International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) Announces 2015 Executive Committee And Board Of Directors

CHICAGO, Jan. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA), a trade association established in 1952 comprising more than 300 of the world's most prestigious food, equipment and supply manufacturers and other organizations that support the foodservice industry, announced six officers and six new directors have been elected to the 2015 Board of Directors.

"Our vision is to provide IFMA's member community and its industry partners the opportunity to enhance the consumer's enjoyment of the foodservice choice," said IFMA President and CEO Larry Oberkfell. "We are fortunate to have such a talented group of dedicated professionals leading IFMA toward fulfilling this vision."

After serving as a Board and Executive Committee member for several years, Richard Ferranti, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Rich Products Corp., has been elected as IFMA's 2015 Chairman of the Board. Mr. Ferranti emphasized that continued collaboration with industry leaders will be a key to success for the foodservice industry this year and beyond.

"Serving as chairman of IFMA in 2015 will be a great experience for me, and it reinforces Rich's history of leadership and knowledge sharing through industry association participation," Mr. Ferranti said. "I look forward to working with the association's Board and members to continue advancing IFMA's Vision and Mission. We have a very accomplished group of leaders who are ambitious about developing the best approaches for reviewing long-term strategies and understanding demographic and consumer trends that will grow their business."

2015 Executive Committee
In addition to Mr. Ferranti and Mr. Oberkfell, five seasoned IFMA Board members will be serving on the association's Executive Committee this year. They include:

• Joe Bybel, IFMA first vice chairman and senior vice president marketing and research & development at Ventura Foods.
• Kevin Delahunt, IFMA vice chairman and president, Food Service Division, Sargento Foods, Inc.
• Ben Shanley, IFMA vice chairman and senior vice president, National Foodservice Operations, Coca-Cola North America.
• Don Davis, IFMA treasurer and senior vice president, Foodservice, Tyson Foods, Inc.
• Kent Walrack, 2013 IFMA Chairman and president and COO, Lyons Magnus. 

2015 New Board Members
Six new members have also been elected to IFMA's Board of Directors, including:

• Trevor Bynum, president, Schwan's Food Service, Inc.
• Corrie Byron, vice president & general manager – brands, Kerry
• Josh Halpern, vice president, national retail sales, On-Premise & Military, Anheuser-Busch
• Lisa Kermizis-Abraham, vice president national accounts NA, International Marketing Systems, Ltd. (RC Bigelow Tea Company)
• Sandy Romoser, senior vice president, chief customer officer, PepsiCo Foodservice
• Gretchen Sussman, vice president, Foodservice North America, CSM Bakery Solutions

2015 Returning Board Members 
IFMA is pleased to announce the following board members will continue to serve the association and the industry in 2015:

• Heather Anfang, vice president, U.S. Dairy Foods Marketing, Land O' Lakes, Inc.
• Mike Cannon, vice president sales & marketing and R&D, Surlean Foods
• John Flood, vice president/general manager, Further Processing, Wayne Farms, LLC
• Paul Gere, vice president sales and marketing planning, McCain Foods USA, Inc.
• Frank Graves, general manager, Seattle's Best Coffee, Starbucks Corporation.
• Rod Hepponstall, vice president and general manager, Foodservice, ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston
• Eric Hetrick, general manager, Global P&G Professional, The Proctor & Gamble Company
• Kevin Jackson, vice president and general manager, Foodservice Markets, J.M. Smucker Company
• Rick Kirkpatrick, vice president sales and marketing, Sweet Street Deserts
• Natalie Laackman, chief financial officer and vice president Global Finance Global IT & Specialty Channels Business, Kellogg's Company
• Simon Marshall, president, North America, Unilever Food Solutions
• William McClellan, vice president, Foodservice, Dawn Food Products, Inc.
• Perry Miele, president, Nestle Professional North America - Food
• Chris Mulder, president, CFNA, Cargill
• Fred Paglia, president, NA Foodservice & US Growth Channels, Kraft Foods
• David Rizley, vice president of sales-strategic accounts, SCA Tissue North America, LLC
• Kathleen Schartner, IFMA Educational Foundation Chairperson, director of foodservice, Farmer Brothers
• Bob Sherwood, senior vice president and general manager, Global QSR, Ecolab/Kay Chemicals
• Malcolm Simmonds, vice president of foodservice, sales and marketing, J.R. Simplot Company

About International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA):
IFMA is a leading trade association comprised of the world's most prestigious food, equipment and supply manufacturers in the $600 billion foodservice industry, as well as related marketing service organizations, trade publications, distributors and brokers. For more information, visit ifmaworld.com. Follow IFMA on Twitter: @IFMAWORLD or join our group on LinkedIn. IFMA media contact: Pete Spinner, Director, Integrated Marketing, Phone: 312-253-4690, Email: [email protected].

SOURCE IFMA

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