Mark Ourada

Mark Ourada is group vice president of foodservice at Hormel Foods. In this position, he is responsible for the sales and marketing of foodservice products within the United States.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters^®, Skippy^®, SPAM^®, Hormel^® Natural Choice^®, Applegate^®, Justin’s^®, Columbus^®, WHOLLY^® Guacamole, Hormel^® Black Label^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized on Fast Company’s list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, received a perfect score of 100 on the 2023–24 Corporate Equality Index and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

Ourada began his career at Hormel Foods in 1988 as a relief sales and merchandiser in Minneapolis, and was promoted to sales representative and territory manager the same year. A year later, he became a foodservice sales representative in San Antonio, Texas. In 1993, he became the foodservice account manager in Denver and in 1995, was promoted to foodservice account executive. In 1998, he moved back to Minneapolis as a foodservice area manager and in 2001, advanced to area manager, foodservice sales in Cincinnati and became the regional sales manager there in 2005. He assumed the role of vice president of foodservice sales in October 2013 and assumed his current role in 2018.

Ourada is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he received a bachelor of science degree in marketing. He completed the executive development program at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University in 2016.

He serves on the board of the International Foodservice Manufacturer’s Association (IFMA) as well as the Austin Area Foundation.