Steve Lykken, who has been the president of Applegate since 2016, has been appointed to succeed Glenn Leitch as the president of Jennie-O Turkey Store.
Leitch, meanwhile, has been appointed as Hormel Foods’ executive vice president of supply chain. Both Applegate and Jennie-O Turkey Store are Hormel subsidiaries.
Steve Lykken has history with Jennie-O Turkey Store
Lykken, with his new appointment, returns to Jennie-O Turkey Store, where he had previously served in leadership roles before being named the president of Applegate.
Lykken, a 25-year veteran of Hormel Foods, had previously served as senior vice president of supply chain at Jennie-O Turkey Store. He had also previously been senior vice president of Jennie-O’s retail division, a position he was appointed to in 2003.
“Steve has a strong track record of success in the food industry, especially given his tenure at Jennie-O Turkey Store,” said Jim Snee, chairman, president and CEO of Hormel Foods. "He is a proven leader with expertise that encompasses all facets of the turkey business from supply chain to sales and marketing. I look forward to Steve bringing this expertise back to Jennie-O Turkey Store as he focuses on delivering against our key results."
New role for Glenn Leitch
Leitch has been appointed as Hormel’s executive vice president of supply chain. His appointment coincides with Hormel Foods’ plan to make its supply chain a strategic competitive advantage, while optimizing it to deliver sustainable long-term growth. Leitch will now oversee all company operations involving procurement, manufacturing, logistics, research and development and quality management.
Glenn Leitch | Hormel Foods
Along with the leadership changes, Hormel will align pork procurement and all plant operations for both Refrigerated Foods and Grocery Products into a newly-created group. The company’s supply chain includes more than 30 production facilities and co-packing partners, producing thousands of products sold worldwide.
Leitch brings more than 35 years of experience in the food and commodity industries to this role with broad experience in the protein space, both domestically and internationally. He joined Jennie-O Turkey Store in 1996, and was promoted to senior vice president of the commodity-and-supply division at Jennie-O in 2001. In 2011, he was named general manager at Jennie-O before being promoted to president that same year.
Leitch has been a leader in the food industry, with involvement in numerous organizations, associations and boards.
