SEATTLE — Darigold, Inc.’s Board of Directors has selected Jim Wegner to succeed retiring John Underwood as President and CEO of Northwest Dairy Association (NDA) and Darigold. The selection was announced to the organization’s approximately 550 member-owners and 1,600 employees on Friday, July 29. Wegner, previously Darigold’s Senior Vice President of Technical Services, assumed his new role on August 1. Underwood will serve as Special Executive to the Board of Directors and will assist with the transition.
Wegner has 35 years of experience in the dairy industry. In addition to his executive roles at Darigold, Wegner spent 28 years at another national dairy company where his last position before coming to Darigold was Director of Dairy Operations overseeing plants in both the U.S. and Canada. Wegner has served on the Board of Directors for many state and national dairy industry organizations, and has been an effective national voice in negotiating dairy policy.
“I’m extremely proud to be part of the Darigold family,” says newly appointed President and CEO Jim Wegner. “We have a tremendous story to tell. NDA/Darigold is much more than just a regional dairy cooperative. While well known in the region for our Darigold label products, we also have a large export business and have become a key player overseas as a supplier of high-quality dairy ingredients. Darigold’s annual sales exceed $2 billion per year and our producers help feed the world by generating more than 8 billion pounds of milk each year. I take this new responsibility very seriously and I am highly motivated to provide our customers with value-added food ingredient solutions and our consumers with the freshest Northwest dairy products.”
“The Board of Directors is extremely pleased to have selected a highly qualified candidate,” says Northwest Dairy Association member-owner and Chairman of the Board Jim Werkhoven. “As a member of the Management Committee of Darigold for the last seven years, Jim has been a key figure in improving and supporting Darigold’s plants and has shown exemplary leadership in the areas of safety, quality, waste reduction and productivity.”
Werkhoven extended his appreciation, along with the appreciation of the entire cooperative membership, Darigold employees and Board of Directors, to John Underwood, who has been with the organization for nearly 30 years, the last seven as President and CEO. “John was instrumental in developing Darigold’s Core Purpose and Vision, reinvigorating the Darigold brand and has been a champion of strategic planning and continuous improvement initiatives. He has led the organization to dramatic operational efficiencies and record-setting returns for the cooperative’s member-owners. We extend our warmest appreciation for John’s long-term commitment to Darigold’s success and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Darigold, Inc. is the marketing and processing subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association, which is owned by approximately 550 dairy producers throughout the Northwest. Darigold, Inc. produces a full line of dairy-based products for retail, foodservice, commodity and specialty markets and is one of the largest U.S. dairy processors. Darigold, Inc. operates 13 processing plants throughout the Northwest to serve its dairy farm families.
Source: Darigold, Inc.
