OAKWOOD, Ga. – Kevin McDaniel was named vice president and general manager of Wayne Farms LLC’s fresh business unit.

In his new role, McDaniel will oversee sales, production and live operations for assets across 10 poultry complex facilities in five states, Wayne Farms said. He most recently served as president of Huntsville, Alabama-based Aviagen North America and held senior roles at OK Foods, a subsidiary of Industrias Bachoco SAB de CV and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., a unit of Sao Paulo, Brazil-based JBS S.A. McDaniel also was senior director of Fresh Operations at Wayne Farms.

“This is an exciting time to be coming back to Wayne Farms,” McDaniel said. “The opportunities in front of us are things we wouldn’t have thought possible when I came into this business — and we’re positioned to take advantage of those opportunities. I’m looking forward to helping take Wayne Farms to the next level of growth.”

McDaniel has served as chairman, vice chairman, treasurer, secretary and board member of the US Poultry Federation. In 2011, he was named the organization’s Industry Man of the Year. His 28 years of industry experience along with his former role at Wayne Farms makes McDaniel uniquely qualified to lead the company’s fresh poultry business, noted Clint Rivers, Wayne Farms president and CEO.

“Kevin is an operations expert and proven leader who knows our business and knows our company,” Rivers said. “As we continue to grow, his insight and hands-on expertise will help us take advantage of opportunities and meet the challenges in the years ahead.”

McDaniel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural economics from Stephen F. Austin State Univ.

Wayne Farms is a subsidiary of Continental Grain Co. with annual sales of more than $2 billion. The poultry processor owns and operates 11 fresh and further-processed poultry facilities throughout the Southeast and produces more than 2.6 billion lbs. of poultry products annually. The company produces poultry products under the Wayne Farms, Platinum Harvest, Chef’s Craft and Naked Truth brands.