Jeffrey Ettinger will retire as CEO of Hormel Foods with James Snee, already president and chief operating officer, taking over as CEO on Oct. 31. Ettinger will continue as chairman of the board.
Ettinger joined Hormel in 1989 and has served in a variety of roles, including senior attorney, product manager for Hormel chili products and treasurer. In 1999, he was named president of Jennie-O Turkey Store, the largest subsidiary of Hormel Foods. He became president of Hormel Foods in 2004 and CEO and chairman in 2006.
Under Ettinger’s leadership, Hormel Foods grew through strategic acquisitions, organic growth and new product innovation. Notable acquisitions include Wholly Guacamole, Skippy, Muscle Milk, Applegate and Justin’s.
Snee has been president and chief operating officer since October 2015. He joined Hormel Foods in 1989 in the foodservice division and served in various positions within the group before being named manager of inventory and distribution for the Refrigerated Foods segment in 1995. He was promoted to foodservice area manager and foodservice regional sales manager in 1996 and 1998, respectively. Snee was named director of purchasing in 2006 and vice president of affiliated business units in 2008. He was named vice president of Hormel Foods and senior vice president of Hormel Foods International Corp. at the end of fiscal year 2011. Snee advanced to group vice president of Hormel Foods and president of Hormel Foods International Corp. in October 2012.
