Joel Sappenfield joins Simmons Foods as president of prepared foods division

AgricultureNews BriefsNorthwest Arkansas

by Jeff Della Rosa ([email protected]) January 5, 2021 9:35 am 1,667 views 

Siloam Springs-based poultry producer Simmons Foods announced Monday (Jan. 4) Joel Sappenfield has joined the company as president of Simmons Prepared Foods after leaving his role as president of Siloam Springs-based broiler breeder Cobb-Vantress.

Drew McGee, the former president of the prepared foods division, left the company in late September “to pursue other opportunities,” said Julie Maus, director of communications for Simmons Foods. “We appreciate Drew’s contributions to the organization and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

In his new role, Sappenfield will be responsible for all aspects of Simmons’ poultry business including operations, sales and marketing.

“Joel’s nearly 30-year legacy of performance makes him the right person to grow Simmons Prepared Foods,” said David Jackson, chief operating officer of Simmons Foods. “We are looking forward to putting his leadership experience to work in our poultry and prepared foods business.”

Cobb-Vantress recently announced Sappenfield left the company and Stan Reid was named interim president. Before joining the company in 2016, Sappenfield had worked for Tyson Foods since 1990. Tyson Foods owns Cobb-Vantress. While at Tyson Foods, he was a front-line manager in poultry operations in Missouri and Arkansas, senior vice president of the bakery division, general manager of the IQF/Cornish business, vice president of operations, vice president of poultry and prepared foods sales, and director of poultry sales.

Sappenfield earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. He spent one year as a commodity broker in Oklahoma City before joining Tyson Foods in 1990.

“We are excited to have Joel aboard as we continue to strengthen our teams and position our business for strong performance in 2021,” Jackson said.

Simmons Foods and its Affiliates produce poultry, pet and animal nutrition products. The company has nearly 8,000 employees and serves customers in 50 states and more than 40 countries.