Sargento® Announces New Roles Across Teams to Foster Company Growth

PLYMOUTH, Wis., July 30, 2024 – Sargento, the family-owned leader in natural cheese, is pleased to announce new roles for eight team members across its Consumer Products and Food Service & Ingredients business units: Erin Price, General Manager, Consumer Products; Jeremy Schellin, General Manager, Food Service & Ingredients; Rod Hogan, Senior Vice President, Innovation; Chris Regennitter, Senior Vice President, Sargento Sales; Brian Ginn, Vice President, Consumer Products Sales; Joy Judski, Vice President, Food Service & Ingredients Sales; Chris McCarthy, Vice President, Strategic Planning; Amy Ehlen, Vice President, Pricing & Demand Planning.

This news comes on the heels of two long-term executives’ retirements and the succession of Michael Pellegrino to the role of Chief Operating Officer. For more on these leadership changes, read on here.

“I’m thrilled to see these members of the Sargento Family step into their new roles to help build our next generation of leadership,” said Louie Gentine, Chairman & CEO of Sargento. “We owe our company’s success to our employees – past and present – who have made countless contributions not only to our company, but also to our community through the years.

“We have a great team to help us continue our success for the Sargento Family and our key stakeholders,” added Michael Pellegrino, COO of Sargento. “We look forward to the future of Sargento with these new roles and developments.”

• Erin Price – General Manager, Consumer Products: In this new role, Erin’s team will be responsible for the next phase of Consumer Products growth. She will have direct responsibility for brand marketing, integrated marketing communications, omnichannel and consumer insights, and work with teams to drive success across the P&L. Previously, Erin served as Senior Vice President of Marketing. During her 17 years at Sargento, Erin led the company’s Food Service & Ingredients (FSI) division, refined the company’s strategic planning process, launched an e-commerce strategy and its first integrated marketing communications department.

• Jeremy Schellin – General Manager, Food Service & Ingredients: Jeremy’s team will be responsible for the next phase of the FSI business unit’s growth while driving success across the P&L. Jeremy will have direct responsibility for marketing, innovation and FSI sales. His longtime experience and leadership across core marketing, new platform development and strategic planning provide solid foundations for this new role. Previously, Jeremy served as the Vice President of Strategic Planning.

• Rod Hogan – Senior Vice President, Innovation: Rod is taking on an expanded role following the retirement of Kristi Jankowski from her long-held position as Executive Vice President of Innovation. As her successor, Rod will continue to propel advancement as a category-leading innovator and gain responsibility for Research & Development. During his tenure, he has consistently delivered beloved innovations to the marketplace, backed by best-in-class performance metrics.

• Chris Regennitter – Senior Vice President, Sargento Sales: In his expanded role, Chris will be responsible for leading overall sales strategy and initiatives across the company. He brings a strong focus on building customer relationships and teams, exceptional selling capabilities and a track record of delivering results. Prior to joining Sargento in 2019, Chris held various senior-level sales leadership positions at Kraft Heinz and Pepsi Co.

• Brian Ginn – Vice President, Consumer Products Sales: Brian has been promoted to lead and manage over 50 percent of the Consumer Products customer account portfolio, in addition to the strategic channels business he leads today. Brian brings over 30 years of sales experience to the Sargento Family, with a proven track record of being a highly driven, performance-focused leader who elevated customer relationships and accelerated Sargento distribution across the geographic retailer base.

• Joy Judski – Vice President, Food Service & Ingredients Sales: Joy brings over 20 years of experience in leadership, sales, trade strategy and talent development. Her joint business planning and team development skills will continue to deepen relationships with the company’s customer base. Previously, Joy served as the Vice President of Sales for Consumer Products.

• Chris McCarthy – Vice President, Strategic Planning: Chris returns to the role of Vice President of Strategic Planning after gaining a foundation in FSI. Chris will work closely with the leadership staff and Executive team to advance progress in the company’s Real Food Vision. In his 11 years at Sargento, Chris has stepped into critical leadership roles for marketing, corporate social responsibility strategy and price commodity management.

• Amy Ehlen – Vice President, Pricing & Demand Planning: Amy joins the company’s officer team and will continue leading a cross-functional team while working to enhance short- and long-term demand planning and pricing processes. Since joining Sargento in 2012, Amy has made a strong impact on the brand and customer planning processes, driving unprecedented planning efficiencies across several areas of the company. Amy and her team will now report to Jeremy Behler, CFO of Sargento.

About Sargento
With over 2,500 employees and net sales of nearly $1.8 billion, Sargento is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. Founded in 1953 in Plymouth, Wisconsin, Sargento is proud to be the company that successfully introduced America to pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses and cheese blends. Today, Sargento is still based in Wisconsin, where they make and market amazing, high-quality shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients. Company leadership lives to serve local communities and employees, whom they refer to as the Sargento Family.