Hormel Foods' Mark Coffey (left) is retiring and his role will be taken over by another longtime supply chain leader, Steve Lykken (right).
There are some key leadership changes to the supply chain group at Hormel Foods Corp. The Austin, Minn.-based food company shared that Mark Coffey, group VP of supply chain, is retiring and will be succeeded by Steve Lykken, group VP, Jennie-O Turkey Store.
Coffey’s tenure at Hormel began in 1985, when he was a supervisor at a former plant in Ottumwa, Iowa. He held positions of increasing responsibilities over the next several years, including plant manager, product manufacturing manager, VP of the affiliated businesses group and, later, SVP and group VP of supply chain. He earned a business and system management degree from Central College in Pella, Iowa and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management Minnesota executive program.
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Taking over from Coffey, Lykken will leverage his own longtime experience at Hormel as he leads the company’s One Supply Chain organization. He started as a sales account executive in 1992 and later moved into roles in trade management, brand management and product management. Lykken assumed VP positions beginning in 2003, and most recently, was named group VP at Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2021. He holds an international business degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and is also a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management Minnesota executive program.
“Mark has been a highly respected and impactful leader over his almost 40-year career with the company. His perseverance and empowering leadership through the challenges of the COVID pandemic were indispensable, and his operational expertise has been transformational. I thank Mark, and his wife Tammy, for their commitment and engagement in our community and wish them both the best in retirement,” said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and CEO at Hormel Foods. “Steve’s breadth and depth of experience across our company, including business unit leadership, supply chain management, sales and marketing, makes him well suited for this critical role. I look forward to Steve’s vision and leadership to continue our track record of operational excellence.”