Cold foods industry experiences slew of personnel changes
ASSOCIATIONS/ORGANIZATIONS: Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), Madison, Wis. Abby Despins was promoted to director of national product communications, where she will spearhead national public relations and social media campaigns. Despins has been with WMMB since 2014, serving as public relations manager. Despins brought nearly a decade of experience in public relations, social media and strategic marketing communications in a variety of agency, corporate and non-profit roles. Since joining WMMB, she has worked with cheese companies, food bloggers and industry media to share WMMB’s message on a regional and national level through targeted social media and public relations efforts.
The Food Institute, Upper Saddle River, N.J. Scott Helder, director of global sourcing, food quality assurance and food regulatory for Meijer Inc., joined the Board of Trustees. Helder is responsible for all Meijer Own Brand Supermarket products, ensuring each item meets stringent standards for quality and regulatory. Helder's career at Meijer started in 2010 as a foundational member of the Own Brand Sourcing team. He was promoted to fresh and frozen seafood merchant, where he was responsible for the entire seafood category. Following seafood, Helder was promoted to director of global sourcing, responsible for all domestic and global Meijer Brand Suppliers. Since then, Helder has assumed additional responsibilities leading the supermarket quality assurance and regulatory teams. Prior to Meijer, Helder worked at Gordon Food Service developing supplier relationships with the fruit, vegetable and dairy team.