Ellory Frick Brunkhorst will assume the presidency of Frick's Quality Meats on Sept. 1, 2026, succeeding her father Dave Frick and becoming the fifth generation of the family to lead the Washington, Missouri-based smoked-meats processor. The transition caps a quarter-century of apprenticeship inside one of the Midwest's longest-running independent meat companies.
Her Operational Footprint
Frick Brunkhorst joined the company at age 15 and has worked across production, product development, branding, and strategic planning over the past 25 years. She is credited with driving the company's strongest period of growth, spearheading clean-label and branding initiatives, introducing products aligned with contemporary eating habits, and championing wage increases for plant employees — a combination of commercial and workforce priorities that reflects the operational complexity of running a national-distribution protein brand.
Founded in 1896, Frick's distributes allergen-free smoked hams, sausages, and ready-to-eat meat products to grocery retailers across 48 states. The company holds a BRC Auditing Group Grade A certification and is Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) compliant — credentials that matter increasingly to retail buyers managing private-label and branded meat programs.
The Outgoing President's Legacy
Dave Frick served as president for 30 years after succeeding his own father in 1996. During that tenure he modernized production capabilities, expanded manufacturing capacity, and extended Frick's retail footprint to near-national scale. He will remain on the Board of Directors, focusing on facilities design and expansion as well as leadership mentorship — an arrangement that preserves institutional knowledge while giving his successor clear operational authority.
"No one is better prepared to lead this company or more deeply committed to our people, customers, and values," Dave Frick said in a statement announcing the transition.
What's Next for the Business
Under the incoming president, Frick's has signaled continued investment in product innovation and operational capacity, though the company has not disclosed specific capital expenditure targets or revenue figures. The strategic emphasis on clean-label credentials and allergen-free manufacturing positions Frick's squarely within the premium processed-meat segment, where retailers and foodservice operators have shown sustained demand for transparent supply chains and verifiable food-safety standards.
"I am grateful for the trust the board and my family have placed in me to build on the values that have defined our company for generations while embracing the innovation needed to meet the evolving needs of today's consumers," Frick Brunkhorst said.
The leadership change at Frick's follows a broader pattern of succession planning across family-owned protein processors, several of which have elevated internally developed operators rather than seeking outside executives as they navigate margin pressure from rising input costs and shifting retail dynamics.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
