Elk Grove Village, Ill. – Topco Associates, LLC announced the appointment of two executives. David Negron, Vice President, Meat, Seafood, Deli & Bakery, and Clint Johnson, Vice President, Center Store Operations.
As Topco’s Vice President of Meat, Seafood, Deli & Bakery programs, David Negron will take the lead in driving Topco’s strategic business objectives across product development, category management, replenishment and analytics. A senior-level leader in merchandising, marketing and operations, Negron brings with him extensive top-level meat industry experience, having held key positions at Jewel Osco, Strack & Van Til and, most recently, Fresh Foods for Save a Lot.
“David is a strong collaborator with the ability to forge alliances across all levels of the industry. His unique skill set, strong capabilities and industry expertise will be an invaluable asset to the organization,” said Randy Skoda, Topco President and CEO.
In the newly created role of Vice President, Center Store Operations, Clint Johnson will be responsible for managing and delivering category operational excellence across Topco’s Supply Chain, Pricing, Sourcing Analytics and Member Services departments. “Clint will serve a critical role in helping the organization exceed industry benchmarks and provide a consistent, reliable service experience to Topco’s members,” said Skoda.
Johnson is an accomplished leader in Retail, Supply Chain and Innovation. Prior to joining Topco, Johnson served as Managing Director of the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business McMillon Innovation Studio, founded by Walmart CEO Doug and his wife Shelley McMillon, which connects tomorrow’s leaders with the technology sector to accelerate the growth of start-up companies.
As Director of the Walton College of Business Supply Chain Management Research Center, Johnson led a membership of some of the largest supply chain companies in the U.S., including Walmart Stores, Inc., JDA, Tyson Foods, JB Hunt, BNSF Logistics, Microsoft, Intel, P&G and many others, to further the connection to and dissemination of academic research and the development of next-generation supply chain capabilities.
Johnson also held positions of increasing responsibility with Walmart Stores, Inc. where he was the Director of U.S. Fresh Replenishment as well as Sr. Director of Supply Chain, Multi-Channel, and Merchandising Innovation. During this time, Johnson honed such skills as collaborating with partners across the supply chain to drive large-scale improvements throughout Walmart. Johnson has also held Sales and Supply Chain roles at CPG manufacturers in various consumer segments.
About Topco Associates LLC
Topco Associates LLC is a $14 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers food service and pharmacy companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities. For more information, please visit www.topco.com.
