Foremost Farms USA, Baraboo, Wis.-James Geyer, v.p., ingredient division, will retire from the cooperative near the end of the year, and Douglas Wilke, v.p. cheese division since 2001, will become vice president-manufactured products.

Foremost Farms USA, Baraboo, Wis.-James Geyer, v.p., ingredient division, will retire from the cooperative near the end of the year, and Douglas Wilke, v.p. cheese division since 2001, will become vice president-manufactured products. Geyer's career spans 43 years and includes a number of positions with prominent Midwestern dairy companies. The structural change to Wilke's position means that he will oversee the strategies for Foremost Farms' 10 cheese and 7 ingredient plants and the product development, quality and marketing functions for all products made at these facilities.

Main Street Ingredients, La Crosse, Wis.-Mike Homewood promoted to sales mgr. of custom manufactured products, a newly-formed division of the company's functional systems group. In this new role, Homewood will be responsible for Main Street's bakery and dairy-based branded products in addition to contract blending and agglomeration. Also, Cole Johnson joins as account representative, custom manufactured products. Cole joins the team with over seven years in retail sales.

Lactalis American Group, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.-Frederick Bouisset will become pres./ CEO, effective September 1. Bouisset was most recently chief executive of Fleury Michon, a leading international consumer packaged goods company concentrating on prepared meals and meal solutions. Lactalis previously announced the departure of current pres./CEO, Erick Boutry, for family reasons. Boutry will remain with Lactalis through a transition period ending September 30.

Fristam Pumps USA, Middleton, Wis.-Pete Herb appointed pres., Fristam Pumps USA, by Wolfgang Stamp, Fristam's CEO and chairman. Herb has been with Fristam for 18 years and previously held the position of v.p. of business development as well as positions in both the sales and engineering departments.

Protient, Inc., St. Paul, Minn.-Three new additions to the sales team. Kris Hanson joins as the senior sales mgr. for nutritionals, and will focus on expanding Protient's presence as a contract manufacturer of nutritional products. Hanson has experience selling dairy ingredients and contract agglomeration services.

Cheryl Reid joins as market development specialist for North America. Prior to joining Protient, Reid was responsible for the sales and marketing of whey protein and milk powder products.

Benoit Turpin, joins as senior sales mgr. for specialty ingredients. He was the national sales director and gen. mgr. for a protein company.

David Michael & Co., Philadelphia-Several hirings and a promotion. Nicole Katz joins the company and enters the STAMP intensive training program. Katz is a recent graduate of Indiana University's Kelly School of Business. Flavor Chemist Kathy Ciannamea joins from Symrise with 24 years of experience in many different disciplines of flavor chemistry. Jeffrey Swan joins as senior account representative, covering the greater Chicago area. Swan's background includes work with Unilever, NutraSweet, A.E. Staley (now Tate & Lyle), Nestle/FIS, and Mastertaste Flavors. Barbara Willie promoted to mgr. of quality systems and safety with responsibility in the area of HACCP, safety, vendor/customer audits, SOP reviews and GMPs in the lab and operations. Ed Albaugh promoted to mgr. of quality control and analytical services. He has been a senior flavor chemist for David Michael for the past eleven years.

Upstate Farms, Buffalo, N.Y.-LaFayette Jones recognized by the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS) for his dedication and hard work in supporting convenience store owners. Jones, a sales representative for Upstate Farms' DSD Division, was formally inducted in May to the NYACS Hall of Fame. He has been with Upstate Farms for 13 years, after being in the dairy business since 1977, and has been involved with the NYACS since its infancy.

Krones Inc., Franklin, Wis.-Michael Callahan promoted to v.p., sales, central division. Krones Inc. is a subsidiary of Krones AG, a world leader in the manufacture of packaging and bottling systems. Callahan, most recently served as technical director for the filling/cleaning and inspection technologies divisions. He will be responsible for Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, North and South Dakota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Callahan replaces Timothy Raymond, who was recently named senior v.p., sales and marketing.

J. Rettenmaier USA, Schoolcraft, Mich.-Wilhem (Bill) Michel joins as senior account mgr. Midwest. Michel will be responsible for the maintenance and growth of direct accounts in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. His previous experience includes senior sales positions concentrating on the Food Service segment with several leading food ingredient manufacturers. J. Rettenmaier USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of J. Rettenmaier & Söhne GmbH of Rosenberg, Germany and is recognized as a leader in the manufacturing of dietary fibers.