Wisconsin grocer Festival Foods has enacted a series of promotions with the retirement of Mike Mesich, senior vice president of operations.
Mesich retired on Dec. 31 after more than a decade at Festival Foods, which he joined in 2006 as vice president of store operations. With his departure, the De Pere, Wis.-based retailer promoted Frank Abnet from vice president to senior vice president of store operations and Randy Munns, senior vice president of marketing and merchandising, to chief operating officer.
Mike Mesich (left) spent 14 years at Festival Foods, while new COO Randy Munns (right) has been at the Wisconsin grocer since 1991.
Festival Foods said Munns will oversee operations and continue to lead fresh food departments, center store, marketing and merchandising. He joined the chain in 1991 and has served as senior vice president of marketing and merchandising since September 2015.
Also effective Jan. 1, Festival Foods elevated Sean Sanders, center store senior director, to vice president of center store and Joe Zink, merchandising senior director, to vice president of center store merchandising.
Festival Foods noted that Mesich helped open 25 stores and “led significant changes” to the company’s labor management process, which boosted productivity and pared costs. Before coming to Festival Foods, he spent 26 years Copps Corp. and three years as a business partner in three grocery stores in Appleton, Kimberly and Shawano, Wis.
“The industry experience and talent that Mike brought to the table was a key component in our ability to successfully grow over the past decade,” Festival Foods President and CEO Mark Skogen said in a statement. “His leadership of our store operations has been exceptional. His signature will remain embedded in our operations and culture.”
Overall, family- and employee-owned Festival Foods operates 33 full-service supermarkets in Wisconsin and employs more than 7,500 full- and part-time associates.
