BUILT ON HERITAGE. ELEVATED BY WHAT’S NEXT.
Fresia Foods is led by a team with extensive operational experience and the strategic perspective needed to build a forward-facing food company.
Jim Gregory / Chief Executive Officer
Jim Gregory is a seasoned executive, investor, and board leader with deep expertise across private equity, food manufacturing, consumer services, retail, and hospitality. He has held CEO, CFO, and board leadership roles in both growth-stage and mature companies, consistently driving operational transformation and sustainable long-term value creation. In addition to leading Fresia Foods, Jim founded and oversees the functional team at Mill Point Capital, an operationally focused private equity investment firm. He serves on the boards of several Mill Point portfolio companies, including in Chairman and Vice Chairman roles. Earlier in his career, he spent more than a decade at American Capital, serving as a principal investor and board leader for investments in consumer services, automotive, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. Jim holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics, magna cum laude, from Davidson College.
Josh Sowell / Chief Customer Officer
Josh Sowell is an accomplished food and beverage executive with more than 25 years of experience driving strategic growth, customer development, and commercial excellence across the consumer-packaged goods industry. As Chief Customer Officer at Fresia Foods, he leads customer strategy and commercial initiatives focused on expanding market presence, strengthening retail and food service partnerships, and accelerating sustainable growth. Throughout his career, Josh has built a reputation for developing high-performing teams, cultivating strategic customer relationships, and delivering results across both private and public company environments. Prior to Fresia Foods/Seviroli, Josh held senior sales and leadership positions with organizations including TreeHouse Foods, Flagstone Foods, and SunTree Snack Foods/Trophy Foods, where he led national & North American sales, category growth, and customer engagement strategies across multiple channels. Earlier in his career, he spent a decade with Ralcorp Holdings, gaining broad experience in sales, marketing, and operations. Josh earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Troy University and serves on the board of PLMA (Private Label Manufacturers Association).
Jay Root / Chief Operations Officer
Jay Root is an operational leader with more than three decades of experience leading high-performance teams in complex and demanding environments. Over a 34-year military career, he served in the U.S. Military’s elite Special Operations Forces, progressing through increasingly senior leadership roles across the Marine Corps, MARSOC, SOCOM South, and NATO’s Allied Special Operations Forces Command. Jay’s service included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and multiple theaters around the world, culminating in his role as Command Senior Enlisted Leader for NATO SOFCOM, where he served as the principal senior enlisted advisor during the command’s transition to a strategic warfighting headquarters. Recognized for both leadership and mentorship, Jay was described by NATO leadership as “the backbone of this command and a mentor to the SOF community.” Jay earned a B.S. in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis from Norwich University.
Mary Shetzline / Chief Financial Officer
Mary Shetzline is a seasoned finance and accounting executive with experience across private equity-backed businesses, public companies, and Big Four public accounting. Her leadership spans financial strategy, organizational design, ERP and POS implementations, business intelligence reporting, and successful exits to both private equity and strategic buyers. Mary previously served as CFO of AAMCO, where she led financial operations for a national franchise system with more than 500 retail locations. Earlier in her career, she held SEC and public company reporting roles at Globus Medical and began her career in audit at EY. Mary earned a B.S. in Finance and an M.S. in Accounting, summa cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.
Scott Smolar / Chief Development Officer
Scott Smolar is a food industry executive known for building strong partnerships and solving complex challenges across the supply chain. He has been in various roles throughout his career but primarily focused on commercial leadership. He served as Vice President of Sales and later President with Schreiber Foods International, Director of Foodservice Sales and Marketing with Roland Food Group and has been with Fresia/Seviroli Foods since 2023. He works closely with customers and suppliers to improve service, manage costs and develop practical solutions that drive long-term, sustainable growth. With leadership experience across sales, marketing, sourcing and customer experience, Scott aligns teams and partners around clear goals, ensuring consistent execution and reliable solutions. He is recognized for his collaborative, transparent approach and his ability to bring people together to get things done. Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland.
Kelli Haygood / Chief Human Resources Officer
Kelli Haygood brings more than 25 years of executive human resources and safety leadership experience across manufacturing and complex operational environments. She is recognized for aligning people strategy with business objectives, strengthening HR operations, and leading initiatives that support executive coaching and partnership, succession planning, and operational performance and long-term value creation. Kelli previously served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Head of Safety for CREO Group, also a Mill Point Capital portfolio company, where she led organizational transformation, workforce integration, and HR infrastructure initiatives supporting multi-site operations. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years with Union Tank Car Company (UTLX), part of the Marmon Holdings/Berkshire Hathaway family of companies, and 10 years with Great Southern Wood Preserving, nationally recognized through its YellaWood® brand. Kelli served three years as Chair of the Board for the Central Louisiana Workforce Development Board and was a founding contributor to the State of Louisiana’s Jump Start Program, a statewide initiative connecting high school students to career pathways, where she was recognized with a State Service of Honor award for her contributions. She also launched a mentorship and engagement CARES program that remains active today. Encouraging mentorship, employee volunteerism and community involvement, and founded a Women in Leadership initiative focused on empowering and developing female leaders. Kelli holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management from Western Governors University. She is also a Birkman International Certified Professional, a SHRM-Certified Professional, and OSHA certified.
Zoraida Nivia / Senior Vice President of Quality & Food Safety
Zoraida Nivia is the Senior Vice President of Quality and Food Safety at Fresia Foods, where she leads the company’s food safety, quality assurance, sanitation, regulatory compliance, and food safety culture initiatives across multiple manufacturing facilities and brands. Throughout her career at Fresia Foods/Seviroli, she has focused on strengthening food safety systems, developing training and employee engagement programs, enhancing operational quality standards, and promoting a proactive food safety culture throughout the organization. Her leadership has supported continuous improvement initiatives in sanitation, environmental monitoring, audit readiness, customer and regulatory compliance programs, and operational excellence across USDA and FDA regulated operations. Zoraida has more than 25 years of experience in the food manufacturing industry and extensive expertise in USDA-FSIS, FDA, SQF, FSMA, HACCP, and GFSI regulatory systems. She has led cross-functional teams in high-volume food manufacturing operations with a strong focus on product safety, quality, compliance, employee development, and continuous improvement. Zoraida holds a Master of Science in Food Safety from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, summa cum laude, from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana.
Jake Miller / Program Lead, Operational Optimization & Facility Transitions
Jake Miller brings deep expertise in large-scale organizational leadership, operational planning, and complex transition management. Across 26 years of service in the U.S. Army’s elite units, he led teams ranging from small tactical groups to a 2,500-person aviation brigade across global deployments. Throughout his military career, Jake held leadership roles across Iraq, Kuwait, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and other strategic regions. As Deputy Commanding Officer for Fort Eustis, he directed the onboarding, training, and management of approximately 150,000 soldiers annually. His experience centers on navigating operational complexity, protecting continuity through disruption, and leading high-stakes transitions with precision. Jake’s military recognition includes two Legion of Merit awards, two Bronze Star Medals, six Meritorious Service Medals, and two Air Medals. He earned a B.S. with honors from the United States Military Academy, an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business, and a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.
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