Wayne-Sanderson Farms Taps Long-Tenured Leader to Lead Retail Operations and Sales

June 6, 2024

David Gadd, who has worked his way up through the ranks since joining Sanderson Farms in 1997, will be the new senior vice president and general manager of the Retail Business Unit.

Andy Hanacek

David Gadd, senior vice president and general manager, Retail Business Unit, Wayne-Sanderson Farms

Poultry processor Wayne-Sanderson Farms has promoted David Gadd to senior vice president and general manager of the Retail Business Unit, effective June 3, according to a release sent by the company. In this role, Gadd will lead all aspects of retail operations and sales for Wayne-Sanderson.

Gadd has spent 27 years at the company — joining Wayne-Sanderson with the Sanderson Farms side of the business, where he started in 1997 as a beginning trainee — most recently serving as vice president of Retail Sales over the last year.

He has worked his way up through the ranks, working as a customer service representative, corporate poultry buyer, national sales representative, manager of Retail and Corporate Sales and senior director of Retail Sales.

Kevin McDaniel, COO of Wayne-Sanderson, called Gadd “a highly respected and strategic leader.”

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.