Perdue Farms CEO Randy Day announces he'll retire this summer

Kevin McAdams, COO and President, to take helm

Salisbury Independent
Posted 4/19/23

Perdue Farms announced Wednesday that Chief Executive Officer Randy Day will retire this summer and be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Kevin McAdams.

Day, who has worked at Perdue for more …

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Perdue Farms CEO Randy Day announces he'll retire this summer

Kevin McAdams, COO and President, to take helm

Posted

Perdue Farms announced Wednesday that Chief Executive Officer Randy Day will retire this summer and be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Kevin McAdams.

Day, who has worked at Perdue for more than 40 years, has served as CEO since 2017. He will remain in his current role to assist McAdams in the succession transition.

“I have spent my entire adult career at Perdue, and I love this company,” Day said. “After 43 years, I would like to spend more time with my wife, our children, and our six wonderful grandchildren.

“I am looking forward to mentoring and transitioning Kevin over the next few months. We are confident that Kevin possesses qualities that align with our company’s values and vision to be the most trusted name in food and agricultural products,” said Day. “It has truly been an honor to lead Perdue Farms the past six years.”

Perdue Farms Chairman Jim Perdue praised Day in the wake of the announcement.

“Randy has been instrumental to some of our company’s biggest initiatives in both agribusiness and food production and will be instrumental in the CEO succession plan as well,” Perdue said. “I am incredibly grateful to Randy for his more than 40 years of service at Perdue, especially for his leadership as CEO since 2017.”

Added Perdue: “His guidance was invaluable as we navigated the unprecedented and challenging Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.”

McAdams said he was “excited to lead this company in its second century of success.”

“I am honored to be succeeding Randy as CEO of Perdue Farms,” he said. “Perdue boasts an unmatched, committed team of associates and strong network of family farmers who are integral to the company’s ability to produce high-quality products that are trusted and recognized by consumers and customers nationwide.”

Day joined Perdue Farms in 1980 and has held various positions of increasing responsibility in Perdue Foods and Perdue AgriBusiness, before being named CEO in 2017.

A Salisbury native, he received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Western Maryland College and a master’s degree in Poultry Nutrition from the University of Maryland at College Park. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

McAdams joined Perdue last July. He has nearly 30 years of experience as a leader in the food and beverage industry with a track record of achieving profitable, sustainable growth and driving operational excellence.

Prior to Perdue Farms, McAdams was President/North America of Jack Links protein snacks, a privately held, family-owned company.

His previous senior positions include President, Schwan’s Consumer Brands, and President and COO of Pabst Brewing Co.

Earlier in his career, he held operating roles with Mizkan, Red Bull North America, the Coca-Cola Company  and PepsiCo/Frito-Lay.

McAdams graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s in Political Science.

Founded in Salisbury, Perdue is a 103-year-old, family-owned company and fourth-largest producer of chicken products in the United States.

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