Industry Experts and Professionals

At Meat Commodities, we’ve brought together some of the most experienced professionals in the industry to provide excellent service and industry experience. Whether you’re looking to find a new product, resolve supply chain issues, or tackle any number of challenges, our team is here to help.

MEET OUR TEAM

Get to know the Meat Commodities staff and find out what experience they’re bringing to the table:

Trading
Quality
IT
Order Management
Finance
Accounting

Trading
Trading
Quality
IT
Order Management
Finance
Accounting

Anthony Adams

President/CEO

Aaron Klimchuk

VP Sales

Brian Eamer

Trader

Tony Oneka

Trader

Rod Hessenius

Trader

Robby Hessenius

Trader

Reece Bormann

Trader

Scott Adams

Trader

Taylor Umbarger

Trader

Blake Bullard

FSQA Director

Shanda Martens

Claims Supervisor

Janie Vance

Logistics & Inventory

Morgan Lovelace

QA Assistant

Craig Weitzel

IT Manager

Angie Ball

Office Admin

Lee Kerlee

IT System Administrator

Jessi Engeman

Order Management Supervisor

Erica Johnson

Order Management Specialist

Susan Marshall

Order Management Specialist

Jennifer Mann

Order Management Specialist

Ryan Cook

Order Entry

Drew Power

Financial Controller

Kristin Cooper

Credit Manager

Chad Magnuson

Financial Analyst

Nan Spickerman

Billing Specialist

Karen Kriegsman

Accounts Payable Specialist

Rachel Randolph

Inventory Specialist

Patrick Willis

Staff Accountant

Sabrina Hill

Accounts Payable Specialist

Alyssa Wachtel

Staff Accountant

Jen Fairclough

Staff Accountant

President/CEO

Anthony Adams

Since starting at Meat Commodities in 1990, Anthony has been instrumental in the company’s shift from a regional beef brokerage company to a diversified trading company handling beef, pork, and poultry. In 2003, under his direction, Meat Commodities established MCT Transportation, LLC to aid with the company’s diversification. Anthony is involved in day to day trading activities and is responsible for all facets of the business. Anthony graduated from The Ohio State University in 1989.

VP Sales

Aaron Klimchuk

Aaron, originally from New York, graduated in 2014 from Denison University, where he played four years of Varsity Golf. After graduating, Aaron moved back home to work at Yelp Inc in Manhattan. In 2016, Aaron decided to leave New York to pursue a career in Asheville at Meat Commodities. Aaron’s outgoing personality has allowed him to quickly develop strong relationships in the industry in addition to pursuing new business opportunities for the company.

Aaron.Klimchuk@meatcomm.com

Trader

Brian Eamer

Brian has been with Meat Commodities since 1992, making him the second longest tenured team member. One of his daily responsibilities is managing daily trading and sales. His 30+ years of experience in the industry provides valuable input in the company’s decisions regarding future growth and opportunities. Brian previously worked many different roles at Canada Packers, including Plant Manager at their Moose Jaw plant, and received his degree from the University of P.E.I.

Brian.Eamer@meatcomm.com

Trader

Tony Oneka

Tony joined Meat Commodities in 2004 tasked with spearheading the company’s growth in the Pork Sector of the business. After graduating from Doane College, he gained his experience as VP of Procurement and Logistics at Cook Family Foods, which then transitioned into a position responsible for buying hams and pork trim for ConAgra.

Tony.Oneka@meatcomm.com

Trader

Rod Hessenius

Rod brings 30+ years of experience to Meat Commodities, previously managing sales at PM Beef Plant in Windom, Minnesota and as GM of Dakota Packing. Since joining Meat Commodities in 2010, he has been heavily involved in all trading and lends his vast expertise in sales and production to assist team efforts.

Rod.Hessenius@meatcomm.com

Trader

Robby Hessenius

Robby joined Meat Commodities in 2015 after managing several Hertz car rental locations throughout the US. He is a graduate of Loras College, where he was a member of the wrestling team. Robby has been instrumental in developing relationships and exploring new business opportunities including Meat Commodities venture into Pet Food business.

Robby.Hessenius@meatcomm.com

Trader

Reece Bormann

Reece joined Meat Commodities in 2020 with over 10 years of meat industry experience. His previous experience took place in sales roles at JBS, Sam Kane Beef, and Director of Sales at FPL Foods. Reece's plant and sales experience assists the team through daily trading efforts.

Reece.Bormann@meatcomm.com

Trader

Scott Adams

Scott joined Meat Commodities in 2019. Prior to that he worked in New York City for Alphasights, an international professional services firm. In 2018 Scott graduated from Colgate University, where he played on the varsity golf team. Scott is from Asheville, NC and previously interned at Meat Commodities in both 2016 and 2017. He will be involved in developing new business and supporting current relationships.

Scott.Adams@meatcomm.com

FSQA Director

Blake Bullard

Blake joined Meat Commodities in 2024 as FSQA Manager. Given his extensive industry experience, he will also be heavily involved in business development and support. Blake graduated from NC State in 2000 with a degree in Animal Science. He went on to be the QA Manager at Martin’s Abattoir from 2000-2013. He then worked with Kansas City Sausage in partnership with Smithfield Foods, and most recently was the assistant plant manager at Smithfield Foods' Tar Heel plant in North Carolina.

Blake.Bullard@meatcomm.com

Claims Supervisor

Shanda Martens

Shanda joined Meat Commodities in 2006 with 5 years of industry experience in cost accounting. As her roles have changed, she has become the lead in customer claims resolution. Along with that she helps to maintain vendor/customer Food Safety documents and helps to coordinate logistics of orders. Shanda graduated from the University of North Carolina Asheville.

Shanda.Martens@meatcomm.com

Logistics & Inventory

Janie Vance

Janie joined Meat Commodities in 2015. She came in with industry experience from working with a grocery food broker for over 5 years. Janie oversees inventory allocations, customer distribution and coordinating the logistics of orders. She graduated from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Janie.Vance@meatcomm.com

IT Manager

Craig Weitzel

With Meat Commodities since 2017. Responsible for the administration of the company’s ERP system. Graduate of California Polytechnic State University.

Craig.Weitzel@meatcomm.com

Office Admin

Angie Ball

With Meat Commodities since 1998. Responsible for office administration and IT support. Graduate of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Angie.Ball@meatcomm.com

IT System Administrator

Lee Kerlee

With Meat Commodities since 2021. Responsible for administration and security of the company’s IT environment. Graduated of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Lee.Kerlee@meatcomm.com

Order Management Supervisor

Jessi Engeman

With Meat Commodities since 2011. Coordinates all order management activities, including order entry, order handling and order changes. Graduate of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Jessi.Engeman@meatcomm.com

Order Management Specialist

Erica Johnson

With Meat Commodities since 2016. Responsible for order changes and various other order management tasks. Graduate of the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

Erica.Johnson@meatcomm.com

Order Management Specialist

Susan Marshall

With Meat Commodities since 2018. Responsible for formula pricing computations and various other order management tasks. Graduate of Indiana University, received her MBA from Ball State University.

Susan.Marshall@meatcomm.com

Order Management Specialist

Jennifer Mann

With Meat Commodities since 2013. Responsible for order entry and various other order management tasks. Graduate of Post University.

Jennifer.Mann@meatcomm.com

Financial Controller

Drew Power

With Meat Commodities since 2021. Responsible for all accounting activities, including financial reporting, treasury management, customer billing, accounts payable and inventory. Graduate of the University of Mississippi. CPA with 10 years’ experience in public accounting.

Drew.Power@meatcomm.com

Credit Manager

Kristin Cooper

With Meat Commodities since 2004. Responsible for credit and collections, plus various human resources related duties. Graduate of the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

Kristin.Cooper@meatcomm.com

Financial Analyst

Chad Magnuson

With Meat Commodities since 2022. Performs various accounting related tasks, provides support to all team members. Graduate of University of Wisconsin.

Chad.Magnuson@meatcomm.com

Billing Specialist

Nan Spickerman

With Meat Commodities since 2019. Responsible for customer billing and various other accounting tasks. Graduate of the University of North Carolina–Asheville

Nan.Spickerman@meatcomm.com

Accounts Payable Specialist

Karen Kriegsman

With Meat Commodities since 2021. Responsible for all accounts payable related activities. Graduate of the University of Georgia

Karen.Kriegsman@meatcomm.com

Inventory Specialist

Rachel Randolph

With Meat Commodities since 2022. Responsible for all inventory related transactions. Graduate of the University of Alabama.

Rachel.Randolph@meatcomm.com

Staff Accountant

Patrick Willis

With Meat Commodities since 2022. Performs various accounting related tasks, provides support to all team members. Graduate of Duke University, received his master’s from Western Carolina University.

Patrick.Willis@meatcomm.com

Trader

Taylor Umbarger

Taylor joined Meat Commodities in 2023. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech in 2023 with a degree in agricultural business. Previously, Taylor interned at Louis Dreyfus Company, an international commodity merchant firm. Taylor grew up in Bel Air, Maryland, playing soccer and showing horses.

Taylor.Umbarger@meatcomm.com

Accounts Payable Specialist

Sabrina Hill

Joined Meat Commodities in 2023. Responsible for accounts payable and other related accounting tasks. Graduate of Mars Hill College in North Carolina. 25+ years of experience in Finance & Accounting.

Sabrina.Hill@meatcomm.com

Order Entry

Ryan Cook

Ryan Cook joined Meat Commodities in 2024 after many years in sales, customer service, inventory management, and order entry. Originally from Mount Holly, NC, Ryan moved to Black Mountain, NC with his family in 2015 and enjoys adventuring with his family, taking dogs out for a walk, playing golf, and supporting his San Francisco 49ers! Ryan’s main role at Meat Commodities will be order entry, including various other order management tasks.

Ryan.Cook@meatcomm.com

QA Assistant

Morgan Lovelace

Morgan graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS in Food Systems Management in 2017. She began her career working as a Food Safety/Quality Assurance Auditor in Charlotte, NC. Morgan started at Meat Commodities in 2024 after moving to Asheville and will be working closely with the traders, inventory, and logistics departments.

MORGAN.LOVELACE@MEATCOMM.COM

Staff Accountant

Alyssa Wachtel

With Meat Commodities from 2024. Responsible for inventory related activities. Extensive background in accounting for hospitality and the food and beverage industry. Graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Alyssa.Watchel@meatcomm.com

Staff Accountant

Jen Fairclough

With Meat Commodities from 2024. Responsible for all accounts payable related activities. Graduate of the University of Missouri at Kansas City

JEN.FAIRCLOUGH@MEATCOMM.COM

Reach Out to Meat Commodities

If you’re interested in seeing the value Meat Commodities can add to your business, our team members are available at your convenience.