Blount Makes Sales, Culinary Development Team Additions, Promotions
Blount Fine Foods has revealed two hires and two promotions, on both its sales and culinary development teams.
In sales, Mike Maher has been added as culinary business development specialist, while Michael Palmer has been named foodservice business development representative for the Midwest. Meanwhile, in culinary development, Corporate Executive Chef Jeff Wirtz has been promoted to carry the additional title of senior director of culinary development, while Clayton Burrows has been promoted to join the culinary team as a research and development chef, having previously been a quality assurance technician as a member of Blount’s production team.
Burrows’ ascension from the production floor to the R&D kitchens is an ideal manifestation of CEO Todd Blount’s vision of a talent pipeline that consistently finds the best talent within the company, and where Blount is a workplace rife with opportunity for professional development and career fulfillment, according to the Fall River, Mass.-based company.
Among the other appointments’ responsibilities:
- Maher, who brings more than a quarter-century record of success as a chef and foodservice executive to his new role, will work closely with Blount EVP of Sales and Marketing Bob Sewall to establish, enhance and expand the company’s relationships with key accounts. He joins the company from U.S. Foods, where he was most recently territory manager for the Southwest. He will work out of Blount’s offices in McKinney, Texas, and Fall River.
- Palmer, who comes to Blount as an accomplished sales and account manager with a history of growing accounts and solidifying customer relationships, will be responsible for managing and growing Blount’s foodservice business in the company’s Midwest territory, and will work out of the company’s office in Chicago.
- Wirtz will be responsible for forming and managing those partnerships the company maintains with its suppliers, especially the organic and “free-from” farmers that provide a reliable supply of premium ingredients for Blount products.