John G. Richardson
Chairman of the Board
John was only a teenager when SugarCreek was founded in 1966, yet he worked for the company throughout his high school and college years in various positions, learning every aspect of the business. Shortly after graduating from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, he became plant manager of the facility in Dayton, Ohio. Since taking over the company in 1990, when his father John S. Richardson retired, he transformed the family-owned business from a raw bacon manufacturer with $50 million in annual sales to a widely diversified company with over $1 billion in annual sales. He was a Knowlton Award honoree winner for 2022 and inducted into the prestigious Meat Industry Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022, cementing his legacy in the industry with global recognition.
Michael Richardson
Chief Executive Officer
Michael started at SugarCreek in 2002 and has worked in various roles throughout the company including Transportation, Customer Service, Supply Chain, Sales, Quality Assurance, Operations, Maintenance, Accounting, Human Resources, and Wingate Packaging before heading back to Operations in 2012. Prior to becoming President, Michael managed multiple manufacturing plants and served as the Chief Operations Officer. Michael graduated from The Ohio State University with a double major in Finance and Operations.
Jennifer (Richardson) Hutcheson
Chief Relationship Officer
Jennifer started with the company in 2006 stewarding and maintaining the company’s strategic accounts until 2016 when she was promoted to Director of Sales. She is now Chief Relationship Officer, focusing on internal and external relations as an ambassador of the company’s culture and mission. Jennifer graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with a major in Pre-Law and a minor in Business Administration.
Daniel Hammer
President
Daniel joined SugarCreek fulltime in 2022 as SVP International Business development, after spending 30+ years in the Grocery retail Business, where he held multiple leadership positions. He has been instrumental in supporting the integration and collaboration between Veroni and SugarCreek.
Daniel became President in June of 2024. Daniel oversees all Merchandising functions, including Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, New Business Development, Product Development, Culinary, and International Business.
Derek Boesken
Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain
Derek joined SugarCreek in 2014 and was named VP of Operations and Supply Chain in 2023. Derek spent about 6 years as an integral part of the Supply Chain from 2014-2020 and used that experience to help lead the Frontenac, Kansas plant to significant growth from 2020-2022. He uses his hands on experience to help bridge the gap between operations, supply chain, and sales to grow SugarCreek to new heights in the coming years.
Alex Hauck
Vice President of Engineering and Technical Services
Alex joined SugarCreek in 2012 and became VP of Engineering and Technical Services in 2020. Alex is responsible for engineering, maintenance, repair, and operations at SugarCreek and manages the annual capital investment plan. Using over 20 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry, Alex oversees plant expansions and automation at our facilities.
Jonathan Ricciuto
Senior Vice President of FSQA Product Development & Culinary
Jonathan joined SugarCreek in 2010 after a successful internship with the company and the completion of his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree from The Ohio State University. Ricciuto started his career with SugarCreek and has grown with the company as it continues to expand into various other products within the food industry. More recently, Jonathan has taken on the role of Sr. VP, FSQA & Technical Services and helps to oversee Product Development and Culinary, as the needs of the business continue to grow with SugarCreek’s increased capabilities and capacity.
Alan Riney
Executive Vice President, Sales & Business Development Strategy
Alan joined the company as Executive VP of Sales and Business Development in 2016 after spending several years at our sister company Wingate Packaging. Alan has extensive experience in Public Accounting, Brand Management, Sales, and Business Development. Alan has a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Notre Dame and his MBA from Indiana University, he is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Ron Holbrook
Corporate Affairs
Ron began with SugarCreek managing the newly constructed Cambridge City, IN facility in 2016. In his current role, he works to create positive engagement in each community where SugarCreek operates. Ron has implemented creative solutions for employee housing, childcare, and utilities issues, while engaging with local government, economic development, and local businesses to demonstrate that strong businesses build strong communities and strong communities build strong businesses.
Greg Thomson
Director of Human Resources & Benefits
Greg joined SugarCreek in March 2013 as the Benefits Manager and was later promoted to Director of Human Resources/Benefits in June 2020. Thomson is responsible for Corporate Human Resources and support of all HR plant departments, benefit oversight for all plans and including 401(K), and support of HR/Benefits for Wingate Packaging and CINBEV. Through utilization of various channels and benefit opportunities, Greg continues to look for best practices for employee engagement, improved “Wellness Programs,” as well as supporting growth of the business for SugarCreek.
Steve Shutte
Senior Advisor for Special Projects
Steve Shutte has been an integral part of SugarCreek for over 30 years, consistently leveraging intricate insights to guide strategic decisions throughout the organization. With his exceptional leadership, Steve not only ensures precise project execution but also infuses innovation, leaving an enduring impact on our corporate terrain.
Shawn Moorman
Vice President of Finance & Pricing
Shawn joined SugarCreek in 1990 and used his public accounting experience to help modernize the company’s accounting department. After changing roles to focus on operational finance, Shawn was promoted to Vice President of Finance and Pricing. Shawn currently works as a liaison between the sales department and plant operations and supports both in their efforts to sell and produce SugarCreek’s ever expanding line of products.
Stacey Firsich Schultz
General Counsel
Stacey joined SugarCreek in 2011. She supervises all legal functions at SugarCreek with a particular emphasis on contract management, regulatory compliance, labor & employment, safety, and food law. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at Northern Kentucky University and completed her law degree at Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University.
Todd Pugh
Chief Technology Officer
Todd graduated from Ohio University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration while majoring in MIS. Todd joined SugarCreek in March of 2000 after spending several years in IT in various roles including programmer, consultant, IT project leader and CIO. He took over the role of CTO in June 2023.
Matt McConville
Chief Information Officer
Matt joined SugarCreek in 2014 as the Product Supply Manager where he implemented a segmented inventory strategy that improved inventory efficiency. In 2015 he was elevated to Director of Product Supply and in 2019 he assumed leadership for the Customer Service Team. In 2021, he became the co-lead of the SAP implementation team and was promoted to Chief Information Officer in 2023.
Culinary Team
Chef Martin O’Brien
Culinary Product Developer
Chef Martin O’Brien has been with SugarCreek since the beginning of 2019, working out of our Cambridge City, IN plant. Chef Martin’s professional experience ranges from fine dining, to retail and manufacturing. Together with the others from the SugarCreek product development team, Chef Martin is eager to engage in any project our clients may bring to the table.
Chef Greg Jodrey
Culinary Innovation Chef
Greg Jodrey came to join the SugarCreek Culinary team in 2014. Greg graduated from the Midwest Culinary Institute with a Associates degree in 2011. He was on the fore front of SugarCreek’s progression of being one of the world’s largest sous vide foods manufacturers. Chef Greg devotes his passion for his craft of culinary excellence to drive SugarCreek to be the best food producers in the world.
Chef Nicole Hatfield
Culinary Technologist
Nicole is an accomplished fine dining chef with a degree in Culinary Food Science. Joining the company in 2022 as a Culinary Technologist, she brings a unique blend of culinary artistry and scientific expertise to her work. Chef Nicole’s innovative approach and commitment to excellence bridges the gap between traditional cooking techniques and modern food science delivering safe, innovative, delectable and visually appealing products to consumers.