automation (BPA), South Chesterfield, Va.
Scott Williams was named Northwest regional sales manager, effective Jan. 14, responsible for Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Western Canada. Williams has worked in manufacturing/packaging for 15 years. Previously, he served as sales engineer for Robopac USA, Markem-Imaje and Xerox. Joe Curcio was named Northeast regional sales manager, effective Jan. 21. Curcio maintains over 20 years of field sales experience in the packaging industry, most notably with Hartness International, Hoppmann and Mettler Toledo. He started his career as a mechanical engineer at Garvey Corp., moving into applications and eventually sales.
Liberty Cold, Bolingbrook, Ill.
Willie Ashford was named general manager, responsible for all warehouse activities. Ashford maintains over 10 years of logistics, shipping, receiving and warehouse management experience.
Decision Logic, San Diego, Calif.
Mandi Wooledge was promoted to vice president of accounts, effective immediately, responsible for the direction and strategy of national accounts and continuation of solidifying customer relationships. Wooledge first joined Decision Logic in 2011 as an account manager, where she trained and onboarded clients, consulted on operations and managed systems and processes. In 2016, she was promoted to director of accounts, where she built out the sales and sales engineering processes. Wooledge was also in charge of training new account management while still consulting clients on best practices, historical business cases and served as an escalation path for many of Decision Logic’s national accounts. Prior to joining Decision Logic, Wooledge worked for Lazlo’s for 12 years, starting as a server, and then eventually becoming the restaurant’s general manager, handling daily operations and financials.
