Columbus Foods, Hayward, Calif.
As the company approaches its 100th anniversary, it appointed Joe Ennen as president, leading sales, marketing and human resources, taking over for Timothy Fallon, who will retire as chief executive officer at the end of the year. He brings more than 20 years of food industry and consumer packaged goods experience. Previously, Ennen was senior vice president of Safeway’s exclusive brand portfolio and group vice president at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, where he led innovation as well as brand marketing. He was also vice president and general manager for ConAgra, managing the Healthy Choice business. He also spent close to a decade with the Kellogg Co. in the United States and the U.K. Additionally, Michael Fox joins as senior vice president of marketing and innovation. Previously, Fox spent close to a decade at PepsiCo, where he led some of the company’s flagship snack brands, including Stacy’s, Doritos and Cheetos, and built a strong track record of developing innovative brand experiences and new products. Fox was also a vice president at Safeway, where he was instrumental in the acceleration of its health-and-wellness brands, including O Organics, Open Nature and Eating Right. This news comes on the heels of Columbus Foods’ announcement to close its South San Francisco, Calif., processing plant and headquarters location and migrate production to its newly renovated Hayward, Calif., salami curing and processing facility.