Executive team changes at Hickory Farms
TOLEDO, Ohio — Hickory Farms, a leading provider of specialty foods and holiday food gifts, has made changes to its executive team.
The company has promoted VP of brand marketing Michael Holton to CMO. VP of supply chain Joe Loch has been promoted to VP of franchise and retail sales. Director of logistics Ty Hanline has been promoted to VP of supply chain. The company has also hired Davenport, Hanf & Company executive Joe Herman to be its interim CFO.
"I am excited to announce these appointments as the combined talents of these high achieving professionals will strengthen our dynamic senior management team," said CEO Mark S. Rodriguez.
Holton first joined Hickory Farms in 2002 as manager of consumer and trade marketing and rose to VP of brand marketing in 2009. The company describes him as instrumental to the total refresh of the Hickory Farms brand aesthetic and the development of the digital strategy. As CMO, Holton will now be responsible for overseeing all elements of the marketing mix and all aspects of the consumer brand experience. He also serves as Hickory Farms' lead supporter of Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry Campaign, a national program working to end child hunger in America.
In his new position, Loch will lead the Hickory Farms retail sales team and more than 4,500 seasonal associates in their pursuit of excellence through a network of 750 kiosks the company operates each holiday season. Previous to his new role, Loch was hired at Hickory Farms in 2009 as the VP of supply chain where he successfully led the reengineering of all processes to deliver products to the company’s customers. He served on the executive board for the American Heart Association's Heart Walk, Northwest, Ohio, and is active as a director for the University of Toledo Men's Lacrosse Club.
Hanline was first hired in 2006 at Hickory Farms as the director of logistics before being appointed to VP of supply chain. During his tenure the logistics team transformed the company's distribution and storage network to achieve 99% on-time deliveries while at the same time significantly lowering costs. He is also active in the community and works with Read for Literacy, youth sports and various charities throughout the year.
Herman recently joined Hickory Farms from a client service firm specializing in financial, operational and organizational development. Prior to Davenport, Hanf & Company, Herman served as CFO and treasurer for Therma-Tru Corporation where he led the restructuring and growth of several divisions within the organization including finance, information technology, customer service and sales. Herman's community involvement includes supporting the Diocese of Toledo on long term planning and implementation for the ministry of Catholic Schools.