AFFI elects new officers, among other personnel announcements
ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS: American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI), McLean, Va.
On the heels of the 2016 AFFI Frozen Food Convention (AFFI-CON), the board of directors elected new officers—Larry Cope, president and CEO of Clear Springs Foods, as chair; Stan Firestone, president and owner of Firestone Pacific Foods, as vice chair; and Paul Bakus, president of corporate affairs for Nestlé USA, as immediate past chair. The six board members elected to 3-year terms are Mark Dunn of J.R. Simplot Co.; Angelo Fallucca of Palermo Villa; Brad Hiranaga of General Mills; Andrew Loucks of Kellogg’s; Rob McCutcheon of ConAgra Foods; and Dave Yanda of Lakeside Foods.
Midwest Dairy Association, St. Paul, Minn. Lucas Lentsch named chief executive officer, taking over for Mike Kruger, who will retire, effective July 1. Lentsch currently serves as South Dakota's secretary of agriculture. He also spent more than 10 years in business and community development in northeast South Dakota. On his retirement date, Kruger will have completed 35 years of service to dairy farmers through their checkoff program. He assumed leadership of a Midwest Dairy Association predecessor organization, American Dairy Association of Minnesota, in 1985 after serving as assistant manager for five years. He guided the organization as it evolved to become American Dairy Association/Dairy Council of the Upper Midwest and later Midwest Dairy Association.