Here’s a look at recent pork industry promotions and new hires.
Knapp Joins Ralco Swine Team
Josh Knapp has joined Ralco as an associate swine nutritionist on their growing swine technical team. Knapp will be responsible for working with Ralco’s customers and sales team to formulate diets and solve customer problems using patented natural approaches.
“I’m excited to be a part of such a strong Swine Technical Team,” Knapp said in a release. “Ralco is at the forefront of innovation to meet the new demands and challenges swine producers are facing in the industry. Their products are uniquely positioned and created to waste less energy in digestion, promote gut health and improve performance.”
Knapp earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science with an emphasis in bioscience and biotechnology at Kansas State University. He then received his master’s degree from the University of Arkansas and finished his academic career with his PhD at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
His academic work aligns well with the natural approaches Ralco has been leveraging with customers for years. His PhD dissertation focused on prebiotics and probiotics and how the diet influences cecal and fecal microbiome across various stages of swine production, the company said in a release.
“One of my many reasons for choosing Ralco was their EnMAX® formulation approach. The three pillars they use to formulate swine diets - net energy formulation, supplemental enzymes and crystalline amino acids - are all things I wondered why more people in the industry haven’t used because it’s more efficient,” Knapp added.
In 2004, Ralco’s breakthrough in swine nutrition led to the EnMAX formulation approach which helps overcome waste in digestion and provides more efficient energy to pigs. While other standard swine diets use high levels of soybean meal and fat, EnMAX diets typically use 28% less, the company said. In his new role, Knapp will provide expert technical and nutritional support to Ralco’s swine customers helping them formulate EnMAX diets to meet their production goals and use patented essential oils and prebiotics to overcome health challenges.
Maple Leaf Foods Announces Changes to Senior Leadership
Maple Leaf Foods Inc., a Canadian branded food company, announced changes to its Senior Leadership Team. The changes come as part of the leadership transition plan announced earlier this year as Curtis Frank, currently president and COO, prepares to step into the role of president and CEO by the spring of 2023, and Michael McCain begins to step back from his CEO role to focus on his role as Executive Chair.
Casey Richards, current senior vice president of marketing, is promoted to the newly created role of president and chief growth officer. In this new role, Richards will assume accountability of value-added prepared meats and poultry businesses under one combined organizational unit to drive profitable growth through clear strategic alignment and agile decision making, the company said in a release. Under Richards’ leadership, Maple Leaf Foods will establish a dedicated growth-focused center of excellence called Accelerate. Accelerate will help Maple Leaf unlock new opportunities for growth by bringing together our world-class brand building expertise, data-driven insights and analytics, innovation and new technologies, and e-commerce and digital experience.
Iain Stewart, current senior vice president of operations & supply chain, is promoted to the newly created role of chief supply chain officer. Under Stewart’s leadership, the company said it will further refine its manufacturing strategy to leverage its expertise in operations, purchasing, supply chain and engineering into a sustainable competitive advantage. He will expand Maple Leaf Foods’ Operational Excellence System (OES) Center of Excellence, ensuring efficiencies and sustainability practices are consistently embedded throughout their operations, and optimizing operations and profitability within the pork complex.
Adam Grogan, currently president of Maple Leaf Foods’ subsidiary, Greenleaf Foods, SPC, is appointed to the role of president, alternative protein. Grogan will continue to lead the Greenleaf business, and will add responsibility for commercializing and broadening the company’s innovation and investment strategy in meat protein alternatives, all as part of Maple Leaf’s future-oriented vision to deliver long-term financial and sustainability performance.
Jumoke Fagbemi, will join Maple Leaf Foods in January as its new senior vice president, people. Fagbemi is a well-respected human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience and a proven record of successfully implementing cost-effective, value-driven people strategies grounded in diversity, equity and inclusion principles, the company said. As part of the Senior Leadership Team, Fagbemi will play an integral role in leading the company’s human resources team and our strategic people initiatives.
Patrick Lutfy, current vice president of marketing, is promoted to the role of senior vice president of marketing, replacing Casey Richards.
Amlan International Announces Executive Promotions
Amlan International, the animal health business of Oil-Dri® Corporation of America, announces three internal promotions. These organizational changes will continue the momentum of Amlan’s growth in the Americas while maintaining the strong reputation of Amlan in Asian markets, the company said in a release.
Wade Robey has been promoted to president of Amlan International. Dan Jaffee will transition his responsibilities as president and general manager of Amlan to Robey and will continue to serve as president and CEO of Oil-Dri. While serving as president and general manager, Jaffee strategically realigned Amlan as a leader in mineral technology, the company said in a release.
Robey joined Amlan as vice president, marketing and product development in March 2021 and was promoted to vice president of agriculture & Amlan marketing in May 2022. Since joining the company, he has directed global marketing efforts and reinforced Amlan’s promise to deliver reliable, natural feed additive solutions from its proprietary mineral technology to improve the quality of animal protein for human consumption, the company said in a release. Robey will continue as vice president of agriculture and the strategic oversight of Oil-Dri’s Innovation Campus. He is a graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences and a master’s in avian physiology. He earned a Ph.D. in animal nutrition from Virginia Tech.
Other notable promotions include:
• Reagan Culbertson has been promoted to vice president, strategic marketing.
• Aldo Rossi has been promoted to vice president, innovation & technical service.
“These promotions reflect our company’s commitment to excellence,” Dan Jaffee said in a release. “We continue to invest in our people to ensure we provide our customers with superior technical expertise and support. Wade, Reagan and Aldo have proven themselves valuable team leaders who consistently develop new strategies that exceed expectations while growing the Amlan International brand in both global and North American markets.”
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