Lipari Foods, a distributor of dairy products and many other foods, said Tim Walls was named the company’s president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. Walls will oversee all company operations, reporting directly to CEO Thom Lipari.  

“By bringing Tim into this new role, we are ensuring the existing operations continue to have the attention needed to grow and prosper,” Thom Lipari said. “This will allow me more time to concentrate on the expansion of the business as we continue our strategic position to be one of the premier perimeter-of-the-store and specialty grocery distributors in the US.”

Walls comes to Lipari Foods with a wealth of experience from his previous employer, Schreiber Foods, a $5 billion dairy company specializing in yogurt, natural cheese, processed cheese and cream cheese, the Warren, Mich.-based company said. During his 20 years at Schreiber, Walls successfully led companywide projects, including many supply chain optimizations such as the launch of Lean Six Sigma.

Walls held roles of increasing responsibility at Schreiber, starting as a production manager and working his way up to executive vice president and a member of the board of directors. He believes strongly in the role of communications and the power of employee engagement, Lipari Foods said. Walls is also passionate about giving back to the community and has done so as a board chair with Curative, an organization that supports individuals with disabilities or limiting conditions.

A graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, Walls also holds a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of La Verne.