2024 Store Brands Rising Stars: Peyten Ballard of Simmons Pet Food
The rising stars across private label are shining brighter, reflective of an industry in the midst of robust growth and needing younger talent to develop new methods of doing business at a time when growth opportunities are robust.
The Fifth Annual Store Brands Rising Stars honors this crop of new talent that is driving sales from the retail and supplier sides of the business. Private label product sales over the past year continued to grow and the efforts of retailers through the first half of 2024 show an ongoing appetite for products that are unique and also offer shoppers a strong value.
RELATED: Meet the Store Brands Rising Stars Class of 2024
This year’s list of Rising Stars provides insight into how a new crop of talented individuals under the age of 40 are pushing the industry forward and continuing to innovate.
Peyten Ballard
Simmons Pet Food
Peyten Ballard, a food technologist at Simmons Pet Food, has excelled in maintaining strong relationships with private brand customers and executing product development projects with excellence. Her natural leadership qualities and ability to inspire others have positioned her as a future leader in the private brands sector.
Ballard said a key factor to her success has been her unwavering motivation to continuously grow and learn.
"I have never been one to just 'do my job.' I always enjoy digging into new situations and challenges, asking 'why,' and learning the ins and outs of the entire business,” she said. “I have been able to apply this knowledge to process and leverage data to create new business insights and aid in data-driven decisions.
Ballard has made significant contributions to various projects within Simmons Pet Food, including the development of a new line of canned dog food, which is expected to drive incremental business for key private brand customers. She has also led efforts to align private brand cat food products more closely with national brands, improving brand consistency and customer satisfaction.
Her strategic approach and business development skills have been instrumental in securing new business, particularly with key partners including a large national warehouse chain. She played a pivotal role in expanding Simmons' private brand presence and market share. Additionally, her expertise in data analytics, demonstrated through her proficiency in Tableau and her Master's Capstone project, highlights her ability to inform decision-making and drive business outcomes.
"Each day holds something different, a new product to develop, new research studies and results, new problems to solve, new data to leverage, and new ideas to act upon," she said. “I enjoy rising to the challenge and growing every day to better serve the needs of our customers in the store brand space.”
Ballard also said being named a Store Brands Rising Star is a significant honor for her. "I am extremely honored,” she said. "As I reflect on my journey into the store brand space, I wouldn't be where I am without the support and encouragement of Simmons Pet Food or the amazing people who make up our Research and Development team."
