As the company looks to further grow its portfolio, Café Valley has announced a new CEO to take the helm. Brian Owens will step into the leadership position, effective immediately.
In his new position, Brian will handle all major corporate decisions, and manage daily operations and resources within the company. Brian will also serve as the primary liason to Café Valley’s Board of Directors.
Brian will succeed Café Valley’s current CEO and President, Larry Polhill. Over the past 12 years, Larry assisted in taking the company from a regional bakery to a national brand and global supplier, according to a press release. Larry will remain as President of the company as Brian becomes CEO, and continue to serve as counsel to the Board of Directors as Chairman Emeritus.
"We are pleased to appoint Brian as CEO of Café Valley," said Polhill. "In his brief time here he has brought a renewed focus to our brand premise and he's installed a number of operational changes that focus on excellence every day, every shift, and in every product we produce. We're in the midst of a record period of growth and success at Café Valley, and Brian is the perfect candidate to continue this positive momentum forward."
Brian comes to the company with over 20 years of leadership, sales, and growth experience in the bakery industry. Most recently, Brian served as CEO of Le Petit Pain where he managed three major acquisitions and integrations while tripling sales over a three-year period. Prior to that, Brian served as SVP of Business Development at Aryzta AG where he established a continuous improvement program across 23 North American bakeries. Brian also served as the Co-President of the Il Fornaio Bakery and managed a successful sale of the business to Aryzta.
Brian is an MBA graduate of Stanford University and holds a BA as an Echols Scholar from the University of Virginia.
Congratulations, Brian, on your appointment, and we can’t wait to see where the Café Valley team heads next!
