The Bridgford Foods Corp. Board of Directors has announced changes to the principal officers of the company. The board elected Michael W. Bridgford as its chairman. He succeeds William L. Bridgford, who was elected VP.
Michael Bridgford has most recently served as VP, with responsibility for the Anaheim, California-based company’s sales and marketing operations in the Frozen Food Products Segment.
Baron Bridgford II was elected president. He succeeds John Simmons, who was elected VP. Bridgford II has most recently served as VP, with responsibility for the company’s marketing and processing operations in the Snack Food Products Segment.
Chris Cole was elected SVP of Bridgford Marketing Co. Christian Quigley was elected VP.
Allan Bridgford Sr., VP and chairman of the Bridgford Foods Corp. executive committee, retired after more than 64 years of service and will continue to provide consulting services to the company.
The changes were effective Oct. 30.
The company traces its roots back 88 years to 1932, when founder Hugh H. Bridgford opened a retail meat market in San Diego, California. The business first evolved into several retail meat markets, and later to meat wholesaling, frozen food distribution, meat processing and frozen food manufacturing.
The company pioneered the manufacture and sale of frozen bread dough to supermarkets and institutional customers, beginning in 1962. The first products were made at the Anaheim meat-processing facility. Additional frozen bread plants were added in Dallas, Texas, in 1968 and 1985, and in Statesville, North Carolina in 1996. In 1975, it acquired the Chicago meat processing facility, which has a heavy emphasis on dry and semi-dry sausage, as well as beef jerky. In 2017, it acquired an additional processing plant in Chicago.
Principal product lines include Bridgford Frozen Bread Dough and Buttermilk Biscuits, Monkey Bread, Beef Jerky, Shelf-Stable Dry and Semi-Dry Sausage, and Shelf-Stable Sandwiches. The company caters to both the retail and foodservice trade.
