BOLTON LANDING, NY – Members of the American Meat Institute elected six officers for the upcoming year. The election was held at AMI’s Annual Business Meeting in Bolton Landing, N.Y.

Elected to the chairmanship was Dennis Vignieri, president and CEO of Kenosha Beef International Ltd.; Larry Odom, chairman, president and CEO of Odom’s Tennessee Pride Sausage Inc. will serve as vice chairman; Nick Meriggioli, president of Kraft Foods’ Oscar Mayer, will serve as treasurer; Greg Benedict, president and COO, American Foods Group LLC, will serve as secretary; and Jeffrey Ettinger, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Hormel Foods Corporation, becomes immediate past chairman.


J. Patrick Boyle was reelected by the AMI membership to serve a 22nd term as the Institute’s president and CEO.

“There are many great challenges and opportunities facing the meat and poultry industry this year, like continued progress in food safety, proposed changes in industry structure, regaining new export markets, the expansion of corn-based ethanol and immigration reform,” Boyle said. “The proven leadership and diverse, hands-on industry experience of these new AMI officers will be a major asset in our efforts to continue to advance this industry. I look forward to working with them to achieve our common goals.”

AMI also elected two new directors its board of directors and two members to its executive committee. The new directors are Karl Deily, president, Cryovac Food Packaging, vice president of Sealed Air Corporation; and Ralph Smith, president and CEO of Kayem Foods Inc.

Elected to AMI’s Executive Committee was Mark Moshier, Arrowsight president of global manufacturing and network operation centers; and J. Michael Townsley, president of Bob Evans Foods.