PROCESSORS/RETAILERS/DISTRIBUTORS:
Ben E. Keith Foods, Fort Worth, Texas
Ron Boyd, senior vice president of sales and marketing, is retiring, effective Feb. 1, 2018, after 36 years of service with the foodservice distributor. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Germany and Vietnam, Boyd worked in numerous capacities upon joining the company in 1981. He was general manager of the Dallas and Fort Worth divisions, director of groceries and vice president of division management. David Werner, currently vice president of marketing, was promoted to replace Boyd in the newly-created role of vice president of independent sales and marketing. A 29-year Ben E. Keith veteran, Werner will oversee sales for the company's 500-plus district sales representatives in 14 states, and will draw on his in-field sales experience to lead the company's district sales representatives in serving the needs of both independent and regional operators. Brian Lynch, currently vice president of sales development and training, was promoted to the newly created position of vice president of corporate strategy, where he will lead the company's strategic planning process, explore new revenue sources and coordinate key initiatives like partnership integrations and IT implementations. Lynch joined Ben E. Keith in 2002, and has held leadership positions in sales, sales analytics, sales management and purchasing.

Blount Fine Foods, Fall River, Mass.
Mike Maher was named culinary business development specialist. Maher, who brings more than a quarter-century record of success as a chef and foodservice executive, will work to establish, enhance and expand the company’s relationships with key accounts. He joins Blount from U.S. Foods, where he was most recently territory manager for the Southwest. And, Michael Palmer was appointed foodservice business development representative for the Midwest. Palmer, who comes to Blount as a sales and account manager with a history of growing accounts and solidifying customer relationships, will be responsible for managing and growing Blount’s foodservice business in the company’s Midwest territory. Corporate executive chef Jeff Wirtz will also carry the title of senior director of culinary development, responsible for forming and managing those partnerships the company maintains with its suppliers, especially the organic and “free-from” farmers. Lastly, Clayton Burrows was promoted to research and development chef. Previously, he was quality assurance technician for Blount. 

Procacci Holdings LLC, Philadelphia, Pa.
George Binck was promoted to chief operating officer. Binck was hired by Procacci Brothers in 1993 as a human resources manager, followed by roles such as special projects manager, general manager, and most recently, executive vice president, where he excelled in crafting administrative policies and programs and served the diverse interests of the company’s 8,000 employees throughout their business operations in the United States and Mexico. John Hagan was promoted to chief financial officer, tasked with overseeing the financial decision-making strategies for all Procacci family-owned agricultural companies. Hagan joined the company as an accountant in 2005, was promoted to controller in 2008, and then to chief financial officer of Procacci Brothers Sales Corp. in 2011. And, Lou Struble was promoted to director of business development and special projects. Struble joined Procacci Brothers in 2008 as a business analyst and account manager of the company’s Walmart business, where he helped to grow their yearly Walmart business by more than 300% over their 2008 numbers. In 2014, Struble was promoted to corporate director of communications and social responsibility, where he contributed to the company’s analytical and strategic planning successes, including overseeing improvements to the company’s centralized sales and harvest forecasting model. 

Smithfield Foods, Smithfield, Va.
Kraig Westerbeek was appointed to the newly created role of senior director of Smithfield Renewables, responsible for leading and overseeing greenhouse gas reduction efforts and keeping the company responsible for achieving its goals.

Hostess Brands, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
Bill Toler announced plans to retire as president and CEO, effective March 1, 2018.

FOODSERVICE:
Subway Restaurants, Milford, Conn.
Carissa Ganelli was promoted to chief digital officer, responsible for the brand's global digital strategy and for leading Subway Digital, a team dedicated to transforming the guest experience through the integration of digital tools and an omni-channel strategy. Ganelli joined Subway in 2016 as vice president of marketing technology, playing a critical role in evolving the brand across digital channels. Ganelli brings more than 20 years of digital experience. Prior to joining Subway, Ganelli was founder and CEO of LightningBuy, and held several digital marketing and strategy positions with companies such as Digitas, enews.com and Coopers & Lybrand Consulting.

International Dairy Queen, Inc. (IDQ), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Minneapolis
President and CEO, John Gainor, announced plans to retire, effective Dec. 31. Current chief operating officer Troy Bader will assume the role of president and CEO Jan. 1, 2018. Gainor joined IDQ in 2003 as chief supply chain officer. He was promoted to president and CEO in 2008, where he focused on improving the Dairy Queen fan experience in order to drive system sales and profitability. Bader currently serves as chief operating officer for IDQ in the United States and Canada, responsible for leading all IDQ core functions, including marketing, operations, franchise development and supply chain as well as various concept evolution initiatives. Bader joined the company in 2001.

SUPPLIERS:
ESE, Inc., Marshfield, Wis.
Bill Broda was hired as senior process control engineer. Broda maintains more than 26 years of experience in process control engineering. Previously, he worked at Rockwell Automation as a senior process control engineer.

 Opto 22, Temecula, Calif.
Norma Rodriguez was promoted to director of training, responsible for expanding the company’s current online training videos and tutorials into a structured series of online courses, while continuing to teach free hands-on classes. Rodriguez brings years of experience working with customers in the Opto 22 product support group. Most recently, she provided support for the company’s sales channel and OptoPartners in Latin America.

Transwide & Teleroute, Belgium
Alexander Sollmann was named director of product management, responsible for the product management of transport management software and freight exchanges. He will also be in charge of developing the road map of the Transwide and Teleroute software globally, leveraging his knowledge of workflow software and SaaS application to create unique solutions that allow shippers, logistics providers and carriers to save time, improve margins and manage their operations at lower costs. Sollmann brings over 24 years of experience in the transport and logistics industry, of which a decade was spent at Transporeon.

TriCore, Inc., Racine, Wis.
Tom Driedger was named regional managing partner of the company’s new Canada subsidiary, TriCore Canada ULC. Driedger comes with a strong background in the agri-foods, industrial and utilities industries.

JBT Corp., Chicago
Paul Sternlieb will be joining as executive vice president and president - protein, effective Oct. 23. This appointment is in connection with the previously announced retirement of Steve Smith and the strategic decision to increase executive leadership capacity within JBT. Sternlieb joins JBT from Illinois Tool Works (ITW), where he served as group president, global cooking with the food equipment group. Previously, he was vice president and general manager with Danaher. He has also held management roles with the H.J. Heinz Co., and was previously a consultant with McKinsey & Co., where he led consulting engagements for global food and beverage clients.

IN MEMORIUM: A. DANIEL O’NEAL, THE GREENBRIER COS.

A. Daniel O'Neal, a long-time member of The Greenbrier Cos., Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore., passed away Oct. 10.

O'Neal served the Greenbrier Cos. for more than 30 years. He was director of Greenbrier's Gunderson subsidiary from 1985-2005. He also served in various executive positions with Greenbrier, including as chairman of Greenbrier Intermodal from 1984-1994, chairman of Autostack from 1989-1996 and chairman of Greenbrier Logistics from 1996-1997. He became a member of the Greenbrier board of directors at the time of the company's initial public offering in 1994, and held that position until 2016.

O'Neal helped pioneer the market for the double-stack intermodal railcar that is still built at Gunderson today. Prior to his affiliation with Greenbrier and Gunderson, he served as transportation counsel to the United States Senate Commerce Committee chaired by Senator Warren Magnuson. In 1973, President Richard M. Nixon appointed O'Neal a commissioner of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), where he served until 1980 after appointment to that seat by President Jimmy Carter.

After leaving the ICC, O'Neal served as a partner in a business law firm, where he began his relationship with Greenbrier. He served in key roles with the Railway Supply Institute, Washington State Freight Mobility Board, Washington State Transportation Commission, Puget Sound Partnership and other non-profit organizations.