Irwindale, Calif. – Ready Pac Foods Inc. is proud to announce the hiring of two new Vice Presidents (VP), in the areas of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S), and Engineering & Maintenance (E&M). Derek Bogard, VP, EH&S will be responsible for integrating superior Environmental Health & Safety practices and processes into the entire operational area of Ready Pac. Kamran Lodi, VP E&M will focus on developing and implementing engineering and maintenance solutions in coordination with operations, internal industrial, and facilities engineering. Both Derek and Kamran will report directly to Pete Laport, Chief Supply Chain Officer for Ready Pac.
Laport says, “We are very fortunate to have both Derek and Kamran join our team. Being a strong manufacturing operation, it’s important to have capable, knowledgeable leadership in these areas. Both gentlemen are remarkably talented, with diverse experience that will surely boost our winning team here at Ready Pac.”
Bringing over 15 years of stellar EH&S leadership, Derek Bogard has spent two-thirds of his experience within the food & beverage industry. Derek worked for Encana Oil & Gas (USA) Inc., where he was the lead on EH&S Training, Emergency Response, and Workers’ Compensation. Prior to Encana, Derek worked for Dr. Pepper Snapple Group as their Regional Environmental, H&S Director. Other previous employers where he served in leadership EH&S roles include: Land O’Lakes/Moark, LLC, Aurora Foods, Inc., and Tennessee Aluminum Casting, LLC.
Derek graduated from East Tennessee State University, Johnson City with his BS in Environmental Health, with a concentration in Occupational Health Science. He’s also earned his Associate Safety Professional (ASP) by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, and his Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification from Auburn University.
With his exceptional background, Kamran joins Ready Pac with over 22 years of experience leading engineering and maintenance functions within the Consumer Package Goods industry. Before Ready Pac, Kamran was with ConAgra Foods, Inc. as their Sr. Director for Engineering and the Director of Engineering since 2007. While there, he led the engineering function for the Grocery/Snacks platform, which is a $4.7 Billion business with 27 plants. Prior to ConAgra, Kamran worked for Mars Inc., for over 9 years, in various roles within their Supply Chain division. His previous employers include Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company and McKee Foods Corporation.
Kamran graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He also received his MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.
COMPANY BIO: California-based Ready Pac is a premier producer of convenience fresh foods, including fresh-cut produce. With processing facilities throughout the United States, Ready Pac’s award-winning salads, snacks, fresh-cut fruit and vegetables are distributed in supermarkets and restaurant chains across North America. For more information, visit www.readypac.com.
Source: Ready Pac Foods Inc.
