Former Albertsons, Kroger VPs take leadership roles at supply chain players

A pair of supermarket supply-chain and logistics veterans have become leading officers at a pair of industry supply-chain partners.

Cold storage warehouse specialist Americold said late Monday that it has hired Bryan Verbarendse as executive vice president and chief operating officer for North America. Previously senior VP of distribution at Albertsons Cos., he will lead Americold’s North American operations and various support functions and is charged with driving efficiency and upholding service levels across the operations.

Verbarendse brings more than 31 years of experience in distribution, warehousing and logistics, Atlanta-based Americold noted. He joins the company after over 12 years at supermarket retailer Albertsons Cos., most recently as senior VP of distribution and replenishment, a role he held for more than four years. Prior to that, he served almost five years at grocery distributor/retailer Supervalu, with his latest position being fresh and frozen warehouse manager. That came after 14 years in a range of supply chain and distribution roles at Albertson’s Inc., most recently as manager of network optimization.

Overall, Americold owns and/or operates 242 temperature-controlled warehouses in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America. The company focuses on the ownership, operation, acquisition and development of temperature-controlled storage facilities.

“We’re pleased to welcome Bryan to the Americold team,” Americold CEO George Chappelle said in a statement. “Bryan brings deep experience in retail and whole-grocery supply chain, and I am confident his experience will benefit our team and help us better serve our customers in North America.”

Meanwhile, former Giant Eagle and Kroger executive Jeff Bornino has joined end-to-end supply-chain consultancy TMX Transform as president of its newly launched North American business.

Part of international supply-chain and business-transformation firm TMX Global, serving the Asia-Pacific region and Europe, TMX Transform provides services in supply-chain strategy and technology, warehouse and distribution center design and optimization, global and domestic freight and logistics, demand and supply planning, advanced manufacturing and program/change management.

“TMX Transform combines deep industry experience and advanced supply-chain thinking and capabilities with a very practical ‘get it done’ approach,” Bornino commented. “It’s a unique and powerful combination that I always searched for but never quite found in my 20-plus years in the industry. I was especially drawn to TMX’s focus on creating long-term client relationships and the depth and breadth of talent within the team. I’m honored to join TMX Transform and am excited about the positive impact we will have on our North American customers.”

Bornino brings more than two decades of supply chain experience to TMX. Most recently, he served nearly two years as vice president of supply-chain strategy and transformation at U.S. regional grocer Giant Eagle. Before that, he spent over 14 years at The Kroger Co., joining the supermarket giant in November 2006 as manager of supply chain initiatives and later rising to vice president of corporate supply chain and inventory and replenishment in September 2019. He joined Kroger after seven years at goods-moving company CHEP, most recently managing the Procter & Gamble account.

“Our clients are facing tough economic conditions, increased cost of capital, labor shortages, too much inventory and end-to-end visibility challenges, so we were asked to set up in North America,” stated Travis Erridge, co-founder and CEO at TMX Transform, which has a U.S. office in Cleveland. “Our demand is always fueled by client needs. Jeff Bornino is a trusted industry leader and is extremely well-positioned to lead us in this important market.”