WASHINGTON – The North American Meat Institute detailed its newly elected key officers for 2024 which included Eric Gustafson, chairman and chief executive officer of Coast Packing Company, being elected incoming chairman.
Gustafson is the fourth generation in his family to run Coast Packing. Before taking over the top job at the company, he held marketing and sales posts, and served as vice president of operations before taking over as CEO in 2010. He’s been a member of Coast’s board of directors since 2009.
“Our industry faces many important and unique challenges, but in the few years I have served as an officer, the Meat Institute has looked inward and made bold, impactful changes to its structure to better drive continuous improvement and serve members,” Gustafson said. “I am proud of these accomplishments and look forward to continuing this work and serving as Chairman in an exciting time for the industry.”
Gustafson’s past NAMI executive board positions include vice chairman, treasurer and secretary. He’s also been a long-time member of the executive board. Gustafson also previously worked as the chairman of the Meat Institute Political Action Committee and chairman and vice-chairman of the Labor and Employment Committee. He also served on the Strategic Vision and Nominating Committees.
During the recent Protein PACT Summit in October, the Meat Institute board also briefed attendees on changes to the research and scholarship foundations to align with continuous improvement areas for the associations’ new initiatives. The Meat Institute explained that it would merge the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education and the NAMI Scholarship. Those two boards agreed to merge starting on Jan. 1, 2024.
“The members elected a slate of leaders who will continue to serve the industry and guide Meat Institute resources to addressing important challenges in workforce safety, sustainability, animal welfare, food security and food safety,” said Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute. “With Protein PACT, we have a clear vision for 2030 and we are also excited to announce the merger of our research and scholarship foundations so that we can expand and direct their focus to help achieve this vision.”
Other elections announced by the Meat Institute include:
- James Snee, vice chairman, Hormel Foods Corp
- Peter Bozzo, treasurer, Michael’s Finer Meats & Seafoods
- Randy Huffman, secretary, Maple Leaf Foods
- Steve Van Lannen, immediate past-chairman, American Foods Group LLC
- Julie Anna Potts, president and chief executive officer, NAMI
A full list of board appointments and elections from the Meat Institute can be found here.
NAMI members include more than 350 meat packing and processing companies, the majority of which have fewer than 100 employees. The members account for over 95% of the United States’ output of meat and 70% of turkey production.
