Smart Balance Announces Appointments of Senior Management Team.Team Has More Than 230 Years Combined Marketing, Sales, Finance, Product Development and Operations Experience CRESSKILL, N.J. -- Reissuing release for release dated June 26, 2007 to add ticker symbol Ticker Symbol An arrangement of characters (usually letters) representing a particular security listed on an exchange or otherwise traded publicly. When a company issues securities to the public marketplace, it selects an available ticker symbol for its securities which investors for searching purposes. The release reads: SMART BALANCE ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM Team Has More Than 230 Years Combined Marketing, Sales, Finance, Product Development and Operations Experience Smart Balance Inc. (OTC OTC See: Over-the-counter. OTC See over-the-counter market (OTC). BB: BDSB), maker of Smart Balance[R] and Earth Balance[R] heart-healthy food products and other established brands, announced today that it has completed the hiring of its senior management team. The appointments include: Peter Dray, executive vice president of operations and product development; Terry Schulke, executive vice president and chief customer officer; Greg Venner Venner is a surname, and may refer to:
This page or section lists people with the surname Venner. , executive vice president and chief consumer officer; Chris Appel, vice president of quality control & quality assurance and new product commercialization; Al Gever, vice president financial planning Financial planning Evaluating the investing and financing options available to a firm. Planning includes attempting to make optimal decisions, projecting the consequences of these decisions for the firm in the form of a financial plan, and then comparing future performance against and analysis; Austin Jacobus, vice president of foodservice, industrial and international; Jack Konzelmann, vice president, controller & principal accounting officer (PAO PAO Peak acid output, see there ); Jeff Scroggins, vice president and general manager mass-club channel; and Rick Werner, vice president and general manager of Earth Balance. "I am pleased to report we have completed our hiring process, and quite simply, have assembled one of the most accomplished and proven senior management teams in the North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. food and beverage F&B is a common abbreviation in the United States and Commonwealth countries, including Hong Kong. F&B is typically the widely accepted abbreviation for "Food and Beverage," which is the sector/industry that specializes in the conceptualization, the making of, and delivery of foods. industry," said Steve Hughes, chairman and chief executive officer for Smart Balance, Inc. "Their expertise in rapid, profitable expansion of major consumer brands is unparalleled. The team has more than 230 years of operational experience in marketing, sales, finance, product development and operations on some of the most successful brands over the past 30 years." Peter Dray, Executive Vice President of Operations and Product Development Peter Dray will serve as the company's executive vice president of operations and product development. Dray is a 19-year veteran of GFA GFA Gospel for Asia GFA Guitar Foundation of America (Garden Grove, CA) GFA Ghana Football Association GFA Gross Floor Area GFA Gliding Federation of Australia GFA Gateway Foreign Agent GFA Gas Forced Air Brands, has more than 30 years of food manufacturing, sales and marketing experience and 25 years as a senior operations executive. Dray has played a central role in building both the Weight Watchers[R] and Smart Balance[R] brands. He developed, perfected, and now manages the outsourced manufacturing model that is the cornerstone of the Smart Balance virtual business. Dray is a graduate of New York University New York University, mainly in New York City; coeducational; chartered 1831, opened 1832 as the Univ. of the City of New York, renamed 1896. It comprises 13 schools and colleges, maintaining 4 main centers (including the Medical Center) in the city, as well as the , where he earned his bachelor's degree in food & nutrition. He also received his AAS in food management from the State University of New York at Delhi The State University of New York at Delhi (also called SUNY Delhi and Delhi College) is one of the technology colleges of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It is located in Delhi, NY which is in the Catskill Mountains. . Terry Schulke, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Consumer goods consumer goods Any tangible commodity purchased by households to satisfy their wants and needs. Consumer goods may be durable or nondurable. Durable goods (e.g., autos, furniture, and appliances) have a significant life span, often defined as three years or more, and and food industry veteran Terry Schulke will serve as the company's executive vice president and chief customer officer. Schulke joins Smart Balance from Schick-Wilkinson Sword, where he most recently served as vice president North America. During Schulke's five- year tenure there, Schick-Wilkinson Sword outpaced competition in share and profit growth in the highly innovative and hotly contested blades and razor category and posted a 9 percent annual revenue and 22 percent operating income Operating Income The profit realized from a business' own operations. Notes: This would not include income from things such as investments in other firms. Also referred to as operating profit or recurring profit. gains. His extensive food industry experience was developed as senior vice president of U.S. Sales at Tropicana Products, a division of PEPSICO. Schulke is a graduate of State University of New York (body) State University of New York - (SUNY) The public university system of New York State, USA, with campuses throughout the state. , College at Buffalo, where he earned his bachelor's degree in communications. Greg Venner, Executive Vice President and Chief Consumer Officer Greg Venner will serve as Smart Balance's executive vice president and chief consumer officer. He will be responsible for consumer marketing, advertising, public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most , promotion, and market research for all Smart Balance's current brands and new products. Venner's extensive background in the food industry comes from his various management positions at Tropicana Products, Con Agra's Healthy Choice[R], Lance and Nestle. He joins Smart Balance from Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he most recently served as senior vice president and general manager, North America. During his six-year tenure there, he helped reverse the company's decline through innovative initiatives in the infant formula category. Specifically, he was responsible for the growth of Enfamil's revenue, profitability and market share from 34 to 44 percent. His efforts helped establish a category leadership position for Mead Johnson Nutritionals that they have held for the past four years that is an impressive 14 share points ahead of their competitors. Venner graduated from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, P.A., where he earned a master's of business administration. Venner is also a graduate of Rider College in Lawrenceville, N.J., where he received a bachelor's degree in marketing. Chris Appel, Vice President of Quality Control & Quality Assurance and New Product Commercialization Chris Appel has been appointed Smart Balance's vice president of quality control & quality assurance and new product commercialization. He will be responsible for overseeing quality control and product assurance for all dairy-related products as well as actively assisting in the development and commercialization of all new dairy-related products. Appel was most recently the vice president of quality assurance for WhiteWave Foods, the Branded Division of Dean Foods. He previously held executive positions in operations management, including vice president of operations for WhiteWave Foods, senior vice president of operations for Bruegger's Bagels and vice president of operations for Waterbury Holdings. Appel holds a bachelor's degree in microbiology from California State University Enrollment  at Fresno and a master's degree in
business from Pepperdine University.
Al Gever, Vice President Financial Planning and Analysis Consumer goods industry veteran Al Gever will serve as Smart Balance's vice president of financial planning and analysis. He will be responsible for monthly management reporting and analysis, the preparation of short and long-range financial plans and budgets, and providing day-to-day assistance to the CFO See Chief Financial Officer. in all financial service areas, including investor and banking relations. Gever is the former chief financial officer and general manager of the Nabisco Refrigerated Foods Group, which consisted of consumer branded margarine and egg substitute products. He has extensive leadership experience in achieving revenue, profit and business growth objectives within start-up, turnaround and Fortune 500 companies. Gever received his bachelor's degree in business management from Seton Hall University Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university located 14 miles from Manhattan in historic South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. in New Jersey. Austin Jacobus, Vice President of Foodservice, Industrial and International Austin Jacobus was appointed vice president of foodservice, industrial and international. At Smart Balance, Jacobus will be responsible for leading the company's strategic entry into the untapped foodservice, industrial and international markets. Jacobus has extensive experience in both international and foodservice markets and is the former Vice President of International Chain Accounts for Unilever. He has worked extensively with large international restaurant companies such as McDonalds, KFC KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken (restaurant chain) KFC Kenya Flower Council KFC Kitchen Fresh Chicken (Kentucky Fried Chicken motto) KFC Kung Fu Cult (Cinema) KFC Kitchen Fixed Charge and Taco Bell. Jacobus received his bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Pittsburgh. Jack Konzelmann, Vice President, Controller & Principal Accounting Officer (PAO) Jack Konzelmann has been appointed Smart Balance's vice president, controller & principal accounting officer (PAO). He will be responsible for all external financial reporting and corporate accounting activities, as well as all regulatory compliance matters. Konzelmann is a senior financial executive with broad-based knowledge of finance, accounting and administrative functions. Most recently, he served as vice president, controller and chief accounting officer at Alpharma Inc, a $.7 billion specialty pharmaceutical company with operating activities in more than 60 countries. During his tenure there, he led the financial and accounting teams in the sale of Alpharma's global Generics Business to Actavis Group for $810 million in December 2005, as well as the sale of the related generics distribution business for $40 million in March 2006. Konzelmann received his B.S. and M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University, at Florham-Madison and Teaneck-Hackensack, N.J.; coeducational; incorporated and opened 1942 as a junior college, became a four-year college in 1948 and a university in 1956. in New Jersey. He is a certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) An accountant who has met certain standards, including experience, age, and licensing, and passed exams in a particular state. . Jeff Scroggins, Vice President and General Manager Mass-Club Channel Food industry veteran, Jeff Scroggins, will serve as the company's vice president/general manager mass-club channel. At Smart Balance, Scroggins will be responsible for developing and formalizing long-term strategic plans for important growth channels and will oversee customer marketing and sales execution. Scroggins most recently came from WhiteWave Foods, subsidiary of Dean Foods, where he held the positions of vice president and director of the customer team for Wal-Mart/Sam's Club. During his tenure there, he experienced high double-digit sales and operating profit Operating profit (or loss) Revenue from a firm's regular activities less costs and expenses and before income deductions. operating profit See operating income. growth. His achievements included the national placement of Horizon Organic Milk at Wal-Mart. Scroggins is a graduate of Southern Illinois University Southern Illinois University, main campus at Carbondale; state supported; coeducational; est. 1869, opened 1874 as a normal school, renamed 1947. It has a center for archaeological investigation and a fisheries research laboratory. There is also a campus at Edwardsville. , where he earned his bachelor's degree in marketing. Rick Werner, Vice President and General Manager of Earth Balance Rick Werner will serve as Smart Balance's vice president and general manager of Earth Balance. He will be responsible for driving the Earth Balance brand to become a leader in organic, heart-healthy food and beverages. Werner has extensive experience in the Natural Foods industry. Most recently, he served as the director of dry grocery for Wild Oats Markets Wild Oats Markets is the operator of natural foods stores and farmers markets in North America. The stores offer dry grocery, meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, frozen, prepared foods, bakery, vitamins and supplements, health and body care, and household items. , Inc. Werner has also been category manager in frozen and dairy bringing extensive experience in product sourcing, development and marketing to Earth Balance. Werner received his bachelor's degree from University of Illinois University of Illinois may refer to:
About Smart Balance Smart Balance is one of the five fastest growing food companies in the United States, according to Nielsen sales figures. The company's products include Smart Balance-branded buttery spreads, peanut butter, popcorn, and bottled oils, cooking sprays and cheese slices and shreds. Smart Balance[R] and Earth Balance[R] heart-healthy food products were acquired last month by Boulder Specialty Brands, Inc., which purchased GFA Holdings, the owners of GFA Brands, Inc. Shareholders voted to rename the combined company Smart Balance, Inc. with GFA Brands Inc., continuing as the company's wholly owned operating subsidiary. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion