Hormel Foods Corp. recently announced as a result of its definitive agreement to acquire Applegate Farms, LLC, Steven J. Lykken and Eldon O. Quam will assume leadership roles with Applegate, based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. These advancements are contingent on the official closing of the acquisition.

Lykken, senior vice president of commodity and supply chain at Jennie-O Turkey Store (Willmar, Minn.), has been named the chief operating officer of Applegate. This transition will be effective August 3, 2015.

Quam, director and business unit controller, Hormel Foods International Corporation (HFIC), has been named the chief financial officer of Applegate. This transition will be effective with the close of this transaction.

“Congratulations to Steven and Eldon on their advancements,” said Thomas R. Day, group vice president of refrigerated foods in a press release. “We look forward to their continued leadership as we begin to enter the natural and specialty retail segment. Applegate’s strategic fit will serve as a growth catalyst and help us to deliver our key results for the refrigerated foods group.”

Additionally, Jennifer M. Ehresmann, director of marketing for retail and deli at Jennie-O Turkey Store, will advance to the position of senior vice president of commodity and supply chain at Jennie-O Turkey Store.

Ehresmann began her career in 2001 as commodity sales manager at Jennie-O Turkey Store. In 2002, she became manager of export sales and then in 2005, became a product manager for deli at Jennie-O Turkey Store. She advanced to senior product manager in 2006 and then director of marketing in the deli division in 2008. She assumed her current role in 2010.

Lykken began his career in 1992 in Grocery Products as a sales representative in Salt Lake City, Utah. He held several different sales roles and in 1996 became the Grocery Products brand category development manager for ethnic foods at the corporate office. In 1997, he became a product manager in Grocery Products and then in 1999, senior product manager. In 2001, he became a group product manager in Grocery Products and moved to Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2003 to become the senior vice president of the retail division. He assumed his current role in 2011.

Quam began his career in 1998 as a staff accountant at the Austin plant office. The same year, he moved to the corporate office and held several accounting positions. In 2001, he became the manager of expense analysis and control. In 2002, he became the controller of Hormel Health Labs and in 2003, became the controller and treasurer of HFIC. He moved to the Austin Plant in 2007 to become the manager of cost accounting and back to the corporate office in 2008 in the role of controller and treasurer of HFIC. He assumed his current role in 2013.

Advancements announced at Dan’s Prize

Hormel Foods Corp. recently announced Jeffrey M. Tobak, foodservice area manager, Chicago sales office, will advance to the position of president of Dan’s Prize.

Tobak replaces Mark E. Morey, who was recently named president of Farmer John.

“Congratulations to Jeff on his advancement and we look forward to his leadership with the Dan’s Prize business,” said Mark A. Coffey, vice president of affiliated business units, refrigerated foods, in a press release.

Tobak began his career at Hormel Foods in 2002 as a foodservice sales representative at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania sales office. The same year he became a territory manager in Charleston, West Virginia, and then assumed the same position in Pittsburgh. In 2005, he became the foodservice chain accounts marketing manager at the corporate office. He became a foodservice area manager at the San Francisco, California sales office in 2007 and then in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2010. He assumed his current role in 2013.

Dan’s Prize and Farmer John are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Hormel Foods.