Freshpet names permanent CFO

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Two months after Freshpet Inc. Chief Financial Officer Heather Pomerantz left to pursue other opportunities, the Secaucus-based pet food company announced it has found her replacement.

In a Nov. 1 press release, Freshpet said Todd Cunfer will take on the role starting Dec. 1, and Dick Kassar, who served as interim chief financial officer, will return to his previous position as vice chairman.

Cunfer, who has more than 25 years of experience in financial planning and analysis, capital structure, treasury, supply chain management, commercial operations, and merger & acquisition activity in the consumer-packaged goods industry, most recently served five years as CFO at The Simply Goods Food Co. Prior to that, he was vice president of finance at the Hersey Co., where he held several financial and operational roles at during a 20-year tenure.

Freshpet also announced the appointment of Dirk Martin as vice president of customer service and logistics, effective Dec. 7.

Martin brings over 20 years of experience in logistics and supply chain management, including 15 years in food manufacturing. His previous employment includes serving as senior director of logistics at Lamb Weston, a billion-dollar food manufacturer of frozen potatoes, and senior director of transportation director at Univar Inc.

The appointments are expected to bolster the company’s financial and logistics expertise as it continues to implement a plan launched in August that is focused on improving logistics, commodities and quality.

In September, the company announced a flurry of changes to its leadership, including the departure of Pomerantz.

“We are making strong progress on our operational improvement plan, which includes assembling a first-class management team with deep operational and supply chain expertise,” said Freshpet Chief Executive Officer Billy Cyr.

The CEO went on to say, “We are thrilled to welcome both Todd and Dirk to the Freshpet team and look forward to leveraging their financial and operational acumen as we continue to improve our profitability and generate sustainable value for our shareholders.”