NEW YORK, NEW YORK – January 3, 2014 – Roland Foods Corporation (“Roland Foods”) today announced that James Wagner, 44, has joined the company as chief executive officer, effective immediately.
Charles E. Scheidt, a member of the company’s founding family and chairman and CEO of Roland Foods, remains with the company as chairman. “Jim Wagner has a great background for Roland Foods, exactly what we had in mind when we shared our intention to appoint a new CEO this past summer,” said Mr. Scheidt. “His successful track record as a senior executive spans exceptional accomplishments in sales, marketing, purchasing, and new product development in the specialty foods industry. Jim is a talented leader who will help Roland Foods accelerate its growth and continue its excellent customer service.”
“In the specialty foods business, Roland Foods is an iconic brand, a highly successful company in a sector with a strong growth outlook,” said Mr. Wagner. “Specialty foods has a powerful upward trajectory, both near- and long-term, and I believe that Roland Foods can significantly expand its already strong leadership position. I am very familiar with Roland Foods high standards of excellence across-the-board, and it’s an honor to be working at the company. Roland Foods has a great team, and I believe that our talent and product lines form a solid foundation for growth.”
Prior to joining Roland Foods, Mr. Wagner served as chief operating officer at The Chefs’ Warehouse. Before becoming COO of The Chefs’ Warehouse, he held a number of positions within the company, including chief commercial officer, director of Business Development, and vice president of the West Coast operations. Mr. Wagner led significant business optimization projects and sales performance initiatives, resulting in substantial margin and revenue enhancement and, ultimately, a successful initial public offering on NASDAQ.
Before joining The Chefs’ Warehouse in 2005, Mr. Wagner worked as an independent consultant to a number of start-up companies, including the launch of TrueChocolate, a chocolate-processing company. He was also a principal at Jump Communications and a vice president at Clear!Blue; both companies provide business consulting services.
Mr. Wagner received a B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley in 1993.