Vital Farms recruited a longtime Kraft Heinz Co. (Nasdaq: KHC) manager to lead the launch of its Springfield plant.
Tricia Clark started yesterday as vice president of operations for the Austin, Texas-based pasture-raised egg company currently building a plant in Partnership Industrial Center West.
Based in Springfield, Clark will lead the company’s entire operations network, initially focusing on starting the new Queen City facility, which Vital Farms describes in a news release as a geographic hub for its supply chain.
“As we prepare to open the doors to our first full-scale, dedicated processing facility, it was critical to find the right person to oversee operations and get the plant up and running efficiently and effectively,” Vital Farms President and Chief Operations Officer Russell Diez-Canseco said in the release. “Tricia’s extensive experience in plant and business management, and her deep involvement with projects surrounding sustainability, including recycling, energy and landfill-free efforts, will be critical to Vital Farms as we continue to grow.”
Clark has 24 years of experience at Kraft, starting as a financial analyst with the company and working her way up through eight more positions and titles before her most recent job as operations plant manager in Allentown, Pennsylvania, according to her LinkedIn page. Throughout her career, Clark has worked for Kraft plants in Springfield; Wausau, Wisconsin; and Rogers and Bentonville, Arkansas.
In September, the egg production company broke ground on its 82,140-square-foot plant at the corner of North Alliance Avenue and West Production Street, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. The company recently confirmed construction is pacing to finish this September.
The plant will have egg processing, grading, quality inspection, packing and transportation operations. When complete, the operation is expected to create 50 full-time jobs in its first year.
