Fortune International Appoints Top Executives
Fortune International, LLC, the country’s leading processor, distributor and importer of quality seafood, meats and gourmet products, has appointed six senior executives to further strengthen and expand the company’s financial, operational and marketing capabilities.
Joel Jorgensen
Fortune named Joel Jorgensen as chief financial officer, Richard Deferia as chief revenue officer and Kevin Hoople as chief information officer, all reporting to President and CEO Sean O’Scannlain. The company also named Ethan Farber as vice president of marketing, Steven Gwozdz as vice president of frozen seafood and Trey Kidd as market vice president of Texas.
“We are very pleased to announce the addition of six exceptional new senior executives to our leadership, corporate and regional teams at the start of 2024,” O’Scannlain said. “We continue to attract the industry’s very best talent, which allows us to invest in and build stronger customer relationships, accelerate business momentum and drive growth into new markets. I look forward to supporting my new colleagues in their new responsibilities. This is an exciting way to start off the new year.”
Jorgensen will oversee overall financial and operational management at Fortune, as well as play a key leadership role in strategic business planning, M&A execution and integration. He brings over 15 years of financial executive experience in food distribution and packaging to Fortune.
Previously, Jorgensen was chief financial officer at B2B Industrial Packaging, LLC in Addison, Ill., where he led and supported the acquisition of 16 companies and built out the company’s leadership, treasury and HR functions. Before that, he was CFO at Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors in Detroit. He received his B.A. in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.
Richard Deferia
Deferia will lead and support the continued national expansion of the Fortune Fish & Gourmet distribution business. He has over 15 years of experience in the food and restaurant industries, starting his career as a chef before transitioning into sales and marketing. Before Fortune, Deferia spent 13 years at Sysco, starting his career as a marketing associate before working up to Regional vice president of sales mideast region.
Prior, he was an executive chef at Dockside Jack’s and JB’s Wharf in Michigan. Deferia received a degree of culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame.
Kevin Hoople
Hoople will be responsible for overseeing Fortune’s IT, information security teams and strategy, with an initial focus on data collection infrastructure. He has been an IT executive in the food and distribution industries for over 20 years.
Prior to Fortune, he spent 14 years at Lawson Products, starting as a director of ERP integration & deployment and rising eventually to chief information officer. Before Lawson, Hoople spent 10 years at Reyes Holdings L.L.C. and Martin-Brower L.L.C. He received his B.A. in management computer systems from the University of Wisconsin.
Farber brings nearly 20 years of experience in brand and creative strategy, strategic planning and business insights to the company. Prior to joining Fortune, he was Senior vice president and partner in creative planning at FleishmanHillard in Chicago. Before that, he was executive vice president and U.S. head of planning at BCW Global, formerly Burson-Marsteller, for nearly six years. He is an alumnus of Bowdoin College.
Experienced in front-line retail operations, Gwozdz is a senior food industry leader with expertise across fresh commodities and other categories. Before joining Fortune, he was a category manager III of Seafood Merchandising at Stop and Shop Supermarkets. Gwozdz also spent three years as category manager III of meat merchandising at Giant Food Stores and, before that, as a manager of meat merchandising at Price Chopper/Market 32. He is an alumnus of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.
Based in the Greater Houston area, Kidd is a proven sales and operations leader with over 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Before joining Fortune to oversee Texas operations, he was general manager for three years at BakeMark, a manufacturer and distributor of bakery ingredients. Prior to that, he spent nearly 22 years at Sysco, rising from a marketing associate to vice president of field sales for the Southern Market. He received his B.S. in agriculture from Texas A&M University.
Fortune International, LLC, is the parent operating company of Fortune Fish & Gourmet, a full-service processor and distributor providing white-tablecloth restaurants, private clubs, elegant hotels and gourmet retail stores with the finest quality fresh, live and frozen seafood and gourmet foods. The company handles more than 18,000 unique products daily and delivers to more than 35,000 customer locations throughout the United States with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles, and nationally through FedEx and common carriers. For more information, visit www.fortunefishco.net.
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Kellanova Adjusts Leadership as Hood Set to Retire
Kellanova’s North America president, Chris Hood, will retire at the end of April. Nicolas Amaya, president of Kellanova Latin America, will succeed Hood as president of Kellanova North America.
Victor Marroquin, general manager of Kellanova Mexico, will succeed Amaya as president of Kellanova Latin America. Both region leaders will report to Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Cahillane. Transitions begin immediately.
“A seasoned consumer packaged goods leader, Chris joined our company as part of the Pringles acquisition in 2012 and has contributed tremendously during his tenure,” Cahillane said. “Over the past nearly six years in his role leading North America, Chris created an agile, category-led business model, driving better performance and unlocking innovation, while guiding the North America organization through major business and portfolio realignments, including the successful exit from direct-store delivery, the divestiture of non-core brands, and the recent spin-off of WK Kellogg Co. We wish Chris and his family all the best and extend our deepest appreciation for his contributions.”
Hood’s retirement prompts orderly successions by Amaya and Marroquin, both of whom have distinguished themselves as highly effective business leaders.
“In Nicolas and Victor, we have proven leaders who are committed to delivering on our Differentiate, Drive & Deliver strategy, developing talent and advancing our purpose,” Cahillane said. “These appointments demonstrate the strong caliber of our people and talent pipeline.”
Over the past four years in his role as President, Kellanova Latin America, Amaya has led the team to deliver robust and consistent top- and bottom-line growth and build strong relationships with key customers and distributors across the region. He has also been at the forefront of digital transformation.
“Nico is a visionary leader who has a strong track record of developing high-performing teams and delivering outsized growth in both Latin America and North America,” Cahillane said. “He has the successful track record and Kellanova experience to continue to drive our business forward as the new leader of our largest region.”
Since joining the company in 2001, Amaya has held a variety of leadership positions in both the United States and Latin America across the cereal, frozen and snacks businesses including general manager, snacks and growth platforms for Latin America; general manager, category marketing and innovation, Latin America; and general manager, Mexico, before being named president, Kellogg Latin America in 2019. Prior to Kellogg, Amaya held various marketing roles at Unilever.
Marroquin joined Kellogg in 1997 in sales, and then held progressive roles in marketing, customer development and commercial management. Since 2014, he has served as general manager in several roles across Latin America leading countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Colombia and the Andean region, and then was named general manager, Mexico in 2020. In these roles, Marroquin has consistently led the team to deliver strong top- and bottom-line performance, strengthen the brands’ market positions, transform our go-to-market models and elevate key customers´ strategic partnerships.
“Victor has experience in every key market of the Latin America business,” Cahillane said. “He is well respected and well known throughout the region – both within Kellanova and the industry. He has sustained growth momentum in Mexico despite political, economic and regulatory challenges, and accelerated delivery of our Differentiate, Drive & Deliver strategy.”
Kellanova is a leader in global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods, with a legacy stretching back more than 100 years. Powered by differentiated brands including Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats, RXBAR, Eggo, MorningStar Farms, Special K, Coco Pops and more, Kellanova’s vision is to become the world’s best-performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full potential of our differentiated brands and our passionate people.
Kellanova is guided by our purpose to create better days and a place at the table for everyone through our trusted food brands. We are advancing sustainable and equitable access to food by addressing the intersection of hunger, sustainability, wellbeing, and equity, diversity & inclusion, with the ambition of creating Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030 (from a 2015 baseline). Visit www.Kellanova.com for more information.
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Catalina Crunch Taps Behrens as CEO, Co-Founder Warady Leaves
Catalina Crunch, the pioneering brand in healthier snacks, has appointed Doug Behrens as chief executive officer. Behrens will be responsible for bringing Catalina Crunch into its next phase of growth and expanding the brand’s retail footprint at a time when the company’s demand is at an all-time high. This announcement builds on Catalina Crunch’s recent growth as the company continues to make ongoing investment in hiring the best talent to join the executive team.
“I am thrilled to welcome Doug Behrens to the Catalina Crunch team. Hiring him is instrumental to get us to the next level as our needs as a company have changed. We are very excited about the future and look forward to building on the success that has defined the brand to date,” said Krishna Kaliannan, Catalina Crunch’s founder.
“I’ve been very impressed with the explosive growth of Catalina Crunch and excited to join the team for the next chapter. The better-for-you food and snacking space is incredibly dynamic and Catalina is well positioned to be a disruptive leader,” Behrens said.
Behrens brings a wealth of experience in the food and health space coupled with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation. He has held leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson, Danone, Amplify Snack Brands and most recently served as the president and chief customer officer for KIND. His strategic vision aligns seamlessly with Catalina Crunch’s commitment to providing wholesome, delicious, and innovative products to our valued customers.
Kaliannan remains very involved in the day to day operations of the business as founder while Joel Warady, president of Catalina Crunch, will transition to another opportunity after an impressive tenure under which the company experienced significant growth. The transition is seen as a positive step forward, reinforcing the company’s dedication to continuous improvement and sustained growth.
This important announcement follows the recent launch of the brand’s newest product, Dark Chocolate Cookie Bars and its exciting collaboration with NBA player Jalen Brunson. Catalina Crunch is well-positioned to continue to expand its product offerings, explore new markets, and reinforce its position as a trailblazer in the health food industry. The brand’s commitment to quality, transparency, and customer satisfaction remains unwavering and this hire will be key to continue that success.
For more information on Catalina Crunch visit us.catalinacrunch.com and follow on Instagram (@CatalinaCrunch), Facebook (@CatalinaCrunch) and TikTok (@CatalinaCrunch). For sales inquiries, please email sales@catalinasnacks.com.
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