President, Freshway Foods
Steve Ross is President of Freshway Foods, the Ohio-based fresh-cut produce processor and distributor. He joined TruSource as its first Market President, working alongside the presidents of its operating companies, and was named President of Freshway in 2026. Today he leads both Freshway Foods and Freshway Logistics, overseeing operations, growth, and the company’s fresh-cut and distribution business.
Steve brings more than 15 years of hands-on leadership experience in food manufacturing and distribution. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President, Operations, Liquid Products North America, at Golden State Foods. Earlier, he held plant and operations leadership roles with TreeHouse Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, and PepsiCo. He holds a degree in Labor Studies from McMaster University.
Market President
Steve Ross works alongside the presidents of TruSource operating companies, bringing more than 15 years of hands-on leadership experience in food manufacturing and distribution.
Before joining TruSource, Steve served as Senior Vice President, Operations, Liquid Products North America, at Golden State Foods, with responsibility for operational performance, quality, safety, customer success, and growth. He previously served as Director of Operations at TreeHouse Foods, where he oversaw performance across multiple North American facilities. His earlier experience includes plant and operations leadership roles with TreeHouse Foods, Maple Leaf Foods, and PepsiCo.
Steve’s approach to operating leadership centers on people, disciplined execution, and results. As TruSource’s first Market President, he partners with operating company presidents to advance shared priorities, remove barriers to execution, and strengthen performance across the collective. Steve holds a degree in Labor Studies from McMaster University.
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Jennifer Carlson leads enterprise supply chain for TruSource. She brings extensive experience across supply chain, merchandising, category management, vendor strategy, procurement, and analytics.
Before joining TruSource, Jennifer served as Vice President of Merchandising and Supply Chain at Brownells. She previously built the U.S. category management and supply chain organization for Gorillas and held senior leadership roles with Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors and KeHE Distributors. Earlier in her career, she developed her category management and analytics expertise at 7-Eleven and Ace Hardware.
Jennifer has built her career around bringing teams, data, and supplier relationships together to produce stronger results. At TruSource, she is building enterprise supply chain capability across inbound sourcing, logistics, network performance, and productivity, working with operating company leaders to identify where shared expertise, coordination, and scale can improve performance while supporting the distinct needs of each business. Jennifer holds a B.A. in Business Administration and an MBA from North Central College.
Chief Information Officer
Anu Varma leads technology and data for TruSource, building the systems and information foundation for a growing collective of operating companies.
Anu brings nearly three decades of technology and transformation experience, including more than 15 years supporting food and consumer packaged goods companies. Before joining TruSource, she advised Red Arts Capital portfolio companies as a CIO consultant after serving as Chief Information Officer for TE Connectivity’s $4.5 billion Communications Solutions segment. Earlier, she held senior roles at Rockwell Automation following an 18-year career with Menasha Packaging. Her expertise spans enterprise systems, data and analytics, cybersecurity, and M&A integration.
A business-first technologist, Anu approaches technology as an enabler of growth, integration, and operating performance. At TruSource, she focuses on enterprise systems and analytics, M&A technology integration, IT governance, and cyber risk, partnering with leaders across the collective to ensure technology supports their businesses and prepares the enterprise for continued growth. She holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin.
Supply Chain Executive | Operating Partner, Red Arts Capital
Anthony Barber is an Operating Partner at Red Arts Capital, a private investment firm focused on supply chain, transportation, and logistics businesses. He brings more than 30 years of supply chain leadership across food, beverage, and logistics. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Primo Water North America, responsible for a $2.2 billion P&L spanning 41 facilities, more than 200 sales locations, and over 6,000 employees. Earlier, he held senior positions at Aramark, PepsiCo, DHL Worldwide Express, and Coca-Cola Enterprises.
He serves as Chairman of Partners Warehouse and as a board director of BelPak and the Credit Union of Texas. He holds a B.S. in mathematics from Augusta University and studied electrical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Supply Chain Executive | Founder and CEO, Planet Harvest
Melissa Melshenker Ackerman is the Founder and CEO of Planet Harvest, a mission-driven, for-profit company focused on moving more fresh produce from farms to families. Planet Harvest turns excess and available produce into purpose-built food solutions that reduce waste, strengthen farm economics, and deliver measurable impact. Before founding Planet Harvest, Melissa served as President of Produce Alliance, one of the country’s largest produce management and procurement companies. During the pandemic, she helped spearhead the company’s work on the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program, delivering millions of boxes of fresh food to families in need while helping farmers maintain operations.
She served on the inaugural board of the International Fresh Produce Association as the director representing the foodservice segment and sits on the board of Brighter Bites and YPO Chicago. She began her career as an attorney and holds a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and degrees from the University of Wisconsin.
Supply Chain Executive | Former Chief Logistics Officer, Armada Supply Chain Solutions
Meredith Neizer has led logistics operations across four decades and nearly every link of the food supply chain. She was Chief Logistics Officer of Armada Supply Chain Solutions, which manages logistics for many of the country’s largest restaurant brands. Before Armada, she served as Senior Vice President of Operations at US Foods and President of its Alliant Logistics unit, President of MBX Logistics at The Martin-Brower Company, and Chief Operating Officer of iGPS, with earlier executive roles at Sea-Land and Maersk.
She served as a White House Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as a commissioner on the Presidential Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces. Among the first women to graduate from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, she began her career as a third mate aboard supertankers. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and serves on the boards of Wonolo and Mastery Logistics Systems, and on the advisory board of Bay & Bay Transportation, a refrigerated trucking company.
Global Executive | Former EVP of Supply Chain, Domino’s Pizza
.Troy Ellis has run supply chains for some of the most demanding food brands in America. As Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at Domino’s Pizza, he led 26 supply chain centers across the United States and Canada, as well as procurement, quality assurance, and supplier compliance for the global system. Before Domino’s, he spent 15 years in the Coca-Cola system, ultimately as Senior Vice President at Coca-Cola Refreshments, where he led a 12,000-person organization producing 2.1 billion cases a year across 79 manufacturing facilities. His earlier career included leadership roles at PepsiCo and Kimberly-Clark.
He began his career as a United States Army officer in the 101st Airborne Division. He serves on the Board of Governors of Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He holds a BBA from Eastern Kentucky University.
Global Executive | Former President, McDonald’s Latin America
J.C. Gonzalez-Mendez spent 31 years at McDonald’s Corporation, beginning as the first employee of McDonald’s Mexico, where he built the supply base for the company’s entry into that market. As Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for North America, he directed purchasing, logistics, and distribution of more than $10 billion in food and supplies for over 15,000 restaurants in the United States and Canada. He went on to serve as President of McDonald’s Latin America, leading more than 2,000 restaurants across 29 countries, and concluded his McDonald’s career as President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Today, he is the CEO of GM Integritas Consulting, advising food companies and emerging suppliers, and a partner in the Bien Trucha Group restaurant company. He chairs the Board of Trustees of Roosevelt University, serves on the board of Northwestern Medicine, and is a board member of CIBUS Holdings, a Central American family enterprise spanning food manufacturing, real estate, technology, and advertising, held by the McDonald’s developmental franchisee for the region. He holds a B.S. in biochemical engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and an MBA from the University of Southern California.
President, Forestwood
Randy Scott is President of Forestwood, the family-owned fresh produce distributor his family has run for two generations. Founded in 1970 in Alabama, Forestwood has grown into one of the Southeast’s largest independent produce distributors, supplying fresh produce and dairy to restaurants, schools, and military installations from facilities in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Jackson, Tennessee.
A second-generation owner, Randy leads the business with the care, consistency, and pride that built its reputation, focused on strengthening its operations and reach for the next generation of the Scott family and the customers who depend on it.
President, Freshway Foods
Devon Beer is President of Freshway Foods, the Ohio-based fresh-cut produce processor and distributor where he has spent his produce career. He joined Freshway in 2000 as Chief Financial Officer and was named President in 2014, and today leads both Freshway Foods and Freshway Logistics, overseeing operations, growth, and the company’s fresh-cut and distribution business.
In addition to his financial background, Devon spent many years prior to his tenure with Freshway Foods leading operation teams and training associates and managers in quality control principles. He holds a B.A. from Wittenberg University and an MBA from The Ohio State University.
President, Nickey Gregory
Scott Chapman is President of Nickey Gregory, the Atlanta-based wholesale produce distributor he has helped build for nearly two decades. He joined the company in 2007 as Vice President of Sales and later served as General Manager, leading commercial and day-to-day operations across a full-line distribution business that handles more than 500 commodities for foodservice, retail, and institutional customers across the Southeast.
Before produce, he spent more than 15 years in grocery retail at Kroger, including as a store manager, giving him a view of the business from both the wholesale dock and the retail shelf. Named President in 2025, he succeeded the company’s founder and leads with a simple commitment: that customers, growers, and partners see the same faces, the same service, and the same standards they have always relied on.
Senior Vice President, Finance
Carlos Cortez leads finance for TruSource, building the financial discipline, reporting infrastructure, and operating visibility required to support growth across a multi-company platform.
Carlos began his career at KPMG, where he rose to Audit Manager, then served as Corporate Controller of Malibu Boats and Senior Finance Director at Discovery, Inc. As Vice President, Controller, and Principal accounting officer of Cronos Group, he led accounting for a Nasdaq-listed company through a period of significant change. He went on to serve as Vice President of Finance and Controller at LL Flooring and Vice President, Corporate Controller of PetSafe Brands.
His approach is grounded in the rigor of public company reporting, bringing the discipline, transparency, and accountability needed to support long-term growth. He is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.B.A. in accounting from Florida Atlantic University and a B.B.A. in finance from Florida International University.
Chief Human Resources Officer
Marion Terrell leads human resources for TruSource and its operating companies, partnering with executive leadership and the board to build the talent, culture, and organizational strength a growing collective requires.
Marion brings more than 25 years of human resources leadership experience across food and beverage, healthcare, facilities services, manufacturing, retail, and other high-growth environments. Prior to joining TruSource, he served as Chief People Officer for MINT dentistry, where he helped foster a culture recognized by Newsweek and ranked among the Wall Street Journal’s Top 20 Most Loved Workplaces in America. He previously served as Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Flagship Facility Services to a national workforce of more than 6,000 employees. His earlier career includes senior leadership roles at Jackson, Saputo Dairy Foods, Dean Foods, and Coca-Cola Consolidated, as well as earlier positions at CVS, Monsanto, and Ford Motor Company.
Across some of the most recognized brands in the world, Marion has specialized in aligning leadership, strengthening value creation, and building talent systems that sustain growth. He holds a B.S in psychology and sociology from the University of West Georgia, an M.P.A. in human resource management from Clark Atlanta University, and a diversity and inclusion certification from Cornell University.
Chief Commercial Officer
Kristie Waters leads commercial strategy for TruSource. She has spent more than twenty years in fresh produce and foodservice, building commercial teams and the customer relationships that outlast them.
At PRO*ACT, the national foodservice produce distribution network, Kristie served as Vice President of Client Development and led sales and client development, working with some of the largest group purchasing organizations in foodservice. She later led Leslie’s $190 million Pro division and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Revenue Strategy at Midwest Foods in Chicago. She also founded Grow With Waters, a consulting practice serving food and produce companies.
For more than two decades, Kristie has built her career around a simple principle: relationships are the foundation of the produce business. She has held leadership roles with the Produce Marketing Association and the United Fresh Distributor/Wholesale Board, the predecessor organizations of the International Fresh Produce Association, along with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Jefferson County Food Policy Council, where she advanced food access initiatives. She holds a B.A. in history and communication management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman
Elton Evans leads TruSource, a collective of leading regional produce companies built to scale while preserving the local trust the industry depends on.
He operates on a single conviction: scale only creates value if it strengthens what customers already rely on. That belief took shape at Sysco, where he served as Vice President and CFO of Foodservice Operations inside a $48 billion distribution business, and was sharpened through a deliberate CFO-to-CEO path across PepsiCo, Cardinal Health, Stanley Black & Decker, and US LBM. Over the course of his career, Elton has helped lead and scale multibillion-dollar businesses across food distribution, healthcare, industrial manufacturing, and building products. In 2024, he joined Red Arts Capital as an Executive Advisor, where he led the work that became TruSource.
For Elton, distribution is ultimately about reliability. How fresh food moves through the system shapes how customers are served, how operators perform, and how communities are fed. He serves on the board of Brighter Bites, is a member of The Executive Leadership Council, and qualifies as an audit committee financial expert under SEC standards.