Baldor Specialty Foods Expands Senior Leadership Team
Mid-Atlantic food distributor Baldor Specialty Foods has made two strategic executive additions to CEO TJ Murphy’s leadership team. According to Baldor, “The new positions represent a continued investment in the company’s growth trajectory, with a particular focus on the happiness and success of employees and customers.”
Benjamin Walker has been promoted to chief revenue officer. Having joined the company in 2013 as director of business development, Walker was soon promoted to director of marketing and business development. After several successful campaigns, he became senior director and VP before being named SVP of sales, marketing and merchandising in 2021. Among his career highlights are the development of the Baldorfood.com website and e-commerce experience, the transition to home delivery during the pandemic, and the creation of a marketing function and a revenue organization. In his latest role, Walker will continue to lead the revenue-generating functions of sales, marketing, and merchandising while helping to further the company’s growth strategy and facilitating greater cross-functional collaboration at the highest level.
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Regina Picciano has joined Baldor as chief people officer. Picciano has nearly two decades of HR experience spanning employee and labor relations, engagement and culture strategies, talent acquisition, and policy and compliance management. Most recently, she worked at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, one of the nation’s largest alcohol distributors, where she was VP of both the HR and sales teams. Picciano’s previous roles were at Guardian Life, Coca-Cola and Diageo. She has a master’s degree in human resource management from Fordham University. As well as managing the HR function at Baldor, she will focus on supporting and strengthening the company culture, in addition to improving the company’s relationship with the external community.
“I couldn’t be happier with the leadership team we’ve been building over the last 18 months,” said Murphy. “Since the moment he got to Baldor, Ben has demonstrated a commitment to our customers. He has driven our company forward again and again, with care for the customer at the center of everything he does. This promotion is a natural next step for him. And while Regina comes from outside, her experience at Southern Glazer’s, a beverage distributor to hospitality, is incredibly relevant to us, and she’s demonstrated throughout her career an employee-first mindset. These two hires, in collaboration with our incredible existing team, will help us define the future of Baldor and take advantage of opportunities that lie before us, while keeping us committed to our core values.”
“Over my 11 years at Baldor, I’ve gained a deep understanding of our business, our vendors, and the incredible customers that contribute daily to our success,” noted Walker. “As chief revenue officer, my goal is to continue to lead us in a culture of radical hospitality, turning the tables on our customers to ensure their success by providing the best products and best service. We will sharpen our existing offerings and continue to differentiate into new solutions, while also expanding the markets we serve.”
“What drew me to Baldor was the commitment to its employees,” observed Picciano. “The culture here is one of high engagement, and that passion is palpable as you walk around the building. I’m excited to collaborate with TJ and the entire leadership team to establish a people strategy that fosters the growth of both the business and our people.”
Bronx, N.Y.-based Baldor is one of the largest distributors of premium fresh produce, specialty foods, dairy, meat and fish in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. It services more than 13,000 food service, retail and corporate accounts from Portland, Maine, to Richmond, Va., and offers 6,000-plus food items.
