Stonewall Kitchen
Carrie McDermott
May 16, 2023
Stonewall Kitchen's incoming CEO brings a range of retail experience
By Ann Fisher
As the winner of 35 prestigious awards from the Specialty Food Association and the recipient of the coveted Outstanding Product Line honor three times, Stonewall Kitchen is one of the most awarded specialty food companies in the country.
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A woman with a diverse background in the pet and beauty industries has been hired as just the third CEO in the 32-year history of leading specialty food producer Stonewall Kitchen.
Stonewall Kitchen also announced four internal C-suite promotions.
Carrie McDermott is taking over for John Stiker, who had been in the role since 2014. Stiker will continue as a consultant to the business during his retirement.
"Over the past eight years, John has led the company through a tremendous amount of growth and acquisitions, building what has become a family of brands," McDermott said. "I’m excited to work with the entire team at Stonewall Kitchen to continue to deliver high-quality products with a diverse offering of brands.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with John and the team at Stonewall Kitchen for the past few months,” McDermott continued. “They are a talented group of leaders who love the company, are passionate about the core values, and continue to deliver on the promise of superior quality food and home goods."
Stonewall Kitchen, which is based in York and was founded in 1991, is owned by a Boston-based private equity firm, TA Associates, which bought it from Audax Private Equity.
For much of the past decade, Stonewall has acquired a range of brands, including specialty foods, but also coffee, candles and other kitchen-or home-related products. Stonewall products are sold in 19,000 stores. In addition to the York headquarters store, it has nine company-owned stores. Its brands include Village Candle, Vermont Coffee Co., Urban Accents, Napa Valley Naturals and Michel Design Works.
Incoming CEO
McDermott previously served as CEO of PetPeople, an independent retailer focused on high-quality, natural pet food and supplies. Before that, she was president of Sally Beauty, where she led an overarching transformation of the business, resulting in new product lines, a customer loyalty program and a new e-commerce platform.
She also served nine years in roles of increasing responsibility, culminating with COO, at Designer Shoe Warehouse Inc., where she led the company’s operations, e-commerce, marketing and customer experience.
“Stonewall Kitchen is in extremely good hands,” Stiker said. “Carrie has spent a significant amount of time getting to know our team during this transition, and she’s proving to be a great fit. She brings an entire career’s worth of experience in consumer-packaged goods and retail to the company, with demonstrated success across multiple disciplines. Carrie also understands the importance of our unique culture here, which is something we strive for and take great pride in at Stonewall Kitchen.”
Promotions
The internal promotions include Steve Barone, former vice president of manufacturing, who has been promoted to COO; Corey Fogarty, former vice president of merchandising, promoted to chief merchandising officer; Kathy Gilbert, former vice president of national sales, now the new sales officer; and Janine Somers, former vice president of marketing and direct-to-consumer sales, advanced to chief marketing officer.
“This is a group with over 60 combined years of Stonewall Kitchen experience, and they are a fundamental reason for the success of the company," Stiker said. "Together, with Carrie’s vision and experience, the team is well-equipped to lead Stonewall Kitchen to even further growth.”
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