THOMASVILLE, GA — Flowers Foods announced that COO Bradley K. Alexander will retire after 41 years of service on December 31, 2022. Heeth Varnedoe, who is currently serving as the company’s chief transformation officer, will assume the role January 1, 2023.
“I wish to express my deep appreciation to Brad for his service to our company,” said A. Ryals McMullian, president and CEO of the company. “His many contributions to the sales, operations, and marketing functions of Flowers have been instrumental to many of our company’s successes and we have benefitted greatly from his extensive knowledge of the industry and steadfast leadership. We wish him the very best in his retirement.”
Varnedoe joined Flowers in 1990 and held several management positions, including president of the Jacksonville, FL bakery, until he departed the company in 2000 to pursue other business endeavors. He later rejoined as director of DSD cake sales in 2012 and served as VP of national accounts from 2012 to 2015. Varnedoe was promoted in 2016 to president of Flowers’ Phoenix, AZ bakery and served as senior VP of DSD regions and sales from 2017 to 2020 until the appointment to his current role.
“In several key roles at Flowers, Heeth has consistently demonstrated his superior business acumen and in-depth understanding of our company’s operations,” McMullian said. “Given his proven leadership skills, I have every confidence he will do an outstanding job as we continue our digital transformation efforts while remaining focused on serving the needs of our consumers.”