ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:
International Dairy Foods Association, Washington, D.C.
IDFA and its three constituent organizations—the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA)—elected new officers and board members for 2012-2013. Leading each association for the next year will be IDFA chair Mike Nosewicz, vice president of manufacturing, fresh dairy, The Kroger Co.; IDFA vice chair and NCI chair Jon Davis, president and CEO, Davisco Foods International, Inc.; IDFA secretary and MIF chair Ed Mullins, executive vice president and CEO, Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc.; and IDFA treasurer and IICA chair Patty Stroup, head of procurement, global milk products procurement, Nestle S.A.
PROCESSORS/RETAILERS:
Flowers Foods, Thomasville, Ga.
Craig Parr was appointed senior vice president of finance and chief risk officer, responsible for commodity hedging and purchasing strategies. Parr comes from The Andersons, Inc., where he served as vice president of risk management and food ingredient supply. Parr has 20 years experience, and has been an active member of national risk management committees. He also serves on the board of directors at Mobile Meals, Inc. and is a committee member at the National Grain & Feed Association and the Snack Food Association.
Michael Foods Inc., Minnetonka, Minn.
Dr. Julie Kelly was named on-staff veterinarian, responsible for providing day-to-day management of the company’s hen well-being initiatives, specifically, maintaining food safety and overall health programs. Kelly also will work directly with Michael Foods’ egg farmers and the company’s egg suppliers to ensure healthy flocks and provide preventative care and medical attention when needed. In addition, she will work with nutritionists, farm managers, contract managers, supervisors and production managers on a regular basis to answer questions, enhance health programs and ensure the hens receive a nutritious, well-balanced diet.
Preferred Meal Systems, Inc., Berkely, Ill.
Pamela Maes was named executive director of account management, responsible for national oversight of the account management group, supporting customer service operations as well as account expansion and retention. She will lead the company’s implementation of policies, procedures and best practices for customer service teams who work with more than 200 public and private school districts and charter schools throughout the country as well as daycare centers and senior feeding sites in 18 states. She brings nearly 30 years foodservice industry experience.
Ehrmann USA, LLC, Brattleboro, Vt.
Chris Solly joined as chief executive officer, responsible for managing the Ehrmann brand’s U.S. presence, building brand awareness and growing product distribution. Solly brings nearly 25 years of experience in brand management and sales in various food brands, such as Weight Watchers, Heinz, Häagen Dazs and Lea & Perrins.
Sunsweet Growers Inc., Yuba City, Calif.
Dane Lance, former chief operating officer, was appointed president, succeeding Arthur Driscoll II, who will continue as CEO. Effective Oct. 1, Lance will be responsible for overseeing day-to-day financial, operational, IT, administrative and sales and marketing matters.
SUPPLIERS:
Canadian Pacific, Canada
Michael Redeker was appointed vice president and chief information officer, effective Oct. 15. Redeker will be responsible for redefining CP’s future strategic information technology roadmap and improving asset utilization, market growth, shipment management and employee productivity. With more than five years at ATB Financial, Redeker completed an end-to-end technology upgrade and replacement program.
Intelligrated, Cincinnati
Tracy Perdue assumed the position of senior sales engineer for the company’s southern regional operations, responsible for managing customer relationships in the southern region. Perdue brings more than 15 years of material handling sales experience to the Intelligrated team.
Union Pacific, Omaha, Neb.
Joe Santamaria was promoted to vice president of engineering, responsible for leading track, infrastructure and signal systems design, construction and maintenance. Randy Blackburn was promoted to vice president of transportation, succeeding Santamaria. Blackburn will oversee transportation field operations across UP’s 32,000-mile system. Meanwhile, David Connell was named regional vice president of the northern region, succeeding Blackburn. Connell will be responsible for leading safe operations, executing the company's transportation plan and delivering customer service across the region's 12,000-mile network.
