Top Women in Store Brands for 2017 announced
Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) and Store Brands magazine announce the honorees in our 2017 Top Women in Store Brands (TWISB) recognition program. The TWISB program was created to provide well-deserved recognition for female executives who have achieved exceptional success and bring a passion for store brands to their day-to-day activities. The categories cover functional expertise areas, as well as three achievement areas not linked to a specific functional expertise area.
This year’s honorees include:
• Cathy Crabtree-Kelch, Vice President of Research and Development, Vi-Jon — Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Deanna Dorrance, Global Private Label Brand Manager, Ace Hardware Corp. — Sparkplug Award.
• Katie Kraus, Brand Manager, Topco Associates — Sparkplug Award.
• Julie Woods, Director of Product Development, Sam’s Club — R&D/QA Award.
• Linda Lee Moore, Private Label Sales Manager, C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. — Sales Award
• Rachel Kirkpatrick, Brand Manager Private Label, Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA — Marketing/Merchandising Award.
• Simona Faroni, Co-Owner, G.S. Gelato & Desserts — Innovation Award.
• Karen Kaminishi, Director Own Brands Product Management, Albertsons — Operations Award.
• Kim Fromme, Category Manager, Save-A-Lot — Supply Chain-Procurement Award
To select the TWISB honorees, a committee consisting of representatives from both Store Brands and WISE reviewed in-depth nominations submitted by representatives within the store brand industry. The committee carefully evaluated the nominations, assessing each nominee’s accomplishments to determine the honorees in all of the categories.
The TWISB honorees will be recognized during WISE's annual meeting and luncheon on Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, Ill. The event coincides with the opening day of the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s Private Label Trade Show.
The TWISB honorees also will be featured in a special feature story within the October 2017 issue of Store Brands.