ATLANTA – The Honey Baked Ham Company LLC, announced plans to consolidate its three regional operating divisions in an effort to capitalize on efficiencies and to provide an enhanced customer experience. The company has operations in Georgia, Michigan and Ohio.
The plan calls for creating a single support structure by centralizing management, sourcing and operations for the company nationwide. By centralizing its operations, company leadership hopes to reap benefits such as increased financial capacity, streamlined operations, lower costs and more flexibility in decision making. Franchisees will benefit through centralized marketing and sales. Finally, Honey Baked Ham customers will see improved web and e-commerce platforms in addition to national brand consistency.
“The consolidation is a logical next step in the company's evolution,” said David Keil, CEO. “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.”
Before joining Honey Baked Ham from Ecolab, where he was a member of the global leadership team and led the integration team for their $8.3 billion merger with Nalco. Keil also served four years as an independent member of the Honey Baked Ham board of advisors.
Maggie DeCan, president and COO, is 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.”
Honey Baked Ham will remain a family owned company. The grandchildren of Honey Baked Ham founder, Harry J. Hoenselaar, serve on a fiduciary board tasked with setting the direction of the company. Linda van Rees is CEO of the Georgia division, Lou Schmidt is CEO of the Michigan division and Craig Kurz is CEO of the Ohio division.
The Honey Baked Ham Company has headquarters in Alpharetta, Ga., and serves customers online and at more than 400 retail stores in 40 states. Honey Baked Ham Inc., operates independently in California under a license agreement.
