Paula Klassen
VP, Food Safety and Quality
TreeHouse Foods

Paula's storied career includes neary thirty years supporting quality and food safety for private label products. As part of the team at E.D. Smith and now TreeHouse Foods, Paula has led the development of teams, processes and systems that contribute to food safety and quality. Paula's passion around a food safety culture had created an environment that empowers her teams and the production floor to always have a voice. Steve Landry, TreeHouse SVP and COO, commented that "our customers depend on TreeHouse to provide safe and delicious store brands. Paula has built a culture that ensures employees are empowered to make decisions that always put food safety and quality first."

Nguyet Do
Business Manager
ofi

Since joining the Store Brands industry in ofi's Vietnam offices just over four years ago, Nguyet, through her leadership and collaboration has grown the ofi black pepper share above the branded leader in the US. From Bob Baker, "“Nguyet leads the execution of store brand products that are grown, produced and packaged in Vietnam and then sold / shipped into the United States. In this role, Nguyet leads a team in Vietnam and collaborates with the sales team in the United States, crossing time zones and languages. Nguyet is successful due to her passion, and adaptability while performing her role."

Rachel Bukowski
Executive Leader of R&D
Whole Foods Market

Rachel has led the Store Brands Innovation team for over seven years. From Carla Conrad, "Historically, Private Brands followed branded innovation, but Rachel has established Whole Foods Market’s Store Brands as the destination for innovation at Whole Foods Market. Through Rachel’s strategic vision, our Store Brands lead the company in trends, ingredient standards, sustainability and customer centric innovations. Innovation starts in Store Brands at Whole Foods Market. She raises the bar across the company and in the industry through her work on our Store Brands.”

Lauren Schmitter
SQF Practitioner
Paramount Coffee

Lauren joined Paramount as an intern in 2019 and has grown into a food safety leader within the company. From Rich Schaafsma, "Lauren is an integral partner in sustaining and growing our store brands business. She is an incredible asset to our company. Lauren owns our SQF programs and ensures that our 89 year old plant receives best in class ratings every year. She does this through focused training, relationship building, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Her extreme attention to detail has been integral in all areas. Lauren is highly respected amongst the entire production staff.”

Andrea Hatziyannis
Category Strategy Manager
Sprouts Farmers Market

Andrea has been on the cutting edge of brand strategies that make Sprouts Farmers Market a leader in private label. From Keith Blackmer, “Andrea embraces and embodies the Sprouts Farmers Market’s core values, which fuels her success in her role and for our Sprouts Brand across our stores. Andrea has a dedicated drive for excellence and consumer focused product development strategies that has led to significant category growth. As a relationship builder, Andrea has built strong partnerships with our supplier community that enables her to build a best in class pipeline of differentiated products.”

Sheala Tierney
Retail Sales Manager
Catania Oils

Sheala is a tenacious leader in sales for Catania, growing their private label presence and leading mentoring efforts for young female leaders within Catania. From Mark Coleman, "Sheala has proven herself as an indefatigable force in a traditionally male-dominated industry. In addition to her expertise in developing strategy, Sheala’s authenticity immediately places clients and prospects at ease. Her confidence and charisma have earned her the respect and admiration of clients and colleagues alike. Sheala consistently positions herself as a valuable resource for customers and does not shy away from projects that require significant time and effort, going above and beyond her day-to-day responsibilities to compile market insights and other valuable resources for our customers.”

Karen Swartzentruber
Production Supervisor
Winland Foods

Karen leads a team of 25 people and is the go-to ERP expert for her plant. Driving continuous improvement projects and mentoring associates are two of her passions. From her co-worker, Stephanie Burkett, “Karen is an outstanding leader who not only leads her team each day, but also leads projects that drive service improvements for our customers. Karen leads by example and builds up her team so that they can find growth opportunities at our company. Karen is our go-to person whenever we need support and she is always willing to lend a hand or provide some training.”

Julie McGuire
Strategic Sourcing Specialist
FedUp Foods

Julie is a leader in procurement strategy within a fast-growing private label company. With global sourcing responsibilities, Julie's impact is significant. From her CEO, David Gray, “Julie’s passion and expertise does not just keep FedUp Foods at the forefront of the industry — it ensures we lead with integrity and innovation. By aligning our sourcing strategies with our broader company goals, Julie drives us toward success while also championing systems that uplift communities and protect the environment. Through her work, she transforms procurement into a powerful tool for positive, lasting change!”

Jessica Gaudette
Director, Process and Technology
Daymon

Jessica is at the forefront of technology, ensuring that the Daymon business teams can lead with insights and efficiencies. From Daymon North American President, Jim Griffin, “Jessica is dedicated to understanding what the needs for the Private Brands industry are and developing digital services to support them. While people may see Private Brands as a follower, through Jessica's work, she is helping retailers see that they can be true leaders, with the creation of a single eCommerce platform which can be used for multiple needs - sourcing, analytics, quality assurance, PLM, product search, and more.”