SVP of Growth

Throughout her career, Audrea has been a high performing sales executive with an entrepreneurial spirit; at HFG, she embodies the belief that customer service is the focal point for any organization in leading HFG to be the best-in-class sales organization for its customers.

In her role as SVP of Growth, Audrea oversees sales, marketing, research and development and customer service teams. She has worked to create a strategic vision for each vertical area to allow for and drive growth within the organization.

Audrea is also an important tactical leader for Harvest in driving initiatives, identifying and capturing new business opportunities, and developing key client relationships that support the company’s sustainable and profitable growth. She has been and continues to be a vital contributor in growing Harvest’s revenue in co-manufacturing, industrial, private label, and the company’s own Path of Life brand in retail and food service markets.

Chief Operating & Financial Officer

Having served as CFO for multiple corporations, Paul Callaghan brings to Harvest Food Group the cool, considered and confident judgment one might expect from one schooled in the martial arts, which he is— a black belt in both Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido!

Paul brings an enterprise focus to his duties as CFO, and is distinguished by an ability to create effective business strategies, and then put those into action through genuine leadership skills. At HFG, his ability to improve and ensure the integrity of accounting and reporting infrastructures has strongly supported the important HFG goal of transparency. His presence as CFO ensures that financials are articulated in a timely, accurate, and understandable fashion.

Director of Plant Operations

With over two decades’ experience managing high-paced operations in both the consumer goods and food processing industries, Don brings seasoned perspective and hands-on expertise to the management of Harvest Food Group’s plant operations— a key role as HFG has transitioned from a sales to a manufacturing organization.

Don’s command of Lean Manufacturing concepts serves both the company and its customers, helping maximize efficiencies and drive down costs. Those who work with him, from the plant floor to the executive boardroom, find him an exceptional problem solver and excellent communicator, something that goes back to his early training in education.

EDUCATION
ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE | B.S. Education
AMERICAN MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION
Advanced coursework in High Performance Team Building and Situational Leadership

Vice President of Human Resources

Eva is a key business partner responsible for creating people strategies that help drive business to success. With over 20 years of experience in Human Resources in manufacturing and service industries, she is a results-oriented professional that provides expert guidance in areas such as employee and labor relations, talent acquisition and development, compensation and benefits, and legal compliance. She is dedicated to keeping the needs of the business at the forefront of decisions and processes while simultaneously ensuring that each member of the Harvest family feels valued and supported.  She is excited to be a part of the Harvest team!

EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN | B.S. Business Administration
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY | MBA

CERTIFICATIONS
SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)
HRCI Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)

AFFILIATIONS / MEMBERSHIPS
Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network
Society for Human Resource Management – National Chapter
Illinois SHRM – DuPage Chapter

VP Finance and Accounting

Sharon was raised on a farm in Iowa, earned an Accounting Degree from the University of Iowa, and is a CPA. She spent 4 years in public accounting at Ernst and Young in Denver, followed by controllerships and consulting at several companies. Sharon joined the Harvest team in its infancy and has been the lead finance professional in the steep growth path we have enjoyed. She oversees all aspects of the accounting function, while also being intimately involved in new business development, pricing, and growth support.

Founder and CEO

Born in Michigan and raised outside of Chicago, Jason Eckert is a classic example of the American entrepreneur.

In June 1999, Jason and his father, Philip Eckert, started Harvest Food Group. What began with two computers, two desks, a dial up modem and lots of prayers and hard work has gone from zero dollars in sales in a 400 square foot office to one of the fastest growing privately owned food companies in the country.

Jason is also a founding partner of the American Pasteurization Company (APC). Based in Milwaukee, WI and with facilities in Sacramento, California, APC provides high pressure processing to the food and beverage industry, and since its inception in 2004 has experienced double-digit growth annually. Today APC employs over 150 people.