672544d5b3a8065cccbf0f5f Jones

Jones Soda Looking for Fourth CEO in Four Years

Nov. 1, 2024
Ex-PepsiCo exec David Knight leaves, replaced on interim basis by Chairman Paul Norman.

Jones Soda Co. will be looking for its fourth CEO in as many years after the Oct. 25 departure of David Knight, who’s been president/CEO since June of 2023. While a search is underway for a permanent CEO, the role will be filled by Chairman Paul Norman.

No explanation was given for the departure of Knight, who immediately came to Jones from some startups but earlier was vice president of marketing for PepsiCo’s Gatorade and also had an executive role at Quaker Oats. Mark Murray was CEO from late 2020 to 2023, and Jennifer Cue served eight years as CEO until she left in 2020.

On Sept. 23, Jones Soda terminated the employment of Chief Operating Officer Eric Bittner.

Norman has served as a director on the Jones board since 2019 and as chairman since 2022. He spent decades at Kellogg Co., where he was president of Kellogg's North America business from 2015 to 2018.

The company makes a number of quirky sodas, some with customized labels, and makes cannabis-infused drinks under its Mary Jones subsidiary. In its half-year report, for the period ending June 30, Jones’ revenues were up substantially, to $12.2 million from $8.7 in the first half of 2023, but also increasing was the net loss, -$2.7 million, up from -$2.4 million in half of 2023.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.

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