CHATTANOOGA, Tn. – January 31, 2022
Grain Craft, the largest independent flour miller in the nation, announced today the promotion of Jeff Zierenberg to Chief Human Resources Officer and Nick Weigel to Senior Vice President – Quality, Regulatory and Technical Services. Both executives bring over 25 years of related experience to their expanded roles.
As Chief Human Resources Officer, Zierenberg will continue to provide leadership and guidance to the human resources team while developing and implementing strategic plans that support the overall business objectives across the 13 mill locations and two corporate offices. Zierenberg is passionate about building and sustaining Grain Craft’s high-performance culture and thoughtfully aligning all team members with the Grain Craft mission and core values.
“Jeff’s role is a key strategic position in the organization. He has extensive knowledge of how human capital drives business goals, including talent development, employee engagement, compensation, recruitment, and leading our culture,” said Pete Frederick, President and CEO of Grain Craft. “Not only has he led the creation and implementation of Grain Craft’s five Core Values, but he also exemplifies each of them daily in his work.”
Zierenberg has held the position of Vice President of Human Resources at Grain Craft since 2014. Previously he had been in human resources leadership roles with Wacker Chemical Company and Mars, Incorporated, dating back to 1997. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Business Administration.
In his role of Senior Vice President – Quality, Regulatory and Technical Services, Weigel will maintain development of both short- and long-term strategies to drive improvement in wheat quality, flour quality, and optimization of resources through all value chain partners. He will continue to oversee Grain Craft’s strategic direction to ensure continued compliance and excellence with food safety regulations. Weigel initiated the creation and implementation of the GCIQ lab and oversees the technical teams and lab functions to support customer needs with product, process, and service solutions. With a continued focus on upstream innovation and the promotion of sustainable farming practices, he will oversee the growth and unification of the Grain Craft Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives throughout the company.
“Nick’s broad relationships have enhanced the positive presence of Grain Craft throughout the industry,” said Frederick. “Food Safety is always a top risk for food companies and Nick is an expert in assessing and mitigating potential food safety risk. His conceptualization of programs to strengthen the Preferred Varieties Program and the new GCIQ lab at the Kansas Wheat Center are examples of his strategic ability to foresee opportunities that will strengthen Grain Craft’s long-term success.”
Weigel joined Grain Craft as Vice President – Quality, Regulatory & Technical Services in 2019 after over two decades of working in food safety, quality, and technical services. He holds a B.S. in Baking Science and Management from Kansas State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Texas, Arlington.
Zierenberg is based at Grain Craft’s corporate office in Chattanooga, TN office and Weigel is at the Overland Park, KS office.