The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) elected its officers and newest members of the AFFI Board of Directors.
The elections took place at the AFFI Annual Meeting and Keynote Breakfast held in conjunction with the 2015 AFFI Frozen Food Convention (AFFI-CON) in Anaheim, Califoria.
The newly-elected AFFI officers are Paul Bakus of Nestlé USA as chair, Larry Cope of Clear Springs Foods as vice chair, and Dave Yanda of Lakeside Foods as immediate past chair.
Bakus is president of corporate affairs for Nestlé USA, which has been named one of “The World’s Most Admired Food Companies” in Fortune magazine for 17 consecutive years.
Cope is the president, CEO, and executive chairman of Clear Springs Foods, a Buhl, Idaho, privately-held, employee-owned company, producing more than 20 million pounds of Rainbow Trout annually.
Yanda is president and CEO of Lakeside Foods, a privately-held international private-label food maker headquartered in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, with 15 plants and eight distribution centers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio.
The eight board members elected to three-year terms are Rick Anderson of Little Lady Foods, Larry Cope of Clear Springs Foods, Wesley Eubanks of The Pictsweet Co., Greg Evans of McCain Foods, Ed Flanagan of Jasper Wyman & Son, Steve Lezman of Tropicana Products, Sara Lilygren of Tyson Foods, and Mike McEvoy of Sargento Foods.
“On behalf of the American Frozen Food Institute, the only national association dedicated solely to the interests of companies engaged throughout the frozen food sector, I’m honored to welcome the election of these frozen food and beverage leaders,” says AFFI president and CEO Kraig R. Naasz.
“Each individual brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, which will assist AFFI in enhancing the service provided to our diverse, and growing, membership,” he says.
