KENT, Wash. -- Oberto Sausage Co., doing business as Oberto Brands, a leading all-natural jerky manufacturer, has announced that its board of directors has named Thomas Hernquist as the company's president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 20, 2015.
Hernquist brings a background of more than 25 years of general management and marketing to Oberto with extensive experience in snack foods across multiple categories. Most recently, he was president of Nice-Pak Products, a leader in retail pre-moistened wipes. Prior to that, he held multiple leadership positions, including president of Hershey USA, senior vice president of marketing at Jim Beam Brands and senior vice president of marketing at Nabisco. In addition, he was a general manager for Kraft Foods' Entenmann's division and had several marketing positions at Frito-Lay.
"We are thrilled that Tom Hernquist will be joining the company," said Ron Brake, Oberto chairman. "Tom brings a track record of innovation and operating discipline, and he truly understands the snack foods landscape having held leadership positions at Hershey, Nabisco and Frito-Lay."
Hernquist will be relocating to the Oberto headquarters in Kent, Wash.
Privately held Oberto Brands is a leading all-natural jerky snacks company founded by the Oberto family in 1918. The company's products are found in all retail channels and online. The company's brands include Oberto All-Natural Jerky, Pacific Gold, Lowery's and Oberto Classics.
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