Mikell R. Fries, 41, the grandson of company founder Norman W. Fries, who most recently served as executive vice president of sales and marketing, has been named president of Claxton Poultry Farms effective March 1, 2016.
Jerry Lane, who has been with the firm since 1985 and has served as its president for the past 19 years, will remain actively involved in day-to-day operations as he takes on his new role as senior advisor to both the president and Doris S. Fries, the company’s chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors. Lane, a veteran of 38 years in the Georgia Poultry industry and most recently the 2014-2015 Chairman of the National Chicken Council, will also continue as a member of the board of directors.
Before assuming the company’s head operational role, Mikell Fries spent the last ten years in senior positions overseeing sales and marketing. Fries currently serves on the boards of directors of the U. S. Poultry and Egg Association, the Georgia Poultry Federation and Norman W. Fries, Inc.
“This succession plan has been in the works for several years,” said Mrs. Fries, who along with her late husband founded Norman W. Fries, Inc. in 1958, doing business as Claxton Poultry Farms. “For the past 27 years, Mikell has worked in every area of the company’s operations, ultimately being mentored by Jerry over the last six years to assume the presidency. It has been very gratifying to watch Mikell grow into his new position, and I am pleased about what that means for the company’s future. He is loved as a grandson and deeply respected as an effective and well-seasoned executive,” Mrs. Fries said.
According to outgoing President Jerry Lane, Fries is well qualified for the head operational role. “Mikell’s work ethic, technical abilities, day-to-day operational management skills and deep understanding of our industry make this change a particularly smooth one. For the past several years we have been working closely together in preparation for a day that has been long planned. He is well trained, already highly experienced and a top executive who is a pleasure to work with and more than ready for the position,” said Jerry Lane.
“I am very honored,” Mikell Fries said. “These are big shoes to fill that come with many expectations and I look forward to the challenges and responsibilities that go with the job. My grandfather and grandmother taught me more than I can say, as did Jerry Lane whose considerable skills helped groom me for this role. I’m taking over the presidency of a thriving company with a great management team in place and outstanding prospects for continued growth in the years ahead.”
