Austin, MN - Hormel Foods Corporation, a multinational meat and food processor, announced the planned retirements at the end of the year of three senior executives.
James W. Cole, group vice president of foodservice, Jerry C. Figenskau, vice president of specialty products, and Kenneth P. Regner, vice president of engineering, will conclude distinguished careers with the corporation on Dec. 31. "These longstanding company officers have contributed greatly to the corporation during their many decades of service," said Joel W. Johnson, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer. "I would like to acknowledge with gratitude the important role each has made to the success of our company."
With these retirements, Hormel Foods has announced several advancements. Steven G. Binder, director of foodservice sales, was promoted to vice president of foodservice. Paul S. Jacobson, director of sales and marketing with the Specialty Products Division, was named director of specialty products. Larry J. Pfeil, corporate manager of engineering, was advanced to director of engineering.
Cole
Cole has served in several top management positions with Hormel Foods and its subsidiaries, accumulating nearly 40 years of sales and marketing experience. Former president and chief operating officer of Farm Fresh Catfish Company, he was later president, chairman and chief executive office of FDL, Marketing Inc., based in Dubuque, Iowa.
In August 1990, Cole was promoted to group vice president of foodservice for Hormel Foods in Austin. He was elected to the Hormel Foods Board of Directors and named to the executive committee in November 1990.
Binder
In his new capacity, Binder will have nationwide responsibility for the corporation's foodservice sales and marketing functions. The Foodservice Group is comprised of 250 members and works with foodservice distributors across the United States.
Binder has devoted much of his 19-year career to the Foodservice Group. He began as a foodservice sales representative in Jacksonville, Fla., in July 1979, and later served in Orlando, Fla., Indianapolis, Ind., and Oklahoma City, Okla.
In January 1986, Binder was promoted to manager of national accounts at the Corporate Offices in Austin and, one and one-half years afterward, was named meat products district manager in Indianapolis. In October 1990, he began new duties as foodservice area manager at Cincinnati, Ohio, and, three years later, returned to the Corporate Offices as foodservice regional sales manager of the Southeast Region and corporate national accounts manager. He was advanced to director of foodservice sales in November 1996.
Binder is a graduate of Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn., with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.
Figenskau
Figenskau will conclude a longtime Hormel Foods career that began in September 1961 with the Grocery Products Division sales force. During the ensuing years, he was product manager, national sales and marketing manager of retail frozen foods, regional sales manager and director of grocery products marketing.
In February 1987, Figenskau was elected senior vice president of sales and marketing with Jennie-O Foods in Willmar, Minn., and, in July 1989, became director of marketing services at the Hormel Foods Corporate Offices. In January 1993, he was promoted to director of the Specialty Products Division and, one year later, was elected vice president of specialty products.
Jacobson
As director of specialty products, Jacobson will be responsible for the sales and marketing of bulk and private label products. Two major brands handled by the division are Building Blocks concentrated meat stock and Coretrate sugarless gelatin dessert mix.
An employee for 21 years, Jacobson started with the corporation in May 1977 as a sales merchandiser for the Grocery Products Division with the Metro (N.Y.) district. In August 1987, he joined the Specialty Products Division as eastern area manager at Cedar Knolls, N.J., and was advanced to director of sales and marketing for the division in July 1995.
Jacobson is a 1977 graduate of Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing.
Regner
Regner has devoted his entire career to the engineering division with Hormel Foods, starting at the Austin plant in November 1957. He served in various engineering capacities at plants in Los Angeles, Calif., Atlanta, Ga., Beloit, Wis., and Ottumwa, Iowa, before returning as corporate manager of plant engineering at the Corporate Offices in December 1981.
In April 1986, Regner was advanced to director of engineering and became corporate director of engineering in May 1989. Eight months later, he was elected vice president of engineering.
Pfeil
As director of engineering, Pfeil will oversee all aspects of engineering corporatewide. He will be responsible for all mechanical, electrical and civil engineering activities at company facilities, as well as plant engineering functions.
Pfeil, an employee for 26 years, started his career as a staff engineer in January 1972 at the Corporate Offices. Five years later, he was named senior staff engineer and, in July 1979, became supervising staff engineer.
In July 1988, Pfeil transferred to the Fremont (Neb.) plant as supervisor of maintenance and engineering and, in October 1989, went to the Austin plant as manager of plant engineering. He returned to the Corporate Offices in December 1993 as corporate manager of project engineering and was promoted to corporate manager of engineering in January 1997.
Pfeil received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
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