October 25/Plymouth, Wis./Press Release -- Sargento Foods Inc. announced the hiring of Chad Hamilton as senior vice president and general counsel. An experienced attorney, Hamilton becomes the company’s first in-house legal counsel upon his hiring this month.

He will be responsible for setting up an in-house legal department for Sargento, while providing ongoing counsel to the company’s executive leadership team. He will proactively recommend steps to mitigate pertinent business risks on a corporate-wide basis. He will also manage all legal aspects of the company’s business including contractual agreements, advertising, intellectual property, co-development agreements and litigation, among others.

“With a seasoned attorney joining our ranks, the legal department can assess corporate risk at a higher level, allowing Sargento to go down roads never explored before,” said Louie Gentine, president and chief customer officer at Sargento. “Chad has a proven track record with in-house legal departments. He’ll fit in quite nicely, providing the necessary counsel to help guide executive decisions.”

With extensive experience leading in-house legal departments, Hamilton joins Sargento from Swisslog Healthcare Solutions in Denver, where he served as chief legal counsel. He formerly served as general counsel to the international consumer-packaged-goods company JBS USA of Greeley, Colo.  Previously, he was in private practice and specialized in contracts and corporate law where his clients included those in all facets of the food-production supply chain.

Hamiton earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder, Colo., and his bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.