One of the foodservice industry’s top sales and marketing executives has retired from his position as Vice President of Foodservice at Red Gold, the world’s largest privately held tomato company. David Halt helped the company grow its foodservice business into a powerhouse during his tenure.
“It was an honor to help build a strategically focused foodservice division at Red Gold,” says Halt. “We benefited from the insightful ownership of the Reichart family, great Red Gold employees, and dedication to our core principles and mission.”
Halt began his career in 1981 at Durkee Foodservice and later at Heinz Foodservice. Prior to joining Red Gold, he worked at Nabisco Foodservice, where he managed the newly created Vending and Alternative Channels Division.
In 1997, David opted to leave large, publicly traded companies to one that is family-owned with a mission to serve the freshest, best-tasting tomatoes in the world. His goal was to significantly grow Red Gold’s foodservice division. Until Halt’s arrival, Red Gold’s focus had been primarily into the Retail Grocery channel.
“David’s energetic, team-oriented approach to growing our presence into the Foodservice business made a profound and positive impact on our company’s growth,” says Brian Reichart, President and CEO of Red Gold. “I join all Red Gold employees in thanking him for his 26 years of leadership.”
“I want to thank all Red Gold employees, past and present, for sharing in an incredible journey of building a significant foodservice presence with Corporate and Independent Distributors, Regional restaurant Chains, Contract Management Companies, and K-12 School Districts around the country,” says Halt. “I’ve now passed along my insight from a 43-year foodservice career to a new leadership team at Red Gold and look forward to seeing the company continue to flourish.”
Halt and his family plan to travel for several months, then he will focus on helping others build their business careers. Halt has established a scholar program at his alma mater, Youngstown State University, to grow the next crop of business leaders.
About Red Gold
Four generations of the Reichart family have been producing premium quality tomato products since 1942. When the US entered WWII, the government asked citizens to step up and help the war effort and the call was answered. Since then, Red Gold® has become the largest privately-owned tomato processor in the nation with three state-of-the-art facilities in Elwood, Geneva, and Orestes, Indiana. The company also boasts a million square foot distribution center in Alexandria and operates the subsidiary RG Transport trucking fleet in Elwood. Red Gold partners with local family farms across Indiana, southern Michigan, and Northwest Ohio to sustainably produce premium quality canned tomatoes, ketchup, sauces, salsas, and juices for foodservice, private brands, export, co-pack, and club channels of distribution. The Red Gold family of consumer brands includes Red Gold®, Redpack®, Tuttorosso®, and Sacramento®. Exceptional quality and operational excellence are the shared values that contributed to the employee-created mission statement: “To produce the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world.”
Visit www.RedGoldFoods.com to learn more about Red Gold.
