13Jun2010
VersaCold Names Loesel Sr. VP; Earns “˜Best Supplier” Honors from Unilever & Dannon
VersaCold Logistics has named Rick Loesel as senior vp of business development, and earned ‘best supplier’ honors from both Unilever and Dannon.
Rick brings extensive executive experience and proven leadership, particularly in business development, with over 20 years of senior management experience in the PRW and trucking industries. His background includes President of Frozen Assets Cold Storage, LLC and President of P&O Cold Logistics, USA as well as VP Sales/Marketing Business Development of CSI, EVP and Partner of Heitz Trucking, and VP Sales, Marketing, Business Development and Transportation of Americold.
Starting in the food business with Campbell Soup, Loesel progressed through management positions there and with other food manufacturers and providers of marketing, distribution, and procurement services. His breadth of knowledge and experience in multiple facets of the food business and service in several trade organizations all contribute to his understanding of the needs and perspectives of service providers and customers alike.
VersaCold CEO, Brent Sugden states “we are pleased to welcome Rick and look forward to supporting his efforts in the years to come”.
Separately, Unilever announced that the VersaCold operations in Sikeston, MO were awarded the 2009 Temperature Controlled Quality and Excellence Distribution Center of the Year Award. According to Karl Smith, Manager of Temperature Controlled and Multi-Vendor Distribution Centers for Unilever, selection for this annual award is based on “KPI performance, cost containment and overall commitment to GREAT customer service to Unilever and our customers.” Smith offers a sincere thanks to VersaCold for their dedication, vitality and commitment to meeting the everyday needs of Unilever and their customers.
VersaCold CEO Brent Sugden was on hand to receive the award on behalf of VersaCold. “This is a very meaningful recognition and I congratulate the Sikeston team for the service they provide at such a high level of performance, being able to do it consistently, and cultivating strong relationships with Unilever.” stated Mr. Sugden.
This award is sincerely appreciated by VersaCold and is a great tribute to the late Larry Jones, former Sikeston General Manager, who opened and managed the facility for 12 years. Jones passed away in June of last year after a total of 33 years with the Company. “I know Larry would be very proud”, added Jeff Hartman, current GM.
The Dannon Company, Inc. and Danone, Inc. (Canada) hosted several business partners to award the third annual Dannon/Danone Supplier of the Year Awards. They announced that the VersaCold operations in Ft Worth, TX and Anaheim, CA were awarded the 2010 Supplier of the Year Award for “Best in Quality” during the awards luncheon. Marc Evans, General Manager in Ft Worth, and Art Boehme, General Manager in Anaheim, accepted the award on VersaCold’s behalf. “It is a great testament to our dedicated employees and the ‘Best in Class’ performances of both VersaCold’s facilities in Ft Worth and Anaheim”, stated Randy Benish, VP of Operations, Southwest Region.
Suppliers were assessed on a number of criteria including improvements in environmental sustainability, quality and safety, improvements in cost, accelerating ‘time to market’ of new or renovated products, boosts to innovation, protection of competitive advantage, and the demonstration of shared values in the relationship with Dannon and Danone.
Nominees for the Awards were evaluated by a cross-functional taskforce at Dannon/Danone and the final selection of Award winners was made by the company’s Executive Committee.
“We have tremendous respect for our business partners and are grateful for the contributions they make to our success,” said David Lainchbury, Vice President of Sourcing and Supplier Development for The Dannon Company. Lainchbury’s team also supports Danone in Canada. “Rather than examining only cost or the transactional value of our relationships, we look at total value creation. We know that innovative solutions will come not only from within Dannon or Danone but also externally via our business partners.
The Supplier of the Year Awards is representative of Dannon’s and Danone’s progressive thinking to reward beyond a traditional, transactional dollar-based methodology.
A total of eight awards were bestowed for excellence in the categories of Innovation, Goods & Services Marketing & Sales, Goods & Services Operations, Raw Materials and Packaging, Capital Investment, Best in Quality, Most Improved, and The Overall Supplier of the Year.
