Sales & Marketing and Finance & Strategy appointments follow the hire of the company’s new CEO, reflecting a commitment to quickly deliver on strategic growth initiatives

COUNTRYSIDE, IL, October 11, 2022 — Sokol Custom Food Ingredients, a family-owned company that has been developing custom food formulations for over 125 years, has today announced the expansion of its senior leadership team with the appointments of John Pimpo as Vice President of Ingredients, Sales and Marketing, and Lauren Davis as Vice President of Finance and Strategy.

Pimpo will be responsible for increasing sales revenues while improving the company's profitability and developing strategic marketing initiatives for the ingredients division. Davis will lead the Finance and Strategy functions, working as a strategic link between the Operations, Sales and Finance teams to ensure growth in areas that best serve customers and optimize profitability.

“Following my first few weeks as CEO at Sokol, I’ve seen firsthand the opportunities that exist for company growth, which is why I am happy to welcome John and Lauren to the team at such a pivotal time for our business,” said Shawn Sullivan, CEO of Sokol. “Having personally known John throughout his tenure in the food industry, I’ve witnessed how his passion for innovation and dedication to customer retention and development can and will be an asset for Sokol. Lauren is a take-charge organizational leader and an excellent collaborator with a strong background in finance and driving strategic initiatives — making her particularly well-equipped to help us achieve systematic sales growth and profit improvement.”

With over 20 years of delivering revenue growth, customer development, as well as innovative marketing management and execution across the CPG and B2B food industries, Pimpo joins Sokol from Parker Food Group where he was Director of Marketing. Prior to that he was Senior Manager of Technical Sales & Marketing at Barry Callebaut, where he developed and led all marketing and sales growth initiatives for the ice cream category in North America, and Sales Manager at Gertrude Hawk Ingredients, where he achieved double-digit sales growth each year.

“With a diverse business portfolio and well-established and respected brand name, Sokol is poised to continue to grow in today’s marketplace,” said John Pimpo, Vice President of Ingredients, Sales and Marketing of Sokol. “I look forward to working with the team at Sokol to uncover new ways to engage with our current and prospective customers, as well as meet the consumers’ ever-growing desire for new food products and eating experiences.”

Davis joins Sokol from LICKS® Pill-Free Solutions as VP of Operations & Finance, and Midwest Co-Pack, a confections co-manufacturer, where she served as VP of Strategy and worked with the CEO and production team to double sales each year during her four-year tenure. Prior to that Davis was Senior Business Analyst and Manager of Supply Chain Architecture for Ferrara Candy Company, where she worked on several strategic projects, from launching a new line of business to assessing and onboarding secondary suppliers.

“I am thrilled to be joining Sokol at such a transformational point for the company,” said Lauren Davis, Vice President of Finance and Strategy of Sokol. “As we look to the future, I am eager to build on the incredible success Sokol has achieved over the years as an innovative player in the ingredients space and help identify ways we can take the business to the next level.”

To learn more, please visit https://www.sokolcustomfoods.com.

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About Sokol Custom Food Ingredients

Sokol Custom Food Ingredients is a family-owned company that has been developing custom food formulations for retail, industrial and foodservice industries worldwide for over 125 years. Through a century of evolution and adaptation, Sokol, along with an impressive portfolio of retail and private label products such as Solo Foods retail brand, has evolved into a multifaceted food company focused on long-lasting strategic partnerships. Sokol’s team of formulation experts, quality ingredients, optimized production process, packaging solutions and dedicated customer service team give customers a unique experience and the ability to tap into current market trends and get to market quickly.