Baldor Specialty Foods Reveals New Hires
Baldor Specialty Foods, a premium produce and specialty foods distributor in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, has revealed several additional strategic hires and structural changes aimed at improving customer service, meeting future goals, and ensuring continued growth and success.
Its latest executive moves are as follows:
Seth Gottlieb has joined the company as SVP of logistics, bringing to his new role more than a decade of experience at online grocer FreshDirect (recently acquired by quick-commerce provider Getir), where he was VP of logistics and operations planning. At Baldor, Gottlieb will oversee inbound and outbound logistics, further increasing efficiency all the way from vendor deliveries to final customer touchpoints.
Andrew Howell has taken on the role of SVP of operations, coming to Baldor from defunct vertical-farming company Upward Farms, where he was EVP of operations. He previously spent 12 years at Sabra Dipping Co. Howell’s responsibilities at Baldor encompass operations management across the company’s distribution centers, optimizing warehouse operations in such major hubs as The Bronx, N.Y.; the Washington DC area; Boston; and Philadelphia.
Avisheh Avini has come aboard as Baldor’s general counsel, offering significant relevant experience in the foodservice industry from her previous role as chief legal officer at Union Square Hospitality Group and her current stint as a board member of national ice cream company Salt & Straw. At Baldor, she will oversee all legal aspects of the company, among them corporate transactions, commercial matters, real estate, employment and the safeguarding of intellectual property.
“The strength of our leadership team is paramount to our commitment of ‘quality you can trust and service that delivers,’ and critical as we continue our strategic expansion,” noted Baldor CEO TJ Murphy. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve been growing our bench toward the goal of scaling our mission and vision, while continuing to provide white-glove service and radical hospitality. Seth Gottlieb, Andrew Howell, Avisheh Avini and other recent additions to senior management were hired specifically for demonstrated dedication to both operational excellence and customer satisfaction.”
In addition to these new hires, the company has realigned its manufacturing entities, including the Fresh Cuts division and the Pierless Fish business, under COO Gene Mayer, in a bid to streamline processes and efficiencies for higher productivity.
Bronx, N.Y.-based Baldor currently services more than 13,000 food service, retail and corporate accounts from Portland, Maine, to Richmond, Va., and offers 6,000-plus food items.
