AUSTIN, Minn. — Hormel Foods Corporate has announced the advancement of Robert G. Samples to vice president of sales and marketing at Farmer John (Vernon, Calif.). In his new role, Samples will be accountable for the retail and foodservice sales and marketing functions for Farmer John. He will report to Greg N. Longstreet, president of Farmer John, and will transition to his new position by Oct. 30, 2011.
Samples is a 29-year veteran of Hormel Foods and a graduate of Southern Illinois University. He received his M.B.A. from Mississippi College and started his employment with the company as a sales representative in Wausau, Wis., in 1982. Samples held other sales positions in Fargo, N.D., and Jackson, Miss., before advancing to his first management role as a district manager in 1988. Two years later, he advanced to a product manager role in Austin, Minn., and then to sales manager for the deli division. In 1992, Samples advanced to regional manager for the meat products division.
With the formation of the consumer products sales division, Samples advanced to his current position as director of planning and support services and has been instrumental in the development of the company’s category management team. He has been a leader in the development of analytic training and has played a key role in establishing the Category Management Certification program through the Category Management Association. As a result, Hormel Foods was the first company in the United States to receive this certification.
About Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products, many of which are among the best known and trusted in the food industry. The company leverages its extensive expertise, innovation and high competencies in pork and turkey processing and marketing to bring branded, value-added products to the global marketplace. The company is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes, Global 1000 Sustainable Performance Leaders and was named one of "The 100 Most Trustworthy Companies" by Forbes in 2010. The company enjoys a strong reputation among consumers, retail grocers, foodservice and industrial customers for products highly regarded for quality, taste, nutrition, convenience and value. For more information, visit http://www.hormelfoods.com.
Source: Hormel Foods
