Honey Baked Ham Combines U.S. Operations

Moves to strengthen company, enhance customer experience

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Jun 09, 2015, 09:00 ET

ATLANTA, June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The owners of Honey Baked Ham announced they are consolidating three regionalized operating divisions, previously based in Georgia, Michigan and Ohio. The combined organization, The Honey Baked Ham Company, LLC, is headquartered in Alpharetta, Ga. and serves customers online and at more than 400 year round locations in 40 states across the U.S. Honey Baked Ham, Inc. continues to operate independently in the state of California under a license agreement.

As a part of consolidation, Honey Baked Ham is centralizing management, sourcing and operations for the company nationwide. By pooling resources and establishing a single support structure, Honey Baked Ham plans to increase its financial capacity, streamline operations, lower costs and enhance both the speed and flexibility of its decision-making. Additionally, both the company and its franchisees will benefit from increased efficiencies and effectiveness offered by centralized marketing and sales. Most importantly, customers will benefit through national brand consistency, improved web and e-commerce platforms, grow through omni-channel strategies and overall convenience and access to the brand.

David A. Keil, a highly regarded industry veteran, now serves as both Chief Executive Officer and a company board member. Keil joins Honey Baked Ham from Ecolab where he was a member of the global leadership team and led the integration team for their $8.3B Nalco merger. Keil also spent four years as an independent member of the Honey Baked Ham Board of Advisors.

"The consolidation is a logical next step in the company's evolution," Keil said. "Uniting the internal aspects of our organization allows us to combine the strengths from each division and create an even stronger company and quality experience for our customers."

Honey Baked Ham continues to be a family-owned business. Linda van Rees from the Georgia division, Lou Schmidt from the Michigan division and Craig Kurz from the Ohio division, who are all grandchildren of Honey Baked Ham founder, Harry J. Hoenselaar, now serve with other independent directors on a fiduciary board responsible for establishing the future direction of the company.

Maggie DeCan serves as President and Chief Operating Officer. A 13-year Honey Baked Ham veteran, she previously served as President and COO for the jointly owned Honey Baked Ham Franchise Company.

"Serving families during special occasions is core to our business and will not change," DeCan said. "By centralizing support for our stores, we'll be able to do an even better job of serving both our customers and our associates who serve our customers."

The updated structure is a return to the way Honey Baked Ham operated at its founding in 1957 and allows the company to continue pursuing its mission: Celebrating life, one meal at a time.

About Honey Baked Ham:
Founded in 1957, Honey Baked Ham is a premium food retailer with more than 400 locations nationwide. Over the years, serving Honey Baked Ham has become a tradition for millions of families. Best known for its signature sweet glazed, spiral sliced Honey Baked Ham®, Honey Baked Ham offers flavorful, moist and tender ham and turkey breast entrees, as well as a host of other fully cooked entrees, side items and desserts.

For more information please contact: Ted Asbury at [email protected]

SOURCE The Honey Baked Ham Company