Joseph O’Connor

Joseph O’Connor is the vice president of Emerging Brands and president of Applegate. In these roles, he oversees the company’s Applegate and Columbus Craft Meats businesses.

Hormel Foods is a global branded food company with approximately $12 billion in annual revenue. Its brands include PLANTERS^®, SKIPPY^®, SPAM^®, HORMEL^® NATURAL CHOICE^®, APPLEGATE^®, COLUMBUS^®, WHOLLY^® guacamole, HORMEL^® BLACK LABEL^® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named one of the best companies to work for by U.S. News & World Report, one of America’s most responsible companies by Newsweek, recognized by TIME magazine as one of the World’s Best Companies and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts.

O’Connor started his career with Hormel Foods in 2006 as a sales representative in the Chicago, Ill., market. In subsequent years, O’Connor served in various roles before assuming a National Category Sales role in 2012 at the World Headquarters in Austin, Minn. Then he became the customer business manager for metro chains and Puerto Rico in 2013 and was named director of sales in 2018. He joined Applegate as vice president of sales and marketing in 2020 and was named assistant vice president of Emerging Brands and president of Applegate in 2022. He assumed his current role in 2025.

O’Connor is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University with a degree in food marketing.

He and his wife Kelly, along with their daughter, enjoy traveling and cooking.