Hormel Foods Corporation, a Fortune 500 global branded food company, announced leadership advancements for its Retail business segment.

Scott Weisenbeck has been promoted to vice president of marketing – Retail. Scott has been instrumental in driving growth and innovation in the bacon category and will take on an expanded role, bringing his expertise to a broader portfolio of brands.

Joe O'Connor has been promoted to vice president of Emerging Brands – Retail. Joe's deep understanding of the premium consumer base, growth mindset and strong results make him well-suited to continue leading our emerging brands business, including Applegate and Justin's.

"These advancements recognize Scott and Joe's leadership, ability to deliver results and positions them to have greater impact as we continue to grow our Retail business," said Jim Snee, president and chief executive officer at Hormel Foods. "I congratulate Scott and Joe on their new and important leadership roles."
 
Weisenbeck joined Hormel Foods in 1992 as a sales representative in the Denver, Colorado, area. He advanced through various territory manager roles before becoming an associate brand manager in the company's former Meat Products division at the Corporate Office (Austin, Minnesota) in 1997.

Beginning the following year, Weisenbeck advanced through brand management and senior brand management roles, then in 2005 was named group brand manager for Meat Products. He became the director of integrated marketing and planning for the Hormel brand in 2009, then assumed the role of marketing director for Grocery Products in 2013. Weisenbeck was named assistant vice president of bacon in 2022.

O'Connor started his career with Hormel Foods in 2006 as a sales representative in the Chicago, Illinois, market. In 2012, he served as a national category manager at the World Headquarters in Austin, Minnesota, and then became a customer business manager for metro chains and Puerto Rico in 2013.

He was named director of sales in 2018, then joined the Applegate team as vice president of sales and marketing in 2020. He assumed his current role as president of Applegate and assistant vice president of Hormel Foods in 2022.

About Hormel Foods
 Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minnesota, is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include PLANTERS, SKIPPY, SPAM, HORMEL NATURAL CHOICE, APPLEGATE, JUSTIN'S, WHOLLY, HORMEL BLACK LABEL, COLUMBUS, JENNIE-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World's Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food. — to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe.