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On the ShelfBy The PetRetailNews Desk3 min readAugust 8, 2026
Simmons Pet Food's President Just Got Promoted Out. If You Co-Pack There, Read This Twice.
Scott Salmon moved to enterprise strategy. Jacob Rogers is running the pet division now. Here's what that changes for your account.
You source private-label kibble or treats from Simmons Pet Food, and the person who ran that division just got promoted to Chief Commercial Officer for the entire company.
The move and what it costs you
Scott Salmon, who ran Simmons Pet Food as president, is now Chief Commercial Officer across all of Simmons Foods' business units, the company announced. Jacob Rogers, SVP of Pet Sales, is the new president of the pet division.
Simmons said Salmon will handle "enterprise commercial strategy and standards across the business, branded portfolio strategy for Pet and Prepared Foods, and the design and rollout of market and commercial analytics across the business." Rogers will "continue to strengthen the company's capabilities, product mix, and value proposition."
Translate that: the person who ran the division you source from just moved to a role optimizing strategy across chicken, prepared foods, and pet. The person replacing him ran sales. Rogers has been at the company for two years, per the announcement.
Walk the play: lock terms now or inherit the new structure later
If you're a buyer sourcing store-brand SKUs from Simmons, or a brand co-packing there, here's the decision this news just put in front of you: confirm your contract terms and production windows soon, before the new president sets his priorities.
Leadership changes at co-packers don't happen in a vacuum. When a supplier elevates its division president to enterprise strategy, the new leader typically reviews accounts, margin, and capacity allocation. That review can reshape pricing, order minimums, or which accounts get priority runs.
Rogers "played a key role in building strong relationships with existing and new customers, growing our business, and providing repeatable, reliable results," CEO Todd Simmons said. That's sales language. A sales leader running the division means the focus will likely shift toward customer value and margin optimization.
The failure mode: you assume continuity, wait for your usual rep to call, and discover your lead time stretched or your SKU got deprioritized because Simmons restructured its production calendar and your account didn't fit the new framework.
What being wrong costs: a shelf gap in your private-label set during peak season, or a scramble to find a new co-packer when other suppliers are already booked.
The alternative failure mode: you panic, pull the contract, and move to a smaller co-packer who can't actually handle your volume or quality specs, and you spend months fixing formulation drift.
Our read: the promotion is the tell, and the window to confirm is now
When a co-packer moves its pet division president to enterprise commercial strategy, it signals a shift: the pet business will likely be managed with the same margin discipline and portfolio standards as the rest of the company.
Rogers may be an outstanding operator, Simmons said he is, but he's stepping into a division with a mandate to deliver "repeatable, reliable results." That typically means tightening the customer base and optimizing for accounts that scale.
New division presidents review strategy early. The decisions that come out of that review can reshape pricing, capacity, and SKU priorities for the year ahead. If you're not in the conversation when those calls get made, you inherit the outcome.
What changes on the shelf Monday
If you source from Simmons: email your rep today and ask for a call to confirm your production windows, lead times, and contract terms. Don't wait for them to reach out. If they hedge or delay, that's your answer, start mapping backup co-packers now, not later when you're already short.
If you're deciding whether to bring a new private-label SKU to Simmons: expect the qualification process to reflect a sales-led president optimizing for margin. Small-batch custom runs may face higher bars than they did before.
If you're a single-location store stocking Simmons-supplied private label through your distributor: you won't feel this directly, but if your distributor's lead times start stretching, this could be why. The squeeze rolls downhill.
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