AdvancePierre Foods, a producer of ready-to-eat sandwiches and value-added proteins, has named Steve Booker President – Retail. Booker will lead the company’s second largest business unit, which collaborates with club, mass merchandise and grocery chains to provide branded, private-brand and licensed products.

Booker started his career in home care products with Procter & Gamble and The Clorox Company before transitioning into the food industry. He spent the last 13 years at ConAgra Foods, most recently serving as the senior vice president of customer development. In this role, he oversaw a 200-member team responsible for the development of customer-facing capabilities to drive growth across ConAgra Foods’ branded and private label businesses.

“Steve’s a proven strategist with deep knowledge of the retail channel and what it takes to build long-term value and brand equity,” shared John Simons, AdvancePierre’s President and CEO. “We’re excited for him to build on the collaborative efforts of our team and to optimize the growth synergies from our Landshire and Better Bakery acquisitions.”

In addition to a bevy of AdvancePierre company brands, Booker will play a significant role in growing AdvancePierre’s private-label business, which currently accounts for more than a quarter of the retail portfolio. “Co-creating high-quality, signature products for our customers is a meaningful part of our business and a tremendous growth opportunity,” Simons added. “Private label brands are attaining elevated status and competing head-to-head with national brands. Steve’s brand intelligence and acute awareness of category and channel strategy will be a great asset for our customers.”