Dale Kiefer, John Williams and Andy Leebrick
(PRESS RELEASE) EAST LONGMEADOW, MA – W.F. Young, a leading global animal health company and owners of the Absorbine brand of equine products and The Missing Link brand of pet products, has hired 3 key leaders for critical roles that will support the rapid growth the company is experiencing and help drive new business and innovation as W.F. Young plans for its 130th year in business.
Andy Leebrick joins W.F. Young in the newly created position of chief revenue officer. He is a key addition to the executive leadership team and will be instrumental in driving profitable sales growth and the product innovation pipeline. Andy joins W.F. Young with over 30 years in the pet specialty and consumer products industries including pivotal roles at Safeway and General Mills. Andy has spent the last 8 years focused on pet growth at KONG Company as vice president of global product & sales development. Jaime McKinley, president for W.F. Young states, “We are so excited for Andy’s leadership as he is exceptionally skilled to accelerate our strategic growth and product portfolio. Andy has a proven track record of building customer and partner relationships across the globe, and we are thrilled to share a mutual passion for improving the lives of animals.”
Dale Kiefer joins W.F. Young in the position of vice president of operations as the company prepares for the retirement of William Bradford from the current role. Dale is a highly experienced supply chain professional in the international, CPG, and human health supplement business arenas and has held critical roles at Edgewell and Timex. Most recently, he served as the Director of Contract Manufacturing and Procurement at i-Health/DSM. Dale is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified and an APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional. In addition, he is an adjunct professor teaching supply chain management for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Vicki Evans, executive vice president & CFO for W.F. Young states, “We are thrilled to welcome Dale to the W.F. Young family. His years of experience in logistics, supply chain and manufacturing management in the consumer-packaged goods industry are a perfect fit to lead our dynamic operations team during a time of accelerated growth.”
John Williams joins W.F. Young in the newly created position of director of digital marketing and will add thought leadership and tactical expertise to the expanding digital and eCommerce teams at the company. He will be responsible for growing the reach, engagement, and loyalty for the company’s iconic brands and driving revenue growth across W.F. Young’s digital channels. John brings over 15 years of digital marketing experience to the team including key roles at Farmer’s Insurance Group, CDK Global (where he worked with General Motors), Moneytree, and Hanapin/Brainlabs. Most recently, he served as the director of digital marketing for Saatva. Amy Cairy, vice president of marketing states, “There is palpable excitement on the marketing team with John’s addition. We’ve had the great fortune of working with John from the agency side at Brainlabs and also in a consulting role, and so we know the value that his expertise and data-driven approach brings in helping us achieve our digital marketing goals.”
W.F. Young is continuing to expand its team of employees to support current growth needs and drive future business. More information on the current available positions can be found here or on the W.F. Young LinkedIn page.