Dec 1, 2020Idaho Potato Commission hires new retail promotion director for Southeast US
Mark Daniels, a produce veteran with 35 years of industry experience, has joined the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) as Retail Promotion Director-Southeast.
Based in the Savannah, Georgia area, Daniels will provide category management, promotions and other marketing support tools to help category managers and buyers in the Southeast boost profitability in the rapidly evolving marketplace. He replaces Bill Savilonis, who has moved on after 28 years with IPC.
“I’ve relied on IPC so much in the past because they support the category so well,” Daniels said through a press release. “I hope to really help retailers catch their market, so to speak, by defining where the opportunities are so they’re not missing those nuggets that are out there. We’re able to use the nuts and bolts of data to find these specific areas of potential growth for each retailer.”
Daniels, who grew up as an “army brat,” joined the industry as a 16-year-old in Knoxville, Tennessee, when he landed his first job working at a local grocery store. His produce tour of duty has taken him from major grocery retailers like BI-LO to military commissary stores to CEA Fresh Farms, where he most recently was Director of Business Development. Daniels is also a member of the Southeast Produce Council board of governors, after serving 16 years on the group’s board of directors and in executive committee roles.
“Mark has an extensive background in retail, wholesale and sales and is well-respected in the South as a longtime board member of the Southeast Produce Council,” said Seth Pemsler, Vice President-Retail/
Daniels and his wife, Delynn, have two sons — Geran, 30, who works in the film industry, and Dylan, 26, a pharmacy school student. Idaho potatoes are a family favorite, said Daniels, who prefers his spuds baked. “I like it just by itself or loaded, and I eat it skin and all!” he said.
