Wayne-Sanderson Farms names new COO, supply chain chief
Poultry producer promotes two executives to senior roles
6 April 2026
1 minute read
By: Wayne-Sanderson Farms, the third-largest poultry producer in the United States, recently announced the promotions of Aaron Leach to Chief Commercial and Supply Chain Officer and Michael Crump to Chief Operations Officer, effective April 1, 2026. Both executives have been longstanding members of the company's senior leadership team and will continue to report to Kevin McDaniel, President and Chief Executive Officer.
"These promotions recognise the significant contributions Aaron and Michael have made to the organisation and reflect our confidence in their leadership," said McDaniel. "With their deep expertise and proven strategic vision, they are well positioned to accelerate long-term growth and further strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional value to our customers."
As Chief Commercial and Supply Chain Officer, Aaron Leach will lead the sales, marketing, research and development, and supply chain functions. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain and General Manager of the Prepared Foods Business Unit. Leach joined Wayne-Sanderson Farms in 2005 and has held several roles, including Director of Financial Planning, Director of Strategic Planning, Senior Director of Supply Chain, and led the integration of the Wayne Farms and Sanderson Farms merger.
As Chief Operations Officer, Michael Crump will lead operations and live production across the company's 24 facilities in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. He will also oversee the engineering function. He previously served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Fresh Business Unit. Crump joined Wayne-Sanderson Farms in 2014 as Senior Director of Fresh Operations.
Additional leadership appointments include David Gadd as Senior Vice President of Retail Sales, Randy Meyers as Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales, and Craig Watkins as Vice President of Supply Chain. All three will report directly to Leach, further aligning the company's sales capabilities while strengthening execution across the end-to-end supply chain.
