ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS:

American Transportation Research Institute, Arlington, Va.
Tennessee Trucking Association president Dave Huneryager was appointed to the board of directors, replacing Ed Crowell, president of the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, who completed 11 years of service on the ATRI board.

North American Meat Association, Oakland, Calif.
Norm Robertson will assume the position of associate executive director of regulatory issues, taking over for Ken Mastracchio, who will remain on staff as associate director. Prior to joining the staff in 2008, Robertson was the district case specialist for the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service and worked as a slaughter food inspector, a consumer safety officer and an enforcement investigation and analysis officer.

U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, Tucker, Ga.
Elton Maddox, president and CEO of Wayne Farms, was elected chairman of the board of directors. Maddox joined Wayne Farms in 1974 and has worked in a number of management positions within the company. In addition, he is a past chairman of the National Chicken Council and the Georgia Improvement Association and a past president of the Georgia Poultry Federation and the Georgia Poultry Processors Federation. He has served on the USPOULTRY board of directors since 2007.

PROCESSORS/RETAILERS:

Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J.
B. Craig Owens, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer since 2008, announced his intent to retire, effective May 1. Anthony DiSilvestro, senior vice president – finance, was promoted to succeed Owens .Since joining Campbell in 1996, DiSilvestro has held a wide range of senior roles in the finance organization and in the company’s principal business divisions.

Kettle Cuisine, Chelsea, Mass.
Long-time employee Lorie Donnelly was promoted to vice president of foodservice sales, responsible for guiding the company’s foodservice business development efforts toward continued growth while staying true to the long-standing company principles of honoring food and exceeding customer expectations. Donnelly joined Kettle Cuisine in 1993 to pioneer sales of fresh, premium quality soups to discerning chefs and leading restaurateurs in New England. She was instrumental in building the business from a small garage operation to a small batch manufacturer of soups, sauces and dips now selling throughout the United States.

High Liner Foods Inc., Canada
Paul Jewer was named chief financial officer, replacing Kelly Nelson, who will retire in May. Jewer was most recently CFO with Sobeys Inc., where he was responsible for all financial functions of the company, including reporting, planning, treasury, tax and investor relations. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA) and began his career with Ernst & Young LLP providing audit, tax, valuation and business advisory services for a variety of clients in various business sectors.

Pinnacle Foods Inc., Parsippany, N.J.
Jane Hamilton Nielsen, executive vice president and CFO of Coach, Inc., was elected to the board of directors, effective March 10. Nielsen was added to the board's Audit Committee and Compensation Committee. Prior to her role at Coach, Nielsen was senior vice president and CFO of PepsiCo Americas, Beverages and Global Nutrition Group.

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn.
William Snyder, senior vice president of supply chain; David Juhlke, vice president of human resources; and Michael Devine, vice president of operations - grocery products, announced their retirements. The following advancements will take place as a result of the retirements. Bryan Farnsworth, vice president of quality management, will advance to senior vice president of supply chain, effective March 3. Farnsworth began his career with Hormel Foods in 1981, and has held a variety of quality and process control positions. He gained plant manager experience in 1995 at Jennie-O Turkey Store, and moved back to the corporate office in 1996 as director of quality management. Lawrence Lyons advanced to vice president of human resources, effective March 3. Lyons joined Hormel Foods in 1978 as an industrial engineering trainee. In 1981, he became a compensation analyst, and later became industrial relations supervisor. In 1988, he became manager of personnel and purchasing, followed by corporate manager of safety and security in 1993 and other human resources roles, including manager of employee relations and director of personnel. Donald Temperley will advance to vice president of operations - grocery products, effective April 28. Temperley joined FDL Foods in 1982 (which became Rochelle Foods in 1993) and has held various production management roles since. In 1993, he advanced to superintendent of processed meats, then transferred to become superintendent of cured and smoked meats production, followed by manager of pork processing in 2000. Lastly, Richard Carlson will become vice president of quality management, effective March 3. Carlson began his career with Hormel Foods in 1990 as quality and process control engineer. He has held quality assurance and production management positions, and in 2001, was named director of quality assurance.

FOODSERVICE:

McDonald’s USA, Oak Park, Ill.
Deborah Wahl was named chief marketing officer, effective March 3. A 25-year marketing industry veteran, Wahl will play an integral role in the development of the company’s growth strategies and overall brand positioning. Specifically, she will be responsible for leading, developing and overseeing execution of fully integrated marketing plans to drive and sustain long-term growth, while expanding and strengthening partnerships externally and internally with franchisees, suppliers and agency partners. Previously, Wahl was senior vice president and CMO of PulteGroup Inc., where she was responsible for defining and driving the company’s strategic marketing and branding initiatives and bolstering the company’s position as a multi-branded homebuilding company.

Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, Wash.
Effective Feb. 1, chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz will expand his focus on innovation in coffee, tea and the Starbucks Experience as well as next generation retailing and payments initiatives in the areas of digital, mobile, card, loyalty and e-commerce. He will also continue to work closely with his senior leadership team to ensure continued disciplined growth and operational excellence around the world. Meanwhile, Troy Alstead was promoted to chief operating officer, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the enterprise and aligning and prioritizing company investments across business units. Scott Maw was promoted to executive vice president and CFO, responsible for managing the company’s global finance function. He joined Starbucks as global controller in 2011 and brings more than two decades of finance leadership experience to his new role. Craig Russell was promoted to executive vice president, global coffee, responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s coffee strategy, quality, innovation, purchasing, education and engagement. His team also oversees Starbucks Farmer Support Centers and works closely with the company’s supply chain operations and global responsibility teams to advance the company’s ethical sourcing efforts. Russell joined Starbucks in 2001 as vice president of retail operations for Seattle’s Best Coffee.

SUPPLIERS:

NERAK Systems Inc., Fishkill, N.Y.
Volker Brandt was appointed president, responsible for supporting the expansions of NERAK Systems USA as part of the global NERAK brand. Meanwhile, Simone Wakefield was appointed executive vice president and retains her role as chief financial officer. Wakefield will be responsible for the financial and daily operation of the company as well as continued expansion of the NERAK brand.

Dorner Mfg. Corp., Hartland, Wis.
Chad Tebben was appointed the mid-central regional sales manager, responsible for working with sales channel partners and key accounts to grow the company’s industrial and sanitary conveyor business throughout the Mid-Central region of the United States. Tebben brings a strong sales and management background and extensive packaging and material handling experience, including his 14-year career with Habasit.

WeighPack Systems Inc., Las Vegas
John Cloutier and Derek Chandler were named territory managers, responsible for the Ontario, Manitoba, Michigan and upstate New York regions. Most recently at MD Packaging, Chandler has spent the last 10 years selling automated packaging solutions to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry. His expertise includes bagging and flow wrapping, product inspection (check weighing, x-ray, metal detection) and case erecting / packing. Cloutier’s professional career includes 20-plus years of industrial sales experience in manufacturing, distribution, food and beverage.

Piab USA, Hingham, Mass.
Tim Rohr joined as technical sales manager-material handling. Rohr brings a proven record of sales channel management, specifically through distributors, reps, OEMs and end-user direct.

Ryan Cos. US, Inc., Minneapolis
Todd Schell was promoted to director of operations – industrial, responsible for leading the pre-construction efforts for distribution and food and beverage-type project pursuits nationwide. Additional responsibilities include managing client relationships, coordinating workload and developing proposal and sales strategies.