The Appointment
Hudsonville Ice Cream has named CJ Ellens as its next Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2027, following a board election that concludes a succession process years in the making. Ellens, who currently serves as Executive Vice President, will succeed Tina Floyd, who has held the CEO role since January 2023.
The transition is the product of a deliberate multi-year planning effort led by owners Denny and Scoob Ellens alongside outside advisors — an unusual degree of succession formality for a privately held regional ice cream brand, and a signal that the Holland, Michigan-based company intends to sustain its growth trajectory without disruption.
Floyd's Record
Floyd's four-year tenure oversaw expansion on two fronts: the company's own branded retail business and its co-manufacturing operations, which produce ice cream products for third-party brands. That dual-track model has become increasingly common among mid-sized frozen dessert manufacturers seeking to utilize plant capacity and diversify revenue. Hudsonville, which describes itself as operating the most progressive ice cream manufacturing facility in the United States, has invested heavily in production capabilities during that period.
Floyd will remain engaged through the transition in an advisory capacity. "I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together and have tremendous confidence in CJ," she said.
Ellens's Priorities
Ellens brings roughly two decades of experience across multiple roles at the company — a tenure that board member Bruce Los said makes him well-suited to protect the culture of a locally owned operator while pushing the business forward. "As a locally owned company, that connection to our people and community matters deeply to us," Los said.
In an incoming statement, Ellens identified four strategic priorities: investing in workforce and operational capabilities, deploying technology to sharpen competitive positioning, deepening partner relationships, and pursuing new business opportunities. The specifics of those initiatives — whether organic expansion, new retail distribution, or additional co-manufacturing partnerships — were not disclosed.
Founded in Michigan in 1926, Hudsonville marks its centennial this year, a milestone that gives the leadership transition added symbolic weight. The brand sources milk and cream from local farms and markets itself as everyday-accessible premium ice cream, a positioning that has gained traction as consumers increasingly trade up within the frozen dessert category while remaining price-sensitive.
For regional brands competing against national players such as Breyers, Blue Bell, and private-label offerings, technology investment and co-manufacturing scale have emerged as key levers. Hudsonville's willingness to name those priorities explicitly suggests the incoming CEO plans to compete on operational efficiency as much as brand equity — a theme consistent with broader consolidation trends in the frozen dessert segment.
The appointment also reflects the wider challenge of leadership continuity at family-influenced food businesses, a dynamic covered extensively across the F&B sector as founders and long-tenured owners navigate generational handoffs without sacrificing institutional knowledge.
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.
