Hormel Foods Corp. has announced the upcoming retirement of Pat Schwab, VP of retail sales – East.
In addition, the company has shared that Darren Carter, VP of sales strategy at Hormel Foods, will replace Schwab and become VP of retail sales – East. Carter will oversee the sales functions for all retail customers throughout the eastern half of the U.S.
“Pat has been a tremendous leader for our company and has made an outstanding impact on many sales divisions and customer relationships throughout his 37-year career with Hormel Foods. We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement,” said PJ Connor, group VP of retail sales.
“I am excited for Darren to lead our Eastern U.S. Retail sales team. He has significant experience in sales leadership, strategic planning and building trusted relationships with our retail partners. I am confident he is well-positioned to be successful in this important role.”
Schwab joined Hormel Foods in 1986. He held several sales positions in Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Buffalo, New York, before becoming a national sales manager at the corporate office in Austin, Minnesota, in 1993.
Schwab advanced to corporate manager of fresh pork sales, planning and logistics in 2000 and to director of fresh meat sales in 2004. He was named director of fresh meats and margin optimization in 2009 and advanced to SVP of sales for the consumer products sales division and VP of sales for Hormel Foods in 2012.
Carter began his career in sales in 1996 in Lubbock, Texas, and advanced into several sales roles in Chicago, Illinois; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Baltimore, Maryland. In 2000, he advanced to a district team leader role in Orlando, Florida, and in 2004, he became a customer business manager.
In 2009, Carter joined the Walmart team in Bentonville, Arkansas, as a customer business manager. He moved to the corporate office in Austin, Minnesota, in 2013 as a corporate manager of category sales for grocery products, and a year later was named the VP of food, drug, mass and club channels for the company’s former CytoSport business. He assumed his current position in 2019.
About Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corp. is a global branded food company with more than $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, Skippy, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin’s, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other brands.
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