Custom Made Meals (CMM), a national provider of fresh, ready-to-cook (RTC) entrees, appetizers, and sides for the meat and deli departments of retail grocery and club stores, announced that it has appointed Molly Montgomery as CEO. Montgomery has served on the CMM board of directors since it was acquired by Stellex Capital Management LLC (Stellex) in May of 2021 and will continue to serve on the board in her new role. Stellex is a middle-market private investment firm with strong experience in the food industry. Montgomery succeeds Dale Easdon, who has led the company as CEO for the past three years and has worked closely with management to ensure a smooth transition.
Montgomery has deep experience in the better-for-you food, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors and a passion for sustainability. She currently serves as a board director at Wilbur-Ellis, The Wine Group and Benson Hill. Previously, Montgomery served as president & CEO and board director of Landec Corporation, where she led two operating businesses: Curation Foods and Lifecore Biomedical. During her 10-year tenure at Landec, Lifecore expanded into new markets and grew rapidly in both revenue and profitability. At Curation Foods, Montgomery repositioned the commodity vegetable business to a diversified, fresh business with sustainable business practices and brands that include Eat Smart® vegetable and salads, Yucatan® and Cabo Fresh® guacamole and O® Olive chef-inspired vinegar and olive oils.
Prior to Landec, Montgomery held a variety of positions in strategy, marketing, engineering and operations within the consumer products, pharmaceutical and software industries in both large corporations as well as early-stage companies.
Montgomery holds a Bachelor of Engineering Science and Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the University of Louisville and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
