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Hormel Foods Corporation has announced the upcoming retirement of Jim Splinter, group vice president, corporate strategy.

Splinter’s long tenure with the company includes leading the company’s successful Grocery Products division and holding executive positions with the Refrigerated Foods and Jennie-O Turkey Store divisions. Most recently, Splinter led corporate strategy for Hormel Foods, including corporate innovation, digital experience, communications and corporate development, including leading the M&A pipeline, which resulted in several important acquisitions over the last few years.

Under his leadership, Hormel Foods formed its digital and e-commerce center of excellence and its agile and incubator centers, resulting in the successful introduction of Happy Little Plants  brand, a plant-based protein product line currently in retail locations throughout the United States.

“Jim has had an outstanding 36-year career with Hormel Foods,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods. “Jim’s brand-building expertise, combined with his innovative and strategic mindset, has helped us build a winning portfolio of new and emerging brands and positioning us to capitalize on new growth spaces for years to come. His leadership of the company’s strategy group resulted in the creation of first-of-its kind innovations, industry-leading acquisitions and the creation of a new e-commerce model within our company. His career success is credit to his hard work, intelligence and commitment to looking to the future to ensure the company was – and is – well-positioned to capitalize on the latest trends in the marketplace. We wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

Splinter joined the company in 1984 as a product manager for the company’s former Dubuque Foods business. He was promoted into product management and ultimately moved into marketing, where he honed his brand-building expertise by working on Hormel Foods staples such as Hormel pepperoni and the SPAM family of products.

In 1999, Splinter became senior vice president of sales and marketing for the retail division at Jennie-O Turkey Store, where he oversaw the Jennie-O brand and The Turkey Store brand. In 2003, he assumed the role of vice president of marketing for consumer products, Refrigerated Foods. He was promoted to group vice president of Grocery Products in 2010, successfully leading the segment to achieve strong growth, both organically and through acquisitions such as Wholly Guacamole dips, SKIPPY peanut butter and Justin’s nut butters. He assumed his current role in October 2016.

Splinter has been active in the CPG and food industry, and supports numerous community organizations and causes. Splinter most recently led the development of the new multimillion-dollar community recreation center.