|
 |
Selling to the military requires a different set of capabilities than the more traditional retail channels. We take an innovative approach to the distribution, sales and marketing of food products to the military markets. Our management team offers experience that’s unrivaled in the industry. And, because we know our business partners so well, we’re able to anticipate trends in the marketplace and develop our brands to meet military customer demand.
Alder Foods, Inc. was started over 40 years ago by Paul M. Keating Sr. In 2007, Michelle J. Keating became the Owner and President of the Company.
Senior Management Team:
Michelle J. Keating, President / CEO
Michelle joined Alder Foods, Inc. in 1997 as Vice President of Marketing, and now serves as President & CEO. Under her leadership, Alder Foods has become one of the top 50 companies selling to commissaries worldwide.
Michelle brings to Alder Foods extensive experience in sales and marketing. Formerly a Marketing Manager with Lotus Development Corporation, later head of her own marketing consulting firm, and most recently, a partner with a promotions firm in Seattle, Michelle has created major retail campaigns for such companies as Apple Computer, Palm Computing, Inc., Microsoft, and Kodak to name a few. She now owns the Company and makes sure your brand gets the mindshare and the focused attention to detail necessary to grow your military business.
“525 manufacturers do business with the military — and we’re currently ranked #27. I can’t tell you how proud I am of our team.”
Kevin A. Snyder, Senior Vice President
Kevin has been with Alder Foods for more than 15 years, and he has more than 25 years of experience in the dairy business. Since over 70% of Alder's sales are in dairy, this expertise is vital to the growth and success of Alder Foods on a daily basis. Kevin maintains all of our manufacturer relationships, works with three super dairies that supply products to 13 military distributors throughout the United States, and develops new business opportunities that continue to build upon the ever-changing branded milk and cream category. Because he knows this business so well, Kevin is able to spot trends and anticipate customer demand for new products such as soy, organic and lactose-free milk.
“One of the most rewarding things in my job is making sure our military personnel have access to products they wouldn’t ordinarily be able to find overseas. For service people whose children are lactose-intolerant, it means a lot to them that they can buy LACTAID Milk in the commissary.”
Ed Serpe, Vice President of Finance
As the Vice President of Finance for Alder Foods, Ed brings over 20 years of finance and accounting experience to the business. He has a variety of different industry backgrounds, including consumer products, high-tech, international, travel and telecom. Ed's key strengths and responsibilities include budgeting, forecasting, reporting and pricing/margin analysis.
Expert Sales Team:
- National & Regional Sales Team: Steve Sones, National Sales Manager, is responsible for the Southeastern Region of the country, as well as managing a great team of Regional Managers. Our Regional Managers are located strategically across the country. Phil Romero manages the Midwest and Far East, Kathy Taglialavore manages the Western Region, Joe Kovac manages the Eastern Region, Steve Arland is Alder's Headquarter Manager at the Marketing Business Unit (MBU), and Meg Heckel manages the Tidewater Area. The Regional Managers work side-by-side with our brokers in their given regions, assuring that our brands are properly displayed and that we remain proactive at the store level.
- Regional Account Managers:
Monitor weekly inventory levels, assist distributor buyers with sales projections and regular ordering, manage the activities of our field representatives and coordinate promotional programs through all distributor locations.
- Field Representatives:
Call on the store level, ensure all authorized items are in stock and placed according to the approved plan-o-gram, specifically place all new items, sell secondary display locations and coordinate demos and coupon programs specific to Alder products.
Creative Marketing Department
Brian Connor, Director of Brand Marketing, has been working in sales & marketing of consumer package goods for the past 20 years. Brian leads the marketing team, which is responsible for the promotional activity of each brand Alder sells to the military resale systems. This team manages in-store demonstrations; develops sales incentive programs; creates, manages and coordinates coupon distribution; organizes special displays; and performs sales and market analysis. Alder’s marketing department provides the sales team with the support they need to generate brand recognition and ensure the success of all the products in the Alder portfolio.
Detail-Oriented Finance and Operations Teams
Alder Foods has developed a state of the art, computerized accounting and management system. Our system provides “real time” data, giving Alder the ability to make fast, accurate decisions. This is especially critical when dealing with highly perishable products. We use EDI and EFT data transmission at every level of operations.
Alder’s MIS system is fully integrated with our accounting system, providing fast, accurate financial information. We manage all invoicing and reporting, purchase all product directly from our suppliers, track and account for every vendor credit memo (VCM) written at every store, and manage all accounts receivable due from the military resale system.
Alder Foods, Inc.
One Foxhill Drive, Walpole, MA 02081 Tel: (508) 660-1993 Fax: (508) 660-8816 info@AlderFoods.com
|