Coborn’s Makes Multiple Executive Moves

Coborn’s has promoted several executives as the company prepares for its next phase of growth, including retail expansion and supply chain alignment for the organization. The promotions include the below.

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• Matt Leiseth, VP of operations and president of Hornbacher’s, has been promoted to SVP of operations and president of Hornbacher’s, in which role will continue to lead all grocery store operations. In addition, he will assume oversight responsibility for liquor, convenience, logistics, franchise operations and continuous improvement.
• Nathan Tykwinski, VP of retail services, will become VP of operations, in which capacity he will head liquor, convenience, and franchise operations.
• George Chomiak, senior director of operations, has been promoted to VP of operations, in which role he will lead grocery store operations.
• Neil Fandel has been named senior director of supply chain, logistics, trucking, warehouse/distribution.
• Emily Coborn Wright, VP of retail support services, has been appointed SVP of retail support services, in which position she will continue to head up the company’s pharmacy and e-commerce operations, as well as taking on oversight responsibility for construction and maintenance, and loss control and compliance. Wright will also be responsible for formalizing the organization’s sustainability efforts.
• Chris Braun is now director of construction and maintenance.
• Dennis Host has been promoted to SVP of marketing and communications, in which role he will continue to oversee the organization’s omnichannel marketing, social media, communications, customer relations and loyalty strategies.
• Dusty Kerssen has been named VP of HR and organizational development, in which position she will continue to oversee the organization’s recruitment, learning and development, compensation and benefits strategies, as well as leading the company’s business partner and HR generalist teams.
• Andy Knoblauch has been promoted to SVP of center store merchandising, in which role he will continue to guide the company’s merchandising strategy with regard to grocery, dairy, frozen, health and beauty, and general merchandise.
• Andrew Burggraff, category manager, has been named senior category manager and will now oversee Coborn’s dairy, frozen and tobacco categories.
• Beth Mineart, administrative assistant, has been promoted to assistant category manager.
• Christie Schulte, general counsel, will assume additional responsibilities for real estate management, in addition to her current responsibilities for the company’s legal, safety and compliance issues, and will continue to report to EVP and CFO Jim Shaw.
• Troy Vosburgh has been promoted to the role of SVP of fresh merchandising, in which capacity he will continue to lead Coborn’s merchandising strategy in the areas of produce, meat, deli, bakery and floral.

St. Cloud, Minn.-based Coborn’s Inc. is a 102-year-old employee-owned grocery retailer with nearly 10,000 employees and 66 grocery stores across Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin and Michigan under the Coborn’s Cash Wise Foods, Marketplace Foods and Hornbacher’s banners. Coborn’s also owns liquor, fuel and pharmacy locations. To support its 130 various retail business units, Coborn’s Inc. operates its own central bakery, dry cleaning facility and grocery distribution center. The company is No. 82 The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. In 2023, the company was recognized by PG as one of the Top 10 Regional Grocers in the United States.