Potandon’s CEO Retires, Fresh Direct Ex-CEO Steps In
Potandon Produce, one of the largest providers of fresh potatoes in North America and global leader within the world’s top three food crops, has announced that Mel Davenport, the company’s chief executive pfficer, will retire after 30+ years of service marked by the launch of Klondike Goldust and Klondike Rose potatoes and the CarbSmart line. Succeeding him as CEO will be David Lawrence, former CEO of Fresh Direct, effective immediately.
Over the past nearly three decades, Davenport has helped guide the company through significant growth and innovation in the fresh produce market. Under his leadership, Potandon strengthened its market position, continued the expansion of its Green Giant Fresh products, expanded its product offerings, and fostered a culture of excellence and sustainability.
“Mel’s well-deserved retirement marks the culmination of a career,” said Jeff Sholl, founder and managing member of Potandon. “As a key member of Potandon’s senior management team, Mel has been a cornerstone of our business since its inception and his leadership has been pivotal to the company’s position today. As we celebrate Mel’s contributions, we also look forward to an exciting new chapter under the leadership of David Lawrence, whose vision and expertise will guide Potandon toward continued growth and success.”
Lawrence brings a wealth of experience and proven leadership in the fresh food and logistics industries. During his tenure at Fresh Direct, Lawrence spearheaded initiatives that enhanced customer experience, streamlined operations, and drove significant business growth. His deep understanding of consumer needs and his commitment to innovation align seamlessly with Potandon’s vision for the future. Prior to that, Lawrence served as the President of Taylor Farms Northwest, LLC, CEO of National Pecan, LLC, and President of C.M. Holtzinger Fruit Company. With a track record of driving growth, operational excellence, and innovation, Lawrence is well-positioned to lead Potandon Produce into its next chapter.
“I am looking forward to joining Potandon Produce and building upon the strong foundation established by Mel and the team,” said Lawrence. “At a time when consumers are more focused on functional foods, health and nutrition than ever, I’m proud to join a company that understands these evolving needs and is committed to delivering unique varieties and such a huge consumer footprint for providing nutritious, high-quality produce to meet them.”
Potandon Produce is an ag-tech and food-tech leader, and one of the largest providers of fresh table stock potatoes in the nation and also a leading provider of fresh onions. Its product line includes Minute Mashers™, ONE STEP… DONE!, and classic russet, yellow, red, and white potatoes. The company’s unique vertical integration has led to a state-of-the-art variety development program for unique potato varieties, conventional and sweet onions, and many others within the world’s top 3 food crops, and that looks ten years down the road to develop potatoes for future shoppers based on extensive consumer research.
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eGrowcery, Forage Team to Enable EBT SNAP Payments for Grocery Retailers
eGrowcery, developer of the leading retail food industry white-label eCommerce platform, and Forage, the mission-driven SNAP EBT payments company for grocers of all sizes, are partnering to provide supermarket operators with a comprehensive payment solution for digital orders. The companies will collaborate on systems integration and business development.
“Forage is known as a company that helps democratize the payment ecosystem in retail while offering merchants greater EBT SNAP flexibility. The combination of our solutions will help address a growing need for digital commerce flexibility,” said Patrick Hughes, CEO of eGrowcery.
eGrowcery, which operates in the United States and abroad, provides independent operators and retail groups a white-label eCommerce platform that will seamlessly integrate Forage’s solution into the overall technology offering. Further, Forage’s automated onboarding solution will further allow grocery retailers to rapidly secure USDA certification and begin accepting EBT payments, both in-store and online.
“We are thrilled to work with the eGrowcery team to make it easier for low-income families to access the food they need, when and where they need it,” said Ofek Lavian, co-founder and CEO of Forage. “Together, this partnership will empower more retailers with the technology to make healthy foods more accessible and convenient for millions of Americans relying on SNAP benefits.”
Retailers interested in learning more about the eGrowcery and Forage solutions can contact eGrowcery here.
Forage builds payments infrastructure that processes government benefits, starting with enabling merchants to accept EBT SNAP payments. 42 million Americans receive government assistance to afford groceries, and Forage powers payments to serve communities in need. Forage is the only USDA-approved third-party payment processor (TPP) that offers retailers best-in-class software combined with dedicated service, enabling complex government payments online and guiding retailers through USDA authorization. For more information visit www.joinforage.com.
eGrowcery is the market-leading, white-label, SaaS based eCommerce solution designed to service grocery retailers. The eGrowcery platform is a true end-to-end, omnichannel solution that integrates with back-office/point of sale systems while enabling retailers to personalize their own shopper experience. Serving companies in the US and abroad, eGrowcery empowers retailers with the ability to personalize their shopping experience while providing the most efficient in-store fulfillment solution in the industry.
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ChowNow Names Soni as Chief Executive Officer
ChowNow, a leader in online ordering and delivery for local restaurants, has appointed Kanika Soni as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately. Soni brings over 20 years of experience in the consumer tech sector with a proven track record of driving growth and innovation.
As the new CEO of ChowNow, Soni will be responsible for developing and executing strategic initiatives to accelerate growth for ChowNow in this rapidly-changing market for online restaurant delivery platforms while ensuring exceptional customer satisfaction for restaurants and diners alike.
Soni brings a wealth of experience to the role. She started her career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company and has held leadership roles at several strong consumer facing brands including Tripadvisor, Disney, Tesla and Gilt Groupe.
Most recently, Soni served as chief commercial officer at Tripadvisor, where she successfully helped rebuild the core business after it sustained significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also instrumental in setting the company on a transformation path grounded in a new product, content, and data-led strategy.
Earlier in her career, Soni held the position of GM/SVP, Global E-commerce at The Walt Disney Company, where she helped modernize Disney’s direct-to-consumer business driving double-digit growth through operational improvements, expansion into new 3rd party channels, and launching a highly curated shopping experience that combined vertical, parks, and licensed merchandise all on one platform – a first ever for Disney fans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kanika to lead the ChowNow family,” says Chris Webb, ChowNow’s founder and chairman of the board. “Her vision and expertise will be invaluable as we continue our growth. She is passionate about supporting local restaurants and is committed to fostering a culture of innovation and partnership at ChowNow.”
“I am honored to take on this role and lead such a talented team,” said Soni. “It’s an exciting time to join ChowNow as we work to launch a multi-product solution to help our restaurant partners build direct relationships with their diners, diversify their revenue streams, and drive operational efficiencies in their business.”
ChowNow is dedicated to supporting local eateries by providing user-friendly online ordering solutions. With Soni’s leadership, the company aims to expand its reach and continue enhancing its offerings for both restaurant partners and diners.
ChowNow helps independent restaurants thrive by connecting diners to an ordering solution that supports local businesses. The ChowNow platform helps almost 20,000 local restaurants across North America sustainably grow their delivery and takeout business with streamlined online ordering technology, data insights and marketing services. Founded in 2012, ChowNow has processed more than 200 million online orders and saved restaurants hundreds of millions of dollars in commission fees. For more information, visit chownow.com.
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