WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. Wilson Farms Inc., continues to grow its leadership team with three recent appointments. Bill Anello has joined the Wilson Farms team as Director of Perishables and Food Services Also, John Jones has been hired as manager of MIS and Tom Heine has been appointed as director of merchandising and procurement.
We are thrilled to have these three well-respected and highly experienced individuals join our Wilson Farms team, said Paul Nanula CEO and president of Wilson Farms. Bill, John and Tom are key players on our executive team and [image-nocss] will help Wilson Farms remain an industry leader as we continue to strive for growth and excellence across New York State.
Anello will use his expertise in the food industry to oversee Wilson Farms perishable field specialists and to assist with the development of new products and procedures. As part of his job, Anello will develop training programs for perishable/food service associates and food safety programs. He will also be responsible for the new Wilson Farms store interior and exterior layout and redesign.
He joins Wilson Farms after nearly 28 years in the retail grocery industry. Anello was employed at Tops Markets Inc., where he gained extensive experience in a number of departments and high-level positions including, produce category merchandiser/buyer, support coordinator for carryout caf a, deli and specialty cheeses, produce field specialist and floral field specialist. More recently, Anello spent six years as a regional sales manager for Essex Homes of Western New York.
Heine will supervise the category management process and product procurement with Wilson Farms' numerous suppliers. He is also responsible for overseeing all Wilson Farms category managers.
He joins the Wilson Farms team with more than 30 years experience in the grocery retail industry. He is an accomplished manager with extensive organizational, operations management, strategic business planning and project management experience. He spent seven years with Tops Markets, where he was accountable for directing a team responsible for 159 Tops Markets in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He has also held high-level positions at Tripifoods, Redco Foods, Inc., Pezrow Food Brokers and Scrivner Inc./Flickinger. Most recently, Heine was employed with The Buffalo News as the circulation sales and marketing manager.
Jones joins the Wilson Farms team after spending nearly seven years in the information technology industry. Jones will use his experience in the technology sector to manage Wilson Farms information services, including servers, corporate and store computers, internet security and POS technology.
He previously worked at CBE Inc., where he was a regional service manager. While in this capacity, he was responsible for training and managing technicians in the company's Northeast region. He also has extensive Verifone, Tech, Micros and Video equipment experience and is skilled in preventative maintenance, installations and system upgrades. Jones' technical certifications include Topaz Certification, Sapphire Certification, IMB Administrator and MCSE 200 Certification and VASC Certification.
In June 2005, Wilson Farms stores once again became a hometown company, with its headquarters in Williamsville, N.Y. The Clarence-based acquisition team Wilson Farms Inc., purchased Wilson Farms from Tops Markets LLC, a division of Ahold USA. Tops Markets owned Wilson Farms from 1969 until 2005, when they sold the convenience store chain as part of an overall strategy to focus exclusively on traditional supermarkets. Wilson Farms Neighborhood Food Stores, established in 1969, currently operates 198 c-store and gas station locations across New York State. Over the years, Wilson Farms stores have evolved to fit the changing needs of customers, and today offer quality farm-fresh produce, convenient meal solutions, freshly made sandwiches, gourmet coffee and a variety of other beverages and a line of grocery, frozen and dairy products.
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