Western Smokehouse Partners Promotes Hankes to Chief Operating Officer

Oct. 29, 2024

Meat industry veteran will move from chief product officer to lead operational efficiency efforts.

Meat snacks processor Western Smokehouse Partners has promoted Doug Hankes to the newly created role of chief operating officer (COO), as the company readies itself for its next step of growth and looks to strengthen its operational excellence, food safety and quality.

Hankes moves into the COO role from the chief product officer position at Western Smokehouse Partners. He also was vice president of operations of Thrushwood Farms, his family’s business, when it was acquired by Western Smokehouse Partners.

As COO, Hankes will oversee the company’s seven plants and lead efficiency initiatives across all of those locations, and will play a critical role in Western Smokehouse Partners’ growth strategy to include two new plants and one expansion in 2025. He will also lead the FSQA and R&D teams.

Hankes has been awarded by numerous meat industry groups over the years for his work advancing the meat processing industry and the meat science behind it. Western Smokehouse Partners CEO Matt Bormann called Hankes “a key player in the growth” of the company.

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.