SMITHFIELD FOODS INC. appointed SHANE SMITH, a two-decade veteran of the company and, most recently, its chief strategy officer, as president and chief executive officer. Smith will succeed Dennis Organ. Prior to becoming chief strategy officer, Smith served as executive vice president of Smithfield’s European operations.

BECKHOFF USA hired DON SHANKLIN as its Great Lakes district sales manager. Based in the Cleveland area, he will work to boost market share gains and increase sales from wide-ranging manufacturers and machine builder OEMs throughout Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and northern Kentucky.

CLASADO BIOSCIENCES, a global supplier of prebiotic ingredient and product solutions for the human gut microbiome, has strengthened its long-term digital strategy with the appointment of a new Head of E-Commerce CATHY ERWIN.

PSSI, food safety and contract sanitation provider, appointed DOUG WHITE to the newly created position of chief operating officer and promoted JAKE WATTS to its executive leadership team as senior vice president of shared services. In his new role as COO, White will continue to work directly with the executive team and operational leadership to drive PSSI’s company strategy and vision. Watts, entering his new role as SVP of Shared Services, will provide direction and leadership over the safety, food safety, sales, and marketing functions to ensure resources and programs are aligned to support the overall strategic direction of PSSI.

WAGO hired DANNY WOODLIEF as its new electrical contractor and wholesale specialist for the Eastern U.S. He received his bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from Southeastern Flight School and holds diplomas in Industrial Distribution, Engineering Technology, Marketing and Voltaic Energy.

Endress+Hauser and Hahn-Schickard have created a joint venture called ENDRESS+HAUSER BIOSENSE GMBH, which will be managed by Managing Director DR. NICHOLAS KROHN. In addition, DR. STEFAN BURGER and DR. MARTIN SCHULZ, who obtained their doctorates in the field of molecular diagnostics at the University of Freiburg, will round out the management team.

KROGER announced the retirement of Senior Vice President STEVE MCKINNEY, who served the company for more than 40 years. McKinney will be succeeded by VALERIE JABBAR, previously group vice president of center store merchandising. Jabbar joined the company at Fry’s as a store clerk in 1987. She has steadily progressed upwards, now assuming SVP where she will oversee several retail divisions across the company.

MCEVOY RANCH President SAMANTHA DORSEY celebrates her 20th anniversary since she began her career on the Garden Team in 2001 before becoming farming manager in 2013. In 2016, she was promoted to general manager, and then became the company’s president in 2019.

TOMPKINS SOLUTIONS, a supply chain consulting and services firm, named RANDY PRICE vice president of the material handling integration division. In this role, Price will be responsible for engaging with customers on new and legacy projects and overseeing the engineering and controls teams for the division. Photo: Tompkins Solutions

TALKING RAIN BEVERAGE COMPANY, the maker of Sparkling Ice beverages, announced the promotions of three corporate leaders. ADAM LAPP has been promoted to senior vice president of sales, NINA MORRISON to senior vice president of community experience, and KEN SYLVIA to chief operating officer.

GABB will acquire ASTI MOBILE ROBOTICS GROUP, a manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots, which has a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software. The acquisition will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offerings, providing the company with a complete portfolio of flexible automation technologies.

ENDRESS+HAUSER and HAHN-SCHICKARD have created a joint venture entitled ENDRESS+HAUSER BIOSENSE to develop equipment and methods for fast molecular analyses. The goal is to provide options that enable rapid, onsite molecular analyses for the detection of bacterial or viral contamination in water and beverages, and genetic modifications in food or contaminated milk. The joint venture will be located in Freiburg, Germany. (See People section for management team.) In another announcement, E+H shared news about an expansion of its partnership with sales representative Field Instruments and Controls in the Pacific Northwest region.

ALLPAX, a product brand of PROMACH, completed its move to a new facility in Covington, La., which more than doubles the size of its offices and manufacturing area from 40,000 to 86,000 sq.-ft. In a second doubling, Allpax has increased the size of its business by 100% in the past five years.

PREGIS, a global manufacturer of protective packaging, announced an $80 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art blown film extrusion facility in Anderson, S.C.

PROAMPAC, a supplier of flexible packaging and material science, has acquired APC PAPER GROUP, a producer of recycled paper packaging products for food service and retail markets. ProAmpac also announced the acquisition of ULTIMATE PACKAGING, a pioneer in flexographic and digitally printed flexible packaging.

WEIDMÜLLER has acquired the team and assets of EMPHATEC INC., extending the Weidmüller Group’s portfolio to PLC migration and C1D2 (Class 1 Division 2) solutions.

GOYA FOODS is pledging $2 million to combat child trafficking, and to launch Goya Cares, a global initiative dedicated to working with organizations to combat trafficking and help victims of these crimes.

LAÏTA NUTRITION, a European dairy cooperative, has announced that its nutrition division is pursuing a strategic focus on plant-based ingredients as consumer demand increases for plant-based products.

BOSCH REXROTH has revamped its e-commerce portal, The Rexroth Store.

NESTLÉ RESEARCH in Lausanne is working with FUTURE MEAT TECHNOLOGIES, a cultured-meat start-up, to explore the potential of cultured-meat components that do not compromise on taste or sustainability.

White Castle broke ground on a $27 million, 75,000-sq.-ft. expansion of its retail food manufacturing plant in Vandalia, Ohio. When complete in June 2022, 75 new jobs will be added to the labor force.

Bonduelle, packager of canned and frozen vegetables, will expand its operations in Lebanon, Pa., spending $5 million and creating 35 new jobs.

Simmons Pet Food marked the official opening and beginning of the first phase of commercial operation at its $100-million, 275,000-square-foot canned pet food operation in Dubuque, Iowa. The company is moving forward with the second line, which will be fully operational by April 1, 2022.

Nestlé Purina PetCare plans to invest $182 million to expand its manufacturing operations in King William, Va. The expansion includes 138,000 sq.-ft. for capacity expansion and another 100,000 sq.-ft. for warehouse space. The project is expected to be complete in 2023.

SpartanNash opened a 55,000-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Caledonia, Mich.

Nestlé USA plans to expand operations in Gaffney, S.C. The $100 million investment will create about 160 new jobs. Opened in 1980, the Nestlé facility produces premium-quality frozen food entrees for Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine, and will expand that ability with the addition of a new production line and the expansion of the existing production line.

Reser’s Fine Foods broke ground on a 250,000-sq.-ft. facility in Pasco, Ore. The new prepared foods plant will complement an existing facility at the location, which makes side dishes.

Deli Star, a provider of sustainably cooked proteins, will produce Deli Star's sous-vide proteins, slow cooked meats, deli logs, protein salads, sauces and plant-based proteins at its new 110,000-sq.-ft. food manufacturing facility, set to open in early 2022 in St. Louis.

SweetWater Brewing Company LLC. plans to open a new, full-service brewery, production facility, taproom, and restaurant in Fort Collins, Colo.—allowing the brewery to pursue major expansion plans across the U.S. and into the West Coast.

Frulact, a fruit processing facility located in Kingston, Ontario, is expanding its facility, and expects to hire 12 to 15 additional people. FE