Holton, who has been with Seaboard Foods for 17 years, replaces Rod Brenneman, who became president and chief executive of Butterball LLC in September. Seaboard owns 50% of Butterball through a partnership with Maxwell Farms.

Seaboard Foods produces and sells pork products in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries. In recent years, the company has expanded its business in both retail and food services and has added several branded product lines. Holton joined the pork products company in 1994 and has been instrumental in helping the business reach $1.3 billion in annual sales. Most recently, he served as Seaboard Foods’ senior vice president of sales and marketing.

The division has several thousand employees at processing plants and other facilities in several states, including Kansas and Oklahoma, and in Mexico. It also has a production and marketing arrangement with Triumph Foods, which operates a large fresh pork-processing plant in St. Joseph.

Seaboard also announced two other executive appointments at Seaboard Foods. Gary Louis was named executive vice president, and Duke Sand was promoted to senior vice president of sales and marketing.

From the January 3, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.