Leadership Team

Hap Williams

  • Hap leads with humility and a deep sense of motivation. Hap's extraordinary team-building ability has brought success to Mid-America's customers and vendors since the inception of the company.

    Fun fact: Hap loves to cook.

Amy Norton

  • Amy leads MAM fueled by her commitment to excellence. Amy maintains sales growth by identifying opportunities and nurturing relationships within the company and with our customers and vendors.

    Fun Fact: Amy has a heart for international child sponsorship and has many “sons and daughters” living in other countries.

Bob Norton

  • Bob has spent decades in leadership positions with several grocery retailers and bakery manufacturers.  Bob plays a key role at Mid-America in strategic planning, business development, and advancing the overall growth of the company.  He is passionate about developing new business with new customers across all facets of retail.

    Fun Fact: Bob has a creative bent that includes ceramics, painting, guitar playing, and carving decoys.

Melinda Stevens

  • Melinda wears many hats and is the glue that holds the company together, managing the daily operations at our corporate headquarters. She has a heart for the team and aspires to help others succeed.

    Fun Fact: Melinda jumps at any opportunity to shop with her two daughters.

Dean Veldkamp

  • Dean supplies our team with humble leadership and finance knowledge. In addition, Dean’s proprietary analytic software programs have taken Mid-America to a whole new level.

    Fun Fact: Dean loves to build and has constructed an 80-foot-long deck and many household conveniences.

Maclain Williams

  • Mac is proud to be the third generation Williams at Mid-America. He has a passion for data and utilizes it to strategically drive sales on a daily basis. He has an uncanny ability to build rapport with everyone he meets.

    Fun Fact: Mac loves to golf and play hockey.

Riley Williams

  • Riley is a third-generation Williams to join Mid-America. He loves to seek out new opportunities for our vendors and customers, which makes him a perfect fit for business development. Riley leads our C-Store Division now and will be leading our Regional Team soon as well. He strives to make himself and others successful.

    Fun Fact: Riley loves to golf and was on the USA Bandy Team.

Justin James

  • Justin is a results-oriented leader with over 15 years of retail experience (including 13+ years with Target in merchandising, operations, and category management/buying roles). He is passionate about driving strong partnerships between suppliers and retailers to deliver exceptional results. 

    Fun Fact: Justin is a sports fanatic and enjoys coaching his kid’s teams.

Jerry McClellan

  • Jerry brings years of experience as a director of sales in the Meat and Deli categories to Mid America. He has collaborated with Supervalu/UNFI since 1996 supporting and growing sales at retail. Jerry is a motivated sales leader with a passion for building strong relationships. He enjoys playing golf with his two sons, Max and Sam.

    Fun Fact: Jerry was a high school teacher and worked for the MN Senate.

Jennifer Garber

  • Jennifer joined our team with an unmatched sense of positivity, motivation, and an openness to learn. She acts as our communicator between vendors and retailers to facilitate concise orders and keep our business flowing smoothly.

    Fun Fact: Jennifer enjoys playing piano and other instruments in her spare time.

We ensure your retail success from behind the scenes.

Sales Team

Kurt Nelson

  • Kurt loves to incorporate solution-oriented thinking in order to maximize sales for both our vendors and customers. He brings years of retail and wholesale experience to Mid-America, including a buying position with Target.

    Fun Fact: Kurt has a heart for India and has been frequently traveling there for over 25 years.

Terri Nordeen

  • Terri is an incredibly motivated team member who has pioneered new channels and business models for the company. Her enthusiastic attitude has built lasting relationships over the years with retailers and vendors alike.

    Fun Fact: Terri grows jalapeños in her garden and pickles them to go with nachos.

Natalie Sutch

  • Natalie’s collaborative style has allowed her to foster strategic relationships that have led to strong results with the bakery teams. Her background in training brokers on products and implementation of bakery programs has equipped her for success.

    Fun Fact: Being a passenger on a motorcycle is her favorite way to relax.

Tim Monchamp

  • Tim has been in the food business his entire career and is passionate about taking care of his customers. In his spare time, Tim enjoys watching sports and spending quality time with his family.

    Not so fun fact: Tim missed the birth of both of his children, Caroline and Danny were both born early. Tim was at Lambeau Field in Green Bay when he got the call over the loudspeaker letting him know he was a new dad to daughter Caroline.

Julie Labens

  • Julie has been in the bakery business for over 40 years, including sales, support, and cake decorating. Most recently, Julie and her husband Larry joined MAM to expand opportunities with Hy-Vee, building on the success of the brokerage they owned for many years.

    Fun Fact: Julie loves to paint and share her creativity with her granddaughters.

Laurie Marette

  • Laurie has an excellent record of enthusiastically achieving results and has exceptional follow-through. She has also cultivated tremendous relationships with our key regional customers. Laurie loves spending time with her kids and grandkids. She also enjoys volleyball, bowling, and pickleball.

    Fun Fact: Laurie previously worked as a flight attendant for Sun County Airlines.

Jeff Ouellette

  • As a natural team player and spirited motivator, Jeff flourishes in his role of sales supporting UNFI’s Eastern distribution centers. His background in retail at store level make him an asset to both our vendors and customers.

    Fun Fact: Jeff loves pickleball.

Jeff Pavlovich

  • Jeff joins our team with over 10 years of experience in the C-Store channel. 

    He has expertise in Foodservice, Operations, and Food Manufacturing throughout his career at Holiday / Circle K. 

    Jeff is a motivated and passionate individual who enjoys building relationships with vendors and customers.

     Fun Fact: Jeff loves to golf and is into health and wellness.

Michael Wood

  • Michael has been in the food industry for over 30 years, specializing in the meat, deli, and seafood sectors.

    His passion lies in the marketing side of food products, and he has extensive experience in the private label industry.

    Fun Fact : He is an active runner who has completed over 30 5Ks, a passionate golfer, and a dedicated volunteer for multiple charity organizations

Monica Ellinger

  • Monica has an extensive sales background on the vendor side of the bakery business. She has a history of building successful sales and excellent relationships across a broad range of retail customers due to her winning attitude, attention to detail and incredible follow through. Monica resides in Upstate New York with her husband, two daughters, and their German Shorthaired Pointer, Duke!

    Fun Fact: Monica enjoys time at the beach with her family!

Shauna Ramirez

  • With a decade of experience in bakery manufacturing, Shauna brings a “customer first” approach to her Account Executive role. Driven by her talents in sales, she has a way of capturing her audience’s attention with her witty and engaging personality. Her results-driven mindset makes her a valuable asset to our team.

    Fun Fact: Shauna raced Pure Stock cars on dirt tracks on the Iron Range in northern MN; she took Rookie of the Year in 2014.

Bob Peterson

  • Bob has over 25 years of experience selling products and services. One of his greatest assets is forging, growing, and maintaining relationships. He is a retired soccer coach of 19+ years.

    Fun Fact: Bob and his wife enjoy cruising the lake on their pontoon while eating pizza, listening to great music, and watching the sun go down.

Larry Labens

  • Larry’s career started at 12 in his family’s bakery. He also attended Dunwoody and the American Institute of Baking.  He later worked for Maplehurst, Rich’s and Dawn. He recently merged his successful brokerage with MAM.

    Fun Fact: Larry has been to Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, and Italy, along with 49 of the 50 states (somehow he missed Vermont).

Nikki Nelson

  • Nikki brings her expertise in owned brands, Target’s systems, and passion for consumer trends to her customers and accounts. Prior to MAM, she spent almost a decade at Target, primarily in the Owned Brand Food division.

    Fun Fact: Nikki aspires to travel to a new destination every year.

Evan Almelien

  • Evan has a wealth of experience in retail analysis and inventory management. The information he gained while working as a Target category manager has provided invaluable insights into his role as an account executive.

    Fun Fact: Evan is the president of his kid’s youth baseball association.

Jessica Barian

  • Jessica has worked closely with Target for over 15 years on both the grocery and the kitchen categories.  During her tenure, she has played a pivotal role in launching exclusive and innovative skus that significantly contributed to growth. 

    Fun Fact: Jessica loves to play old lady hockey and enjoys spending time on the lake and in Florida with family and friends.

Janine Crotty

  • Janine is a brilliant cake designer, a unique asset that she brings to us. In addition, Janine’s upscale mindset and exceptional follow-through make her a tremendous resource to our Target and Local teams.

    Fun Fact: Janine seeks underwater adventure through Scuba Diving.

Margie Laub

  • Margie has superior merchandising skills and an incredible work ethic. Margie possesses valuable experience from her years of retail and leadership in wholesale. Relationships have been won and nourished thanks to Margie’s efforts.

    Fun Fact: Margie enjoys gardening and quilting.

Troy Sutch

  • With years of hands-on experience, Troy has taken his in-store knowledge to creatively sell bakery products. He takes it to the next level and assists our regional customers with their product-handling needs. He proves himself a valuable team member daily in both Bakery & Deli.

    Fun Fact: Troy enjoys riding motorcycles.

Nick Pexa

  • With a background in sales and category management, Nick is a great addition as the “Jack of all trades” on our food and GM teams. A tireless team player with a passion for contributing at a high level, he thrives in a fast-paced environment.

    Fun Fact : Nick enjoys golfing as well as spending time with his wife and 3 young children.

Heidi Schwegman

  • With a culinary degree from LeCordon Bleu and twelve years of retail experience, Heidi brings a unique array of talents to our deli team. She has a contagious enthusiasm and love for merchandising.

    Fun Fact: Heidi is the youngest of nine children and has 43 nieces and nephews.

Sydney Reitberger

  • Sydney is an ambitious and driven individual. Her background in merchandising as well as customer experience makes her a key player to the MAM team. Her positivity and strong communication skills help provide our customers with guidance and support.

    Fun Fact: Sydney is pursuing her dream of flipping houses for a hobby! She is currently wrapping up her real estate license and is excited to get going.

Jose Santiago

  • Jose has over 40 years of experience in Bakery. He started when he was 10 years old in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Jose has been training people how to bake in Florida for 20 years. He is known for his organizational skills and attention to detail. Everyone loves to work with Jose.

    Fun Fact: Jose loves to watch Shark Tank.

Susan Spongberg

  • Susan has an extensive background in both retail and media, and brings a calm authority to her inside sales position. She assists us daily by communicating with stores and creating sell sheets for promotions, holidays, and new items.

    Fun Fact: Susan makes marvelous candies.

Mike Michalsky

  • Mike is a consummate people person and has worked for 4 decades as a Certified Master Baker.  He spent 20 years at Safeway and became a District Bakery Supervisor.  Mike came out of retirement to assist Julie and Larry Labens at Limestone Canyon and joined the MAM family in 2024.

    Fun Fact: In his spare time, Mike is a talented wood carver and also volunteers with a number of agencies helping the elderly and disabled.

Sanjay Chakravrty

  • Sanjay is based in Panipat, India and has an extensive background in textiles and hard goods. Sanjay leads MAM's sourcing efforts in India.

    Fun Fact: Sanjay goes to the gym and does yoga daily!

Business Intelligence, Analytics, Category Management Team

Olivia Garber

  • Olivia uses her detail-oriented and analytical skills to help vendors and customers grow their businesses together. She provides actionable data-based insight, that ultimately drives the business forward.

    Fun Fact: Olivia can juggle (albeit not very well).

Sam Nee

  • Sam graduated from the University of North Dakota with a degree in Marketing. With a background in merchandising and procurement from UNFI Sam has developed many skills that are beneficial to the MAM team. Sam believes in hard work and strives never to stop learning from others.

    Fun Fact: Sam has lived in 7 different states.

Project Management Team

Kelsea Kern

  • Kelsea has been a valued member of the MAM team since 2018. Her experience with Inside Sales as an Account Executive has made her transition to Project Manager seamless. She is diligent, thorough, and believes in hard work. She embodies our core values!

    Fun Fact: Kelsea is passionate about music. She has a vinyl collection of 350+ albums that continues to grow and she hosted her own radio show in college.

Teresa Anderson

  • Teresa is a conscientious and resourceful team player with a keen ability to relate to others, collaborate, and achieve results. Her flexible nature makes it easy to stay productive when the demands of the job are pulling in several directions at once. Delivering outstanding customer service has always been an essential part of what makes her tick, and why she will bring value in her position.

    Fun Fact: Teresa enjoys walking/hiking, and long pontoon rides with family.

Kristy Edgett

  • Kristy has 30+ years in the food broker industry and is very detailed and hands-on. She enjoys working with vendors, distributors, and retailers to get items set up, product ordered, and promotions featured. Kristy is eager to take on new projects to best assist our team.

    Fun Fact: Kristy enjoys walking. Her daily goal is 10,000 steps.

Grace Eberle

  • Grace is a determined and highly motivated individual. Her background in Supply Chain Management at the University of St. Thomas as well as prior work experience at UNFI in Merchandising makes her a fabulous addition to the MAM team. With her results-driven mindset she is eager to take on new projects and challenges to best assist our customers.

    Fun Fact: Grace has a passion for health and fitness and will jump at any opportunity to do anything active!

Courtney Osamoh

  • Courtney joined MAM with experience at both Target and UNFI (Supervalu). Her knowledge and skills have made for a seamless transition to the Project Manager position. She strives to establish personal relationships while maintaining high attention to detail, consistency, and organization!

    Fun Fact: Courtney has been skydiving in New Zealand and would do it again!

Mackenzie Kern

  • Mackenzie comes with a strong background in hospitality, tourism, and business management. She is detailed-oriented and embodies a positive can-do attitude. She excels in time management and is driven to get things done. Mackenzie’s goal is to provide excellent service and create positive relationships.

    Fun Fact: Mackenzie loves to travel and spend time with friends & family.

Dave VanOverbeke

  • Dave is a 25-year-plus veteran of Mid-America Marketing and serves as a project manager.  Dave has responsibility for a number of critical roles, including sample management, in-house tradeshow support, and technical support.  Dave is motivated and results- driven with strong organizational and communication skills.

    Fun Fact: Dave loves bird watching, especially searching for the giant nesting Blue Heron.

Heather Misener

  • Heather is a dedicated marketing professional with over five years of experience in client management, project management, and marketing. She is an effective team player with a strong sense of initiative and a passion for delivering impactful marketing strategies.

    Fun Fact: Heather enjoys spending every available moment she has at the movie theaters, catching a new film with her husband.

Customer Experience Team

Gail Severson

  • Gail has a scrupulous attention to the details that hold our business together. With previous experience as a customer of Mid-America, Gail provides exceptional service and is truly the best in the business.

    Fun Fact: Gail loves to spend any free time she has with her granddaughter or a good book.

Elena Taylor

  • Elena has a wealth of experience in both the retail and wholesale sides of our business. She spent over 10 years working in Target stores, holding a variety of positions in 8 different departments. She has also worked in Merchandising & Procurement at Supervalu/UNFI. Her expertise and analytical mindset make her a definite asset to MAM’s Customer Experience team.

    Fun Fact: In her free time, Elena enjoys knitting and crocheting.

Tina Peterson

  • Tina is effective and determined. She has superior knowledge in retail and merchandising. Her commitment to vendor support opens new doors of success for UNFI and other local vendors.

    Fun Fact: Tina enjoys bowling, watching dirt track racing, and is very creative.

Kate Sage

  • Kate approaches every day with a positive attitude and drive to get things done! Customer service is her passion. Kate comes with a strong background of hospitality, tourism, and management, and she has had previous broker experience working with Target and other retailers. She is a huge asset for the MAM team!

    Fun Fact: As a proud Nebraska Alumni, she is a huge Husker fan – GBR!

Katy Sang

  • Katy has had many years of customer service and support. She enjoys making connections with people, fine detail work, and working hard.

    Fun Fact: Katy delights in raising chickens!