Inside SNC
As a third-generation family owner, Louie has worked at the cheese company in many capacities - from washing trucks in high school to working on the production lines, in accounts receivable and retail sales during college.
Following family succession rules, Louie worked outside of the company as a commercial lender at American National Bank in Chicago for three years following his graduation from the University of Notre Dame with a BBA in Finance. He completed his MBA at Loyola and returned to Sargento in 2000.
Louie is an experienced executive with 20 years of experience at his family’s $1.4 billion company. He has held leadership roles in marketing, production, and procurement where he was able to learn and experience multiple functions at the company. He had the opportunity to lead the company’s largest business unit – Consumer Products Division where he directed the efforts of sales, marketing, and innovation. In this role he had numerous interactions with customers in the retail channel. Prior to becoming CEO in 2013, Louie led all three Sargento business units which along with the retail divisions included its ingredients division and food service division. In this role the company entrusted Louie with the creation of a robust three-year strategic planning process, which has evolved but continues today. Building brands and driving new product innovation have been key enablers to the success of Sargento and Louie plays a critical role in continuing to build and evolve that capability. In 2018 Louie led Sargento through a major business process transformation with the implementation of SAP S4Hana which required a significant amount of change management across all aspects of the business. Louie’s broad base of experience and leadership has allowed him to earn the trust and respect of more than 2,000 employees, which he refers to as the Sargento Family. In addition to developing the broader Sargento Family, Louie has created an educational program for the family’s 4th generation family members.
Louie is married to Paula. They have four children and live in Plymouth, Wis. In his free time he enjoys doing outdoor activities such as hiking, hunting, biking, running, downhill skiing and working on projects on his property.
In addition to being involved in many community activities, he is a board member of the International Dairy Foods Association, the Consumer Brands Association, Lakeside Foods, Road America and is the President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul store in Plymouth. He is also co-chair for the 2020-2021 Sheboygan County United Way campaign.
