Simmons Foods named Derek Baucom as the new president of Simmons Animal Nutrition, effectively immediately.
As president, Baucom will oversee company-wide operations, strategic partnerships, and product innovation initiatives, to expand Animal Nutrition’s impact in the feed ingredient marketplace.
Baucom brings 25 years of leadership experience in the poultry and pet food industry, most recently serving as the senior vice president of operations for Simmons Pet Food. In that position, he played a key role in advancing manufacturing capabilities and expanding the portfolio of premium pet food products.
“We are excited to announce the promotion of Derek Baucom,” said David Jackson, COO at Simmons Foods.
“His extensive background in manufacturing and experience leading productive teams will be instrumental as we continue to grow and deliver innovative, science-based nutrition solutions to our customers. Derek is a strong leader with a proven record of building successful teams and delivering results.”
“I’m excited to step into this role at Simmons Animal Nutrition,” said Baucom. “The company has a strong reputation for excellence in feed ingredients, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the team to build on that reputation—introducing fresh ideas, driving innovation, and continuing to provide top-quality nutrition for both pets and livestock.”
Brian Burke will replace Baucom as the new senior vice president of operations.
According to the WATT PoultryUSA Top Company database, Simmons Foods is the 13th largest broiler company in the U.S. It employs 8,000 people and its divisions are: Simmons Prepared Foods, focusing on chicken products for the foodservice industry; Simmons Pet Food, focusing on private label wet and dry pet food and treats; and Simmons Feed Ingredients, producing specialized ingredients for pet food, aquaculture and animal feed industries.
