People on the Move: Englefield Oil, Boston Beer, ITG Brands & Parker's

NATIONAL REPORT — Retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in the convenience store industry are only as good as their management teams and employees. In this special roundup, Convenience Store News runs down the most recent executive changes, new hires, promotions and people achievements happening in the industry. 

AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc. 

Linn Harson has taken the roles of senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at AdvancePierre Foods Holdings Inc. She will oversee all legal, corporate governance and compliance and reporting requirements for the company.

Harson was most recently a partner at the Dayton, Ohio, office of Thompson Hine, a full-service law firm and a provider of legal services to AdvancePierre for the past 25 years. She has actively worked with AdvancePierre since 2005 and has been functioning as the company’s outside general counsel for the last several years.

Boston Beer Co. Inc.

Jonathan N. Potter joined the Boston Beer Co. as chief marketing officer in August. His primary responsibility will be overseeing the company's planning, development and execution of its brand development, marketing and advertising initiatives.  

Potter brings with him nearly 30 years of marketing experience, most of which has been in the alcohol beverage industry. He comes to the company from Moet Hennessy USA, where he was managing director of its Chandon division after having been chief marketing officer and executive vice president, brands since 2012.  

He comes to the the award-winning team at Boston Beer with a winning history of his own, as a member of Great Britain's gold winning field hockey team at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

Celsius Holdings Inc.

Gerry David, president and CEO of Celsius Holdings Inc., was named one of the 25 Gold Winners recognized globally in the CEO World Awards. He was selected as "The Leader" in the CEO of the Year category, recognized for his role at the helm of the rapidly expanding brand. 

Winners were honored on June 27 during the annual SVUS Red Carpet Awards Ceremony Dinner in San Francisco.

The CEO World Awards were created to honor and generate industry-wide recognition for the achievements and positive contributions of CEOs spanning every business arena across the globe. More than 40 judges comprised of a broad spectrum of industry voices from around the world, and more than 200 CEOs were nominated. 

Eby-Brown Co. LLC

Eby-Brown added T.J. Powers to its executive team. Powers will serve as senior vice president of merchandising. He will be responsible for the enhanced growth and positioning of the merchandising strategy.

Prior to joining Eby-Brown, Powers spent more than 13 years with The Kellogg Co. in sales, account management and executive management as well as most recently, served as vice president for Oberto Brands. 

Englefield Oil Co.

Englefield Oil Co. Vice President Mike Adkins served as the Honorary Starter for the Quaker State 400, taking place in July at Kentucky Speedway.

Adkins, a former air defense captain in the United States Army, is the vice president of lubricant operations for Englefield Oil. He oversees the strategic direction, expansion and operation of the division, which operates within Ohio and the surrounding states. 

General Mills

General Mills appointed Jeffrey L. Harmening as president and chief operating officer. He will continue to report to chairman and CEO Ken Powell. Harmening's successor will be announced at a later date.

A 22-year employee at Genera Mills, Harmening has served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of the $10-billion U.S. retail segment since May 2014. Previously, he was CEO of Cereal Partners Worldwide, the company's joint venture with Nestlé headquartered in Switzerland. 

"Jeff has a wide range of experience in both the U.S. and internationally. The timing is right to bring together overall operations under one leader. Jeff is well positioned to accelerate our global Consumer First strategy to drive both growth and profitability," said Powell.

ITG Brands LLC

Kathleen A. Sparrow was promoted to executive vice president, marketing and sales at ITG Brands.

Sparrow succeeds Randy B. Spell, ITG Brands' executive vice president for marketing and sales, who is retiring Oct. 1. Spell will continue to assist ITG Brands marketing and sales efforts in meeting the company's 2016 objectives. He also will lead the orderly transition of responsibilities. 

In conjunction with Sparrow's promotion, Fred A. Paternostro, vice president of national sales, will be promoted to vice president, sales, and assumes responsibility for ITG Brands' entire sales department. 

LSI Industries Inc. 

LSI Industries Inc. appointed Jon Bartlett as senior vice president of operations for LSI Graphic Solutions’ Ohio operation and division headquarters.

Bartlett has been with LSI since the 2001 acquisition of Adapt Engineering, and has led the turnkey program management and implementation services business unit, LSI Program Implementation (formerly LSI Adapt), since 2004. He has more than 20 years of experience in managing image and branding programs serving the retail, petroleum/convenience store, quick-service restaurant, banking, and grocery channels. 

McLane Co. Inc.

Vito Maurici joined McLane Co. Inc. as vice president of sales for the convenience, military and travel accounts. 

Prior to joining McLane, Maurici held the position of senior vice president of sales and distribution at NJOY, a U.S.-based manufacturer and distributor of electronic cigarette and vaping products. 

"Vito's proven track record of driving results as well as his deep understanding of our industry, and our business, makes him an invaluable addition to our grocery leadership team," said Tony Frankenberger, president of McLane Grocery. "These attributes mixed with his established portfolio of relationships among the supplier and retail community will contribute greatly to McLane's continued success."

His other career experience has included vice president of sales for the Southwest for Altria. Maurici also led trade-marketing efforts at Philip Morris International for the Central Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

Molson Coors Brewing Co.

Molson Coors Brewing Co. made several new leadership appointments that will take effect upon the close of the MillerCoors acquisition, which is expected before the end of the year.

The appointments are:

  • Kandy Anand, the current president and CEO of Molson Coors International, will be appointed to the newly created role of chief growth officer for Molson Coors.
  • Michelle Nettles, the current chief people officer for MillerCoors, will be appointed to the newly created role of chief people and diversity officer for Molson Coors.
  • Stewart Glendinning, current president and CEO of Molson Coors Canada, will be appointed as the new president and CEO of Molson Coors International.
  • Frederic Landtmeters, current managing director of Molson Coors UK and Ireland, will be appointed as the new president and CEO of Molson Coors Canada.

"As we prepare for our first day as a stronger, combined organization, with an ambition to be first choice for our consumers and customers, we have a unique opportunity to build our new leadership team in a way that leverages the deep bench of talent in both companies," said Mark Hunter, president and CEO of Molson Coors.

Mondelēz International 

Charles E. Bunch took a seat on the board of directors of Mondelēz International Inc., effective Sept.1. Bunch recently announced his retirement as executive chairman of the board at PPG Industries, Inc., also effective Sept. 1.  

He served as PPG's chairman of the board and CEO from 2005 to 2015. With this addition, the Mondelēz International Board will have 14 Directors, 13 of whom are independent.  

Parker's

Parker's hired Scott Morris, a veteran industry leader with more than 13 years of experience, as district manager. In his new position, he is responsible for managing daily operations at five stores in Bluffton, S.C., and one store in Hardeeville, S.C.

Before joining Parker’s, Morris served as operations manager for Spivey Enterprises in Charlotte N.C., where he supervised operations at seven retail stores and full-restaurant kitchens.

VMR Products

VMR Products appointed Michelle Blair as vice president of business-to-business sales. Blair was previously director of key accounts at VMR Products. 

In her new role, Blair will oversee the VMR domestic and international sales teams while coordinating relations with strategic retail partners. In addition, Michelle will build an inside sales team to address the vape shop channel.

Blair has more than two decades of experience managing all aspects of business development. In 1998 she took on the role of vice president of sales and marketing at Real Media. In 2001 she became a vice president and regional director of Cookies By Design. 

She joined VMR Products in late 2013.

The Warrell Corp.

The Warrell Corp. added two business development managers, Walter Marriott IV and Scott Lutz, to its sales team. 

Marriott, business development manager, contract manufacturing, joins the company with more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience. He will be focusing on the growth of contract manufacturing. 

Lutz, business development manager, ingredients, brings with him more than 20 years experience in quality assurance and 10 years in industrial sales. His new role at Warrell will focus on growing the caramel ingredients division. 

In addition, Edward Reilly Jr. was promoted to director of branded sales from his previous position as branded sales manager. He will now oversee Warrell's manufactured brands, as well as the Pennsylvania Dutch Candies division. 

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