Lance D. Thompson

He holds 10 plus years of food industry experience at Smithfield Foods and is currently at Bonduelle. He has sales experience across a wide range of major retail and foodservice accounts spanning every market in the United States and the world (minus Europe and the Middle East). At Smithfield, he helped lead the launch of new brands internationally, attended a quarterly earnings stock exchange meeting, identified and selected as a top leader (1 of 25 selected by a president or above in an organization of 50,000 + people), harnessed and completed top data training from the very best at IRI and Nielsen, led over 15 public relations events at College Football, NASCAR, and local charitable events, and managed over $130M in business. He thrived by harnessing his executive strengths leading operational, marketing, and supply chain initiatives in executive sales functions. He thrived in uncovering valuable data insights utilizing excellent negotiating and influence skills to consistently achieve results. At Bonduelle, he is further using his experience and strengths to lead the launch at a top grocer in the US and cultivate business in the Northeast. In particular, he is fascinated with the plantbased movement and helping lead that charge in the US. This is perfectly aligned with Bonduelle’s plant-based focus and company initiatives towards food that is better for you and the planet.

He also holds an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Arizona State University, an MBA from the University of Dayton, and an alumnus of Harvard’s Business Analytics Program. While at Harvard he was inspired by classmates and professors to do more. Here he met Ty, and after hearing his story and what the S.T.A.R.S. Youth Enrichment Program is doing, became extremely passionate about their mission. He sees S.T.A.R.S. YEP as a platform to inspire and unleash the potential
of a young child’s life. Here he’ll utilize his passion and experience in food and data to help the mission and the cause.