ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS/UNIVERSITIES:
The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), Paris, France
Erica Sheward was elected new director, responsible for helping to set and manage the GFSI Board agenda, steering Technical Working Groups and overseeing collaborations with global third-party organizations. She will also aim to further promote GFSI’s key objectives, namely driving harmonization of food safety standards, building food safety capability in the food supply chain and forming public-private partnerships. Previously, she worked as a senior executive at Leatherhead Food Research part of Science Group, and prior to that, worked in both academia and the public sector, having spent 6 years at two UK universities as a food safety specialist, followed by 5 years at the UK Government’s Office for Product Safety and Standards. All in all, she maintains over 20 years of experience in the food safety industry.
Western Growers, Irvine, Calif.
Dave Puglia was selected the next president and CEO, succeeding current president and CEO Tom Nassif, who is retiring Feb. 1, 2020 after 18 years of leadership. Puglia joined Western Growers in 2005, and currently serves as executive vice president, overseeing four departments in addition to the organization’s non-profit charitable foundation and its political action committees. Prior to joining Western Growers, he was vice president of APCO Worldwide, and served for 7 years in the California Attorney General’s Office, first as press secretary and later as director of public affairs and communications. Over the course of nearly two decades, Nassif elevated the national prominence of Western Growers and established the organization as a leader in food safety, labor and immigration, water, technology and innovation, international trade and other areas impacting members.
Produce Marketing Association (PMA), Newark, Del.
Joe Don Zetzsche, director of floral and BLOOMS, H-E-B, joined as new chair of the board. Other officers elected to the 2019-2020 board include Dwight Ferguson, president and CEO, Naturipe Farms LLC, Salinas, as chair-elect; Doug Grant, executive vice president and chief operating officer, The Oppenheimer Group, as secretary-treasurer; David Marguleas, chief executive officer, Sun World, LLC, as past chair; Jacob Krempel, director of produce and grocery procurement, HelloFresh, as vice chair; Ruth McLennan, vice president produce/floral/cold storage, Dairy Farm, as vice chair; and Marty Craner, chief executive officer, B&C Fresh Sales, as Center for Growing Talent Board Chair.
American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), Alexandria, Va.
Gary Nelson, executive director for the Port of Grays Harbor, was installed as the 2019-20 chairman of the board for a 1-year term, succeeding William Friedman, president and CEO for the Port of Cleveland, who began his 1-year term in October 2018. Nelson also serves as the association’s U.S. delegation chair.
National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA), Harrisburg, Pa.
Joe D’Alberto, director dairy/frozen, Harris Teeter team, Acosta Sales & Marketing, was elected chairman of the board. D’Alberto has served on the board of directors since 2006, as convention chairman from 2012-2017, as secretary from 2017-2018 and as chairman-elect from 2018-2019. D’Alberto is also a member of the Honorable Order of Golden Penguins and Distinguished Order of Zerocrats. Kevin Schwab, senior vice president of sales and marketing for The Pictsweet Co., was elected chairman-elect; John Arnold, senior sales director of Sargento Foods, was named secretary; Mark Tarzwell, chief operating officer of Ateeco, Inc./Mrs. T’s Pierogies, as treasurer; Steve Mayle, vice president of sales for General Mills, as vice chairman-frozen; and Bob Knodle, vice president of sales for H.P. Hood, as vice chairman-refrigerated. Newly elected to the board of directors were Derek DeMuth, senior director of sales for Ajinomoto Foods North America; Tom DeTrempe, senior director of sales strategy, premium chilled, PepsiCo Beverages & Foods; Tom Finn, vice president of sales and marketing, Rosina Food Products; Bill Kynast, vice president/general manager, East business unit, Chobani Global Holdings; Joe Mueller, vice president, Walmart snacks team, Kellogg Co.; Matt O’Hare, president and COO, JOH; David Panter, vice president center store sales and marketing, Associated Food Stores; and Kyle Schaefer, category manager for Giant Eagle.
PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS/MARKET RESEARCH:
Red Tomato, Plainville, Mass.
Angel Mendez was named new executive director. Mendez has served as interim director since April, but has been with the company for 18 years, including most recently as director of operations. He maintains a strong background in logistics, management, finance and local food supply chains.
Church Brothers Farms, Salinas, Calif.
Rick Russo was hired as new vice president of strategic growth and planning, responsible for building competitive sales/marketing programs to grow new and existing business, vetting potential partnerships, fostering alliances and leading competitive product line development and profitability for the company’s domestic and international operations. Russo previously served in senior sales and product development roles at several produce companies, including Mann Packing, Tanimura & Antle and New Star Foods.
Sunkist Growers, Valencia, Calif.
Jeff Gaston was promoted to managing director of North American sales, tasked with overseeing domestic sales, growing the Sunkist business, strengthening existing relations with key customers and identifying new opportunities across the cooperative. Gaston started at Sunkist as a sales representative in 1999. He most recently served as director of Western sales. As a result, Timothy Forseth joined as director of Western sales, effective Oct. 14. Prior to joining Sunkist, Forseth served as a key account manager at Robinson Fresh, where he oversaw medium and large accounts. In addition, he was on the board of directors for the Southeast Produce Council from 2013-2017. Brian Slagel will take on the new role of director of Southeastern regional sales. Slagel has been with Sunkist for more than 25 years, bringing together sales, retail marketing and category management.
San Miguel Produce, Inc., Oxnard, Calif.
Jennifer Osborne was hired as new director of sales, responsible for managing new and existing accounts, developing new business initiatives and leading the sales and customer service teams. Osborne maintains more than 30 years of experience in the produce industry. Most recently, she served as director of client services at PRO*ACT, LLC, where she handled key accounts and executed new business strategy. Prior to that, she held key sales positions at Classic Salads, LLC, Fresh Innovations, LLC, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., Fresh Express Fresh Foods and Growers Express.
D’Arrigo California, Salinas, Calif.
Maya Capurro was named sales assistant, responsible for sales order data entry, customer service, collection of outstanding sales balances and interaction with customers at tradeshows. Previously, she worked as a peer advisor to California Polytechnic State University’s agribusiness department, and also served as a sales coordinator intern at Driscoll’s. Morgan Tinari joined as a marketing and culinary assistant, responsible for creating and posting content, videos and images on the Andy Boy and Eat Broccoli Rabe social media channels. She will also assist with tradeshow logistics, event planning and influencer relations. Most recently, Tinari was a social media associate at SLMD Skincare, where she was responsible for the creative direction for SLMD’s social media platforms, and also assisted with event planning and influencer outreach.
US Foods Holding Corp., Rosemont, Ill.
Tim Connolly, executive vice president and chief supply chain officer, resigned, effective immediately.
Hearthside Food Solutions, Downers Grove, Ill.
Chuck Metzger was promoted to chief executive officer. Founder Rich Scalise will remain active as chairman of the board. Metzger maintains over 30 years of executive leadership in global food companies, as well as leading global manufacturing strategy, North American foodservice supply chain and plant operations. He most recently served as Hearthside’s chief operating officer. Prior to Hearthside, he spent more than 5 years as chief operating officer for Greencore USA and Peacock Foods. Previously, Metzger led regional beverage operations for the Coca-Cola Co., with responsibility for all Coke platforms. He also spent 23 years at Kraft Foods.
Renaissance Food Group (RFG), Rancho Cordova, Calif.
Raina Nelson was promoted to executive vice president of business development, where she will oversee the company’s sales function, product development, quality and food safety, business development, customer service, marketing and communications. Nelson has held multiple positions at RFG, most recently serving as senior vice president of supply chain management, where she oversaw all aspects of the company’s fresh ingredient supply chain. Prior to that, she served as RFG’s vice president of sales. Nelson maintains more than 15 years of fresh produce experience in the areas of food safety and quality systems, new product development, supply chain, import/export management and sales. She serves on the boards of the Southeast Produce Council and United Fresh Produce Association. Mark Lodge joined as new executive vice president of operations, where he will oversee operations, product management, procurement and costing for RFG’s nationwide operations. Lodge maintains over 25 years of experience leading large-scale manufacturing and logistics operations. Most recently, Lodge served as executive vice president of operations, innovation and customer experience at Revolution Foods. He also maintains extensive experience in bringing value-added fresh convenient food solutions to various market channels in the United States and UK.
Impossible Foods, Redwood City, Calif.
Jessie Becker was hired to the newly created role of senior vice president of marketing, responsible for leading B2B and B2C marketing, insights and brand marketing teams. Becker previously served as served as director of marketing for Google, and before that, was chief marketing officer at Optimizely. Prior to that role, she spent 12 years at Netflix, starting in 2000 as one of the first people hired in the marketing department and rising to interim chief marketing officer. At Netflix, Becker was responsible for recruiting millions of consumers to the subscription content service and accelerating the company’s expansion into more than 50 countries using creative digital acquisition tactics and partnerships with device manufacturers and retailers.
Peco Foods, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Dr. Peter Van Derlyke was hired as the company’s first ever corporate director of health and safety, responsible for developing and implementing health and safety programs company-wide. Van Derlyke will be responsible for overseeing compliance with all local, state and federal workplace safety and health standards, creating opportunities for mentoring plant-level safety managers, developing incentives to drive continuous performance improvements, tracking performance through metrics and adjusting current practices to any new or updated policies. Van Derlyke maintains over 20 years of experience in industrial health, safety and environmental protection in the food manufacturing, chemical processing and retail industries. He’s implemented effective safety management techniques for companies such as HP Hood, PepsiCo, BJ’s Wholesale Club and Ferro Corp.
NewBridge Global Ventures, Inc. (NBGV), Orem, Utah
Dr. Doug Mancosky was appointed to serve as chief technology officer on an interim basis. Mancosky will continue to serve in his current role of chief science officer at Hydro Dynamics Inc. (HDI). Mancosky will work closely with NBGV’s other technology partner, AgriSep, to integrate the two technologies and deliver on the next-generation, solvent-free system. Meanwhile, Chris Bourdon was appointed chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors. Bourdon maintains a track record of developing and commercializing technologies. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer of Upthere, where he led a team of engineers before negotiating the sale of the company to Western Digital. During his 15-year tenure at Apple, Bourdon managed a team of product marketing managers, shipping nine releases of macOS and growing the user base from zero to 64 million.
Acosta, Jacksonville, Fla.
Taylor Crown was appointed president, foodservice. Crown maintains deep experience and connections in the foodservice industry, previously serving as a strategy consultant for multiple Fortune 500 consumer goods companies and holding executive leadership roles at several foodservice sales agencies. Crown is a second-generation food broker who made his first operator calls at age 19. He continued his agency career as a sales representative and distributor account executive and ultimately earned positions in company leadership. Crown later shifted to the client side of the business in a variety of customer-facing roles with Tyson Foodservice, Hillshire Brands and Sara Lee Foodservice. Most recently, Crown worked in management and strategy consulting with Accenture as well as Strategy&, part of the PwC network, where he transformed process, technology and strategy in the consumer goods sector.
Hitchcock Farms, Salinas, Calif.
Jill Lenz joined the sales team, responsible for sales of Hitchcock Farm’s entire product line, including Garden Hearts romaine hearts, Iceberg Babies, brussels sprouts and Napa cabbage. Lenz previously spent 15 years in sales at Classic Salads, and before that, worked in sales and procurement at Tanimura and Antle and Fresh Express. Dan Holt was hired as vice president of sales. Previously, Holt was director of sales at Earthbound Farm, and worked in various roles since 2006. Prior to Earthbound, he led the sales team at Pride of San Juan, where he spent 10 years in salad, fruit and vegetable sales and marketing after starting in the industry over 25 years ago as a quality inspector.
Daiya Foods, Canada
Michael Watt was appointed chief executive officer, tasked with leading all global operations throughout North America. Watt maintains over 15 years of global experience as a CEO and general manager directing operations throughout Australia, New Zealand, Asia-Pacific and the United States. His background includes senior leadership roles in large consumer packaged goods companies, such as Mars, Wrigley, Campbell's and Johnson & Johnson, and most recently, Baby Gourmet Foods.
Ippolito Fruit and Produce, Canada
Jon Stewart joined as director of sales – foodservice, responsible for leading Ippolito and Queen Victoria brands into the foodservice channel. Stewart maintains over 15 years of foodservice sales experience, including the managed service sector, the cheese industry and Tier 1 manufacturers. Most recently, Stewart worked as foodservice manager for French’s Food Co., where he was instrumental in building a “Canada supplier program,” where Canadian restaurants support Canadian farmers.
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG), Kansas City, Kan.
Dan Funk will serve in the newly created role of chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2020, charged with leading day-to-day operations and executing the company’s five key strategic initiatives. Funk has been with AWG since 2012, and has progressed to positions of increasing responsibility, including president of Valu Merchandisers Co. (VMC); senior vice president, grocery merchandising; executive vice president, merchandising and marketing, and most recently, chief supply chain and merchandising officer. Jeff Pedersen, executive vice president, chief sales and support officer, will assume the functional oversight for the VMC subsidiary. His AWG career path started as a division retail specialist, and progressed to multiple support and leadership positions, including executive vice president, division operations and his current role of executive vice president, chief sales and support officer. Tye Anthony was promoted to the newly created role of senior vice president, merchandising, effective Nov. 4. He will lead the merchandising team that includes meat, bakery, deli, produce, category management, AWG brands, inventory management and business analytics. Anthony has been with AWG in various leadership roles since 2013, including vice president of sales and merchandising for both the Nashville, Tenn., and Fort Worth, Texas, divisions; vice president, advertising, merchandising and marketing, and most recently, vice president, AWG brands and merchandising.
Stater Bros. Markets, San Bernardino, Calif.
Dennis McIntyre will assume the additional role of chief marketing officer, effective Nov. 4. A seasoned executive with over 41 years of experience in the supermarket industry, McIntyre’s grocery career began in 1978 at Stater Bros.’ South Ontario, Calif., location as a courtesy clerk. He progressed through a range of retail store positions, ultimately holding the role of assistant store manager. In 1983, McIntyre was promoted to a buyer in the company’s marketing department. He continued to advance to increasing levels of responsibility, specifically in the roles of assistant vice president of marketing; senior vice president of marketing; and group senior vice president of marketing. In 2007, McIntyre was promoted to his current position of executive vice president – marketing. McIntyre recently served as president and chairman of the Western Association of Food Chains, and prior to that, served as vice president and education chairperson.
SUPPLIERS:
Allen Lund Co., La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Andy Shoemaker joined as new director of perishable logistics, charged with identifying and nurturing produce business growth opportunities. Shoemaker maintains more than 30 years of experience as a sales and marketing leader in the food business, with expertise is foodservice national account development, contracting, market share and branding.
dexFreight, Sunrise, Fla.
Jim Handoush will serve as president and CEO, with a focus on strengthening and expanding the use of dexFreight’s technology. Handoush maintains more than 30 years of experience in technology, transportation and logistics, building high-performance teams and leading complex organizations with Fortune 500 customers. Previously, he served as president of Landstar Global, growing it into a billion dollar company. Handoush was also chief operating officer at Landstar System, Inc., where he managed over 1,500 employees. Recently, Handoush served as executive vice president of transportation and logistics solutions at Optym. With this appointment, Rajat Rajbhandari, co-founder and CEO, will assume the role of chief information officer, with a focus on market research and fostering relationships with governmental and academic institutions.
AMF Bakery Systems, Richmond, Va.
Guillaume Joly was named business development manager to support North American customers in seeking complete automation solutions, and help drive the product strategy for AMF Tromp sheeting and laminating technologies. Joly maintains over 24 years of experience in the baking industry.
Restaurant Technologies, Minneapolis
Tim Curran was appointed senior vice president of operations, tasked with overseeing the company’s operations team and helping lead the expansion of its nationwide service and distribution network. Curran most recently served as chief executive officer of Binswanger Glass, and managed Binswanger’s sale to Wingate Partners. Curran was also senior vice president for G&K Services, and held roles with AlliedSignal, Inc./Honeywell and Xerox Corp.
Pilot Freight Services, Glen Mills, Pa.
Lygdel DeLeon was promoted to Canada country manager, responsible for providing support and establishing systems to enhance sales and operations in Pilot’s three stations in Vancouver, Montreal, and Toronto, Canada. DeLeon will also work to enhance and support station managers. DeLeon joined Pilot in 2014 to spearhead the launch of the Vancouver station, building the client base, sales, customer service and operations team from the ground up. DeLeon also secured a strong client base and branched out into vertical markets, including retail and aerospace.
Southern Pines Trucking, Aliquippa, Pa.
Marvin Strange joined as executive vice president, cryogenic and tanker division, charged with overseeing the operations and management of Southern Pines' cryogenic and tanker division. Strange maintains more than 25 years of transportation industry experience, with a specialized focus in the cryogenics and tanker sector. He most recently served as vice president of operations for Merchant Gas Group. Strange started out as a tanker driver in 1994, and worked his way up through various management positions, aiding in technology rollouts to enhance organizational efficiencies, decreasing driver turnover and building solid customer relationships.
Lydall, Inc., Manchester, Conn.
Sara Greenstein was appointed president and CEO, effective Nov. 18, succeeding Dale Barnhart, who will be retiring after more than 12 years of service with Lydall. Greenstein maintains extensive operational expertise and the ability to lead large, multifaceted global organizations. Since 2015, she has been a senior executive of United States Steel Corp., where she led the consumer solutions business unit. Prior to joining U.S. Steel, Greenstein served for 12 years in a variety of senior leadership positions at Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Greenstein currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Briggs & Stratton Corp., and is a member of Briggs & Stratton’s Finance Committee and Nominating & Governance Committee.
Artemis Group, Paris, France, and Franke Group, Switzerland
Martin Wyser, general counsel of Franke Group, will move to the Artemis Group, effective Jan. 1, 2020, responsible for domestic and foreign real estate business. Wyser has been general counsel for the Franke Group since 2012. Marcel Enz will then become general counsel for the Franke Group. Enz has been working as group compliance officer and deputy general counsel for the Franke Group since 2015. Enz maintains extensive experience as an in-house counsel. Before joining the Franke Group, he spent a number of years working in legal teams at Schindler, Bank Julius Bär and ALSO. Additionally, Christian Mäder, chief financial officer of the Artemis Group, will take over the Artemis Asset Management Group. These changes will coincide with the partial retirement of Dr. Michael Soormann, president and CEO of the Artemis Asset Management Group.
Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), Jacksonville, Fla.
Transportation business development executive Alberto Cabrera was named director, cruise and cargo development, responsible for developing relationships with cruise lines and positioning JAXPORT to capture new cruise business at the port’s North Jacksonville, Fla., cruise terminal. In addition, he will oversee fresh and frozen cargoes and trade between North Florida and the Caribbean and Latin America. Cabrera maintains more than three decades of business development and operations experience, including 15 years in the Puerto Rico trade. He has managed multi-million dollar accounts and negotiated business deals valued at more than $100 million. He most recently served as assistant vice president of business development at Patriot Ports. Prior to that, he served in business development roles at JAXPORT, developing strategic marketing for the port’s diversified lines of business. He also served in executive positions at Florida East Coast Railway and Port Canaveral, as well as in operations management for JAXPORT partner Trailer Bridge. He is a past president of the Jacksonville Propeller Club.
Novolex, Hartsville, S.C.
Matthew Winokur was named to the newly created positon of senior vice president of corporate affairs, bringing a unified approach to communications, public affairs and sustainability strategies, and working closely with internal and external stakeholders. Winokur maintains more than 35 years of experience helping corporations, governments and non-profit organizations worldwide in crisis communications, media relations, corporate positioning strategy, stakeholder engagement, sustainability programs, employee communications and community relations. He began working as a consultant to Novolex while heading his own firm, Winokur Communications. Prior to this, he was vice president of sustainability and vice president of corporate affairs for Axalta Coating Systems. Previously, he served as executive vice president for Ogilvy Public Relations, and held a variety of corporate affairs positions at Altria Group and its Philip Morris International business.
Ervin Equipment Inc., Toledo, Ill.
Cole Ervin will move from his role as president to that of chief executive officer. Ervin joined the company his father Greg Ervin established in 2002. Chad Strader was promoted to president, replacing Ervin. Strader was executive vice president. He maintains over 30 years of sales and sales management experience, and played a crucial role in Ervin's sales organization since joining the company in 2007. Preston Owen was appointed chief financial officer and general counsel. Preston maintains over 25 years of accounting experience in public accounting, municipal government, manufacturing, distribution and transportation. He also has 21 years of experience practicing law – passing the Illinois Certified Public Accountant exam in 1994, and the Illinois Bar Exam in 1998. He's also a retired U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer, serving 20 years on active duty and in the reserve forces. Christina Bland was named new vice president of operations. Bland maintains over 20 years of operational and management experience, and has played a vital role in the success of Ervin Equipment over the past 15 years. Bland will also continue to oversee many aspects of the day-to-day business. Tim Jones is now vice president of purchasing and business development, adding new duties to his previous role as vice president of purchasing. Jones maintains over 30 years in the transportation industry, including over 13 at Ervin. Lastly, Jeff Thomas was named manager of sales and finance. Since joining Ervin Equipment 8 years ago, Thomas has worked in roles ranging from sales, to recruiting, to finance. He will also continue to grow Ervin Equipment's finance wing, E-Funding.
Johnson Controls International plc, Ireland
Michael Ellis was named executive vice president and chief customer and digital officer, effective Oct. 14. In this newly created role, Ellis will oversee Johnson Controls’ digital strategy, innovation and execution, working closely with customers to drive new growth and value opportunities across the globe. Ellis most recently served as global managing director of Accenture, where he advised Fortune 1,000 CEOs in developing digital strategy and innovation for new transformative revenue opportunities and industry leadership. Prior to joining Accenture in 2018, Ellis was president, chairman and CEO of ForgeRock. Earlier in his career, Ellis served in leadership roles at SAP, Oracle, i2 Technologies and Apple Inc.
Paxxal Inc., Noblesville, Ind.
Richard San Martin was appointed chief operating officer, effective Oct. 21, with global responsibility for manufacturing, logistics and operational activities. San Martin maintains over 35 years of manufacturing, business development, operational and financial experience in the plastic/composite pallet industry. He most recently served 7 years as executive vice president of operations, logistics and business development at RM2 USA, and before that, was senior vice president of manufacturing, logistics and operations at iGPS, where he fostered key relationships with Fortune 500 companies globally in the manufacturing, supply chain and the plastic/composite pallet industry. San Martin also spent 13 years as senior vice president of supply chain, manufacturing and operations at Cott Corp., where he reorganized North American manufacturing and operations, introduced Lean Six Sigma and led the manufacturing supply chain organization to record levels. He started his career at Anheuser Busch, where he held various positions in all functional areas of plant manufacturing for over 19 years, rising to group manager in beer packaging and shipping.
RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, Randolph, Mass.
Peter Entwistle was named vice president of sales, Northeast region, responsible for port drayage, dedicated fleet management, container terminal sales, transloading, warehousing and contract logistics sales from Maine to Virginia and as far West as Ohio. For the past 20 years, Entwistle has served as director of business development for a provider of intermodal transportation services.
Matrix Packaging, Saukville, Wis.
Marc Wolf was named new general manager, replacing Marc Willden, who retired. Wolf has served as business development manager for B&R Automation since 2012. Before that, he was director of operations and global supply chain at Rovema Packaging Machinery and operations and materials manager at Bosch Packaging Technology.
ESI Group USA, Hartland, Wis.
Timothy Nguyen was promoted to senior vice president, tasked with overseeing the sales team. Nguyen joined ESI in 1998, and has worked in the food and controlled environment industry for 30 years. He currently serves as chairman of the Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA), a committee through the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA).
Scholle IPN, Northlake, Ill.
Ross Bushnell was appointed new president and CEO. Bushnell maintains 15 years of experience leading global packaging businesses, such as Silgan, Mondi and Sonoco Products. Throughout his career, he has helped companies streamline and optimize their go-to-market strategies; aligned commercial and operational groups around customer goals; and driven business development and commercial resources toward markets with high-growth potential.
Cambridge Security Seals (CSS), Pomona, N.Y.
Chris Patten was named regional sales manager, responsible for managing CSS’s business development and effective servicing of customers in the Midwestern United States. Patten spent the last two decades at Windsor Factory Supply, a division of Acklands Grainger Inc., where for the past 10 years, he represented the OneSeal USA product line and oversaw sales and service to the company’s security seal customers in North America.
IN MEMORIUM: ALFRED LEPORE, FERRARA BAKERY
Alfred Lepore, whose company Ferrara Bakery, New York, was one of the founding members of the Specialty Food Association, New York, passed away.
Lepore served as president of Ferrara from 1966-2006, where he expanded the availability of imported Italian foods in the United States and fostered American production of Italian products.
Lepore also served as the board chair for the Specialty Food Association from 1980-1982.
IN MEMORIUM: BOB BUSH, SCHREIBER FOODS
Bob Bush, one of Schreiber Foods’ original 13 owners, passed away Oct. 10.
Bush is the son of founder Merlin Bush, and also served as president and CEO, chair of the board, chair emeritus and a long-time board member of the Green Bay, Wis., company.
“We’ve lost a giant of a man whose impact on our company and Northeast Wisconsin will truly be felt forever,” says Mike Haddad, executive chair of the board of directors. “I ask that our partners keep Bob’s wife, Carol, and the entire Bush family in their prayers, and at the same time, rejoice in the incredible life of this amazing man.”
