Schellpeper is a business heavyweight with a CV packed full of boardroom-level experience. Prior to joining JBS, he held senior positions at meat firms Smithfield Foods and Maschhoff Family Foods, the largest family-owned pig producer in America.
Schellpeper is now being tasked with improving efficiency at JBS’ feedlot-fattened beef business, or fed beef for short.
This business unit can process more than 18,000 cattle per day. Butchered beef is then used for several premium brands, including Swift, 1855, and 5 Star Reserve. All of these ranges are popular with retailers and foodservice outfits in the US and overseas, JBS USA said.
The fed beef unit manages beef processing sites in Texas, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah, all of which will now be overseen by Schellpeper.
Tim an ‘excellent cultural fit’
“We are pleased to add Tim to our strong, proven leadership team of seasoned professionals,” said Andre Nogueira, JBS USA CEO.
“Over the past decade, JBS USA has evolved into the leading producer of high-quality meats in North America by empowering our teams to lead their respective businesses with ownership and passion. Tim’s vast experience in building strong teams, while driving operational excellence, increased profitability and customer satisfaction, make him an excellent cultural fit for JBS USA.”
As the former CEO of Maschhoff Family Foods, Schellpeper was at the business when it sold branded chicken firm GNP Company to Pilgrim’s Pride, a subsidiary of JBS, for $350m.
Prior to his role at the family-owned pig producer, Schellpeper spent over two decades working for Farmland Foods and Smithfield Foods. He rose to the position of CEO at Smithfield Packaging Company, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, which claims to be the world’s largest pork processor.
The appointment of Schellpeper to JBS USA, a sister company of Brazilian giant JBS, continues the recruitment drive kicked off by the parent company, which is under pressure to improve governance following allegations of corruption and malpractice.
The former head of the US government’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Al Almanza, was brought in to overhaul meat inspection controls at JBS in August. This followed former US House of Representatives speaker, John Boehner, being named an independent board member of JBS International.