AdvancePierre Foods Names Steve Booker President of Retail
CINCINNATI–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AdvancePierre Foods, a market-leading producer of ready-to-eat
sandwiches and value-added proteins, has named Steve Booker President –
Retail. He will lead the company’s second largest business unit, which
collaborates with club, mass merchandise and grocery chains to provide
branded, private-brand and licensed products.
Booker started his career in home care products with Procter & Gamble
and The Clorox Company before transitioning into the food industry. He
spent the last 13 years at ConAgra Foods, most recently serving as the
senior vice president of customer development. In this role, he oversaw
a 200-member team responsible for the development of customer-facing
capabilities to drive growth across ConAgra Foods’ branded and private
label businesses.
“Steve’s a proven strategist with deep knowledge of the retail channel
and what it takes to build long-term value and brand equity,” shared
John Simons, AdvancePierre’s President and CEO. “We’re excited for him
to build on the collaborative efforts of our team and to optimize the
growth synergies from our Landshire and Better Bakery acquisitions.”
In addition to a bevy of AdvancePierre company brands, Booker will play
a significant role in growing AdvancePierre’s private-label business,
which currently accounts for more than a quarter of the retail
portfolio. “Co-creating high-quality, signature products for our
customers is a meaningful part of our business and a tremendous growth
opportunity,” Simons added. “Private label brands are attaining elevated
status and competing head-to-head with national brands. Steve’s brand
intelligence and acute awareness of category and channel strategy will
be a great asset for our customers.”
About AdvancePierre Foods
AdvancePierre™ Foods, Inc., headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a
nationally recognized manufacturer and marketer of value-added proteins
and sandwich products to foodservice, retail and convenience store
providers. With revenues of over $1.6 billion and more than 4,000
employees, AdvancePierre offers a broad line of packaged sandwiches;
fully cooked beef, chicken, and pork products; uncooked meat items such
as Philly-style steak, breaded beef and stuffed chicken entrees; and
bakery products that are all produced from high-quality ingredients and
provide unparalleled taste, convenience and value to both operators and
their patrons.
An affiliate of Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., a Los Angeles-based
investment firm, is the majority shareholder of AdvancePierre Foods.
Contacts
Vehr Communications
Laura Phillips, 513-381-8347 (w)
513-325-9985
(c)
lphillips@vehrcommunications.com
