Ocean Spray, Lakeville, MA, has brought in Pillsbury veteran Robert Hawthorne to turn around the troubled co-op.
Hawthorne joined Ocean Spray as president-ceo in late January after two years at the helm of bedding marketer Select Comfort, Minneapolis, which went public last spring. Hawthorne was president of the Pillsbury Brands Group when he left that Minneapolis company in ’96 after 10 years to join Select.
That experience, along with 14 years at General Mills, gives Hawthorne the packaged goods savvy Ocean Spray needs. The company has foundered for two years despite bumping its ’99 marketing budget to $60 million (with $35 million to $40 million pegged for consumer promotion), introducing new products, and centralizing its sales force (October ’98 promo). Sagging sales led to the exit of some veterans last year, including exec vp-chief operating officer Kevin Murphy and director of promotions Bob Fallon. Promotion is now led by Barry Boehme. Stewart Gallagher is vp-marketing.
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