Michael D. Tolbert
Group Vice President, Specialty Foods Group
Michael D. Tolbert is group vice president of the specialty foods group at Hormel Foods Corporation. In this position, Tolbert oversees the strategic direction of Diamond Crystal Brands, Century Foods International and Hormel Foods specialty products. The specialty foods group includes products such as restaurant packets, nutritional food products and supplements, and contract manufacturing.
Tolbert started his career with Hormel Foods in 1979 with the grocery products sales force in Dallas, Texas, and, in 1981, transferred to San Diego, Calif. In 1985, he was promoted to grocery products district manager of the Oklahoma district and relocated to a similar capacity with the San Francisco district two years later.
In 1991, Tolbert became grocery products regional manager of the west central region, based in Chicago. He transferred to the company’s corporate office in Austin, Minn. in 1996 as grocery products national manager of business development and advanced to director of grocery products business development four years later. He was promoted to chief information officer in 2002, President of Jennie-O Turkey Store in 2004, and assumed his current position in 2008.
Tolbert is a graduate of The Ohio State University in Columbus where he earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics.