Berner announces three new leadership additions
Berner Food and Beverage, a private label and contract manufacturer supplier, has announced three new additions to its leadership team. The company, which specializes in dips, sauces and beverages and works with over 500 private label partners, has named Kelly Diamond, David Dunavant and Shelia Kolden to the new roles.
Diamond, formerly Berner’s vice president of operations, has been named chief operations officer. Dunavant has joined the company as chief financial officer, and Shelia Kolden has joined as director of procurement of sales and operations planning.
“Please join us in congratulating Kelly Diamond on her promotion to chief operations officer and welcoming David Dunavant as chief financial officer and Shelia Kolden as our new director of procurement,” said Kurt Seagrist, chief executive officer of Berner. “Kelly Diamond has proved time and again that she is an effective leader and an essential member of the Berner team. We cannot wait to see the impact she makes, guiding Berner forward as our new chief operations officer. We are also extremely excited that David Dunavant and Shelia Kolden have also joined our leadership team. They will bring new energy and further support our efforts, as our organization moves into the future as a leading supplier of food and beverage products for our customer and retail partners.”
As chief operations officer, Diamond will manage all functional areas of operations, supply chain and mechanical engineering at Berner. Before joining the company in 2017, Diamond spent nearly a decade at Dean Foods, and has previously worked at Woodward, Inc. and Anderson Packaging Inc. She earned a bachelor’s degree in technical and scientific communication from Michigan Technical University and a master of business administration from Northern Illinois University.
Dunavant will manage all financial activities of Berner as the company’s new chief financial officer. He has over 15 years of experience in the field, most recently with Vital Records Control Companies. His tenure also includes Monogram Foods, LEDIC Management Group, Hilton Worldwide, Kellogg Company, and as a member of the United States Navy. In addition to becoming a certified public accountant, he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master of business administration in finance, insurance, and real estate from the University of Memphis.
Finally, Kolden will be managing multiple business segments, including buying and vendor relations, along with supply chain and operations. Her most recent position was procurement manager at Monogram Foods. She also brings experience with Morpak Specialties, Woodgrain Millwork, Cooper Aircraft, and McKinney Aerospace Ltd. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Texas A&M University-Commerce.