September 13 – 15, 2026
San Antonio, TX
IFDA 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
Charles Wilson
Transportation Supervisor, McLane Foodservice
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
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