October 20/Minneapolis/just-food global news -- ConAgra Foods has promoted from within and appointed Paul Maass to head its commercial-foods unit -- a B2B operation that accounts for a over a third of the group's turnover.
Maass, the head of the ConAgra Mills unit within the B2B arm, has become president of the company's commercial-foods business immediately. He replaces Rob Sharpe, who plans to retire from ConAgra at the end of its fiscal year, which ends in May.
Bill Stoufer, vice president of supply chain for ConAgra Mills, takes over as president of the unit.
The most recent financial results for ConAgra's commercial-foods business were published last month. For the company's first quarter through August 29, sales from the B2B unit fell 3% to $993 million. Operating profit was down 17% at $112 million. ConAgra blamed the impact of "last year's poor-quality potato crop."
From the November 1, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition