Freshpet, Inc. Completes CFO Transition and Receives Overwhelming Support for its Corporate Governance Long-Term Plan
Names Additional Leadership Appointments within Finance Organization
SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Freshpet, Inc. (“Freshpet” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FRPT) today announced the completion of its CFO transition with the appointment of Heather Pomerantz, effective October 1, 2020. As previously communicated, Dick Kassar, Freshpet’s outgoing CFO, will transition into the newly created advisory role of Vice Chairman, effective September 30, 2020. The Company named additional appointments within its finance leadership team including Steve Macchiaverna as its Executive Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer and Ivan Garcia as its Vice President of Finance & Controller.
Additionally, the Company received overwhelming support for the first step in its corporate governance improvement initiative at Company’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Specifically, the Board’s first act in its multi-year plan to enhance its governance practices – a proposal to eliminate all supermajority voting provisions from its Certificate of Incorporation – was accepted with more than 84% of all outstanding shares in favor. The Company also received strong support for each of its director nominees.
“The transition of our finance organization has been extremely smooth since we announced Heather’s appointment in December,” commented Billy Cyr, Freshpet’s Chief Executive Officer. “The investment in time allowed Heather to seamlessly integrate with our organization, deepen her knowledge of the various business functions, and take over the operational elements of the CFO role quickly. Heather’s strong analytical and strategic acumen, and leadership skills were immediately recognized, and we look forward to her contributions as we ramp up our capacity and internal capabilities in anticipation of continued long-term growth.”
Heather Pomerantz, Freshpet’s Chief Financial Officer, stated, “The past nine months have been a great learning experience, as I’ve been able to immerse into all aspects of the business. I am very grateful to Dick for his mentorship during the transition. Since joining Freshpet, I’ve been impressed with the strength of the leadership team and the support that the organization demonstrates to develop talent. The promotions of Steve Macchiaverna and Ivan Garcia are great examples of this, both well-deserved and will continue to be important contributors to our finance organization.”
Charles A. Norris, Chairman of the Board, concluded, “I’m pleased with the strong shareholder support of the Board’s long-term plan to further enhance and promote shareholder rights in concert with our long-term business plan at this year’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Our goal is to continue to support the business’s rapid growth that shareholders have enjoyed, and we believe our new governance plan will deliver that while providing the appropriate balance between guidance and governance for our management team. I am also grateful for the input we received from numerous shareholders throughout this process and appreciate the generous compliments we received for our willingness to commit to a long-term governance plan. That plan is very consistent with our approach to everything we do: transparent, disciplined, innovative and focused on the long-term.”
About Freshpet
Freshpet’s mission is to improve the lives of dogs and cats through the power of fresh, real food. Freshpet foods are blends of fresh meats, vegetables and fruits farmed locally and made at our Kitchens in Bethlehem PA. We thoughtfully prepare our foods using natural ingredients, cooking them in small batches at lower temperatures to preserve the natural goodness of the ingredients. Freshpet foods and treats are kept refrigerated from the moment they are made until they arrive at Freshpet Fridges in your local market.
Our foods are available in select mass, grocery (including online), natural food, club, and pet specialty retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe. From the care, we take to source our ingredients and make our food, to the moment it reaches your home, our integrity, transparency and social responsibility are the way we like to run our business. To learn more, visit .
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Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this release constitute “forward-looking” statements. These statements are based on management’s current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, not historical fact, and involve certain risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions. Actual results or events could differ materially from those stated, anticipated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this release. Freshpet undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
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