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September 28 – October 1, 2025

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Columbus, OH

IFDA Rising Stars

rising stars
Where Rising Stars are celebrated.

At IFDA Solutions, we celebrate food distribution’s brightest young talent on the industry’s biggest stage by inducting them into the 2025 class of Rising Stars. This prestigious recognition honors next-generation leaders who have already made a meaningful impact on their company’s success.

Nominate a Rising Star from your organization to spotlight their achievements and give them a chance to be recognized nationally, attend IFDA Solutions, build new skills, and connect with fellow emerging leaders in the industry.

2025 Rising Stars

Xavier Alcala

Transportation Director Quality Custom Distribution (QCD

Joey Blas

Warehouse Supervisor McLane Foodservice

Esmeralda Breda

Category Manager, Indirect Sourcing Sysco

Jake Burkert

Senior Manager, Outbound Transportation Operations, Sysco

Katie Cole,Sr.

Human Resources Manager, McLane Foodservice

Frank Debellis

Director of Inventory and Quality Assurance, Ace Endico Corporation

Brennen Doebel

Transportation Supervisor, McLane Foodservice

Riley Edmondson

Major Account Sales, Food Service, W&B Service Company

Evan Fyffe

Operations Finance Profit Analyst, Gordon Food Service

Joe Grimaldi

Transportation Manager, Ginsberg’s Foods

Melanie Herchel

District Sales Manager, Ginsberg’s Foods

Ruby Lach

Transportation Manager, Southwest Traders

Harrison Leger

Senior Director of Strategic Sourcing, National DCP

Marcel McGrew

Operations Supervisor, Southwest Traders

Justin Moreno

Customer Service Manager, McLane Foodservice

Tyler Murphy

Distribution Manager, McLane Foodservice

Derek Patterson

VP Revenue Expansion, Pepper

Charles Reyna

Transportation and Systems Analyst, McLane Company

Charles Wilson

Transportation Supervisor, McLane Foodservice

Michelle Peralta

Senior Manager, Supply Chain Process Improvement, Sysco

Dominic Rizzari

Systems Support Analyst, Palmer Food Services

Courtney Peterman

District Sales Manager, Gordon Food Service

Christy Talamantes

District Sales Manager, Gordon Food Service

Chris Reed

Director, Warehouse, National DCP

Michael Wanless

Warehouse Supervisor, McLane Foodservice

2024 Rising Stars

Drew Bajumpaa

Manager, Operations Academy Sysco

Mathilde Baranger-Albert

Head of Strategic Partnerships, Choco

Miguel Carrasco

Warehouse Operations, McLane Company

Vergel Cuevas

Inventory Manager, McLane Company

David Engwis

Assistant Warehouse Manager, McLane Company

Roman Florentino

Warehouse Operations Manager, Southwest Traders

Chad Gullickson

Transportation Manager, Gordon Food Service

Eduardo (Ed) Henriquez

Director, Indirect Sourcing, Sysco

Reed Kaus

Senior Manager, Demand Planning, Scooter’s Coffee

Billy Williams

Lead Refrigeration Technician (CIRO), Gordon Food Service

Courtney Layton

Assistant Transportation Manager, McLane Company

Isaias Melo

Warehouse Shipping Manager, Southwest Traders

Mohammad (Tim) Mir

Transportation Supervisor, Sysco

Kyle Oliver

Supply Chain Manager, McLane Company

William (Bill) Plath

Assistant Transportation Manager, McLane Company

Joshua Spiegelhauer

Supply Chain Manager, McLane Company

Andrew van Bark

General Manager, Pepper

2023 Rising Stars

Alexis Alvarez

Vice President, Operations, US Foods

Christopher Dias

General Manager, Southwest Traders

Chase Estes

Vice President Operations, Tankersley Foodservice

Erin Graham

Vice President of Operations and Strategy, Pepper

Stephanie Henry

Customer Service Manager, McLane Foodservice

Christopher Howard

Assistant Distribution Manager, McLane Foodservice

Chelsea Kuyper

Electronic Data Interchange Analyst, Gordon Food Service

Aishah Malik

Manager, Operations Strategy & Planning, Sysco

Sean McCabe

Senior Buyer, DiCarlo Distributors, Inc.

Lilamy Pitt

Supervisor, Accounts Payable, McLane Foodservice

Amanda Rombaugh

Customer Development Director, Georgia-Pacific

Paul VanCampenhout

Customer Development Director, Georgia-Pacific

Dana Wondercheck

Transportation Business Analyst, McLane Foodservice/Vantix Logistics

Mitu Zenaye

Marketing Manager, FoodPRO Corporation

2022 Rising Stars

Terrence Williams

Vice President, Operations, US Foods

Kathleen White

Customer Marketing Manager, Gordon Food Service

Chase Estes

Vice President, Operations, Tankersley Foodservice

Romeo Trif

Vice President, Operations, Sysco

Griffin Bird

Vice President, Sales, Jake’s Finer Foods

Phillip Singleton

Assistant Transportation Manager, McLane Foodservice Houston