Meet Our Leadership Team
Tom E. Sween
CEO/Chairman of the Board
Tom “officially” started with the company in 1970 as a Route Driver and then served as VP of Sales. In 1974 he became President and in 1986 Chairman when he purchased the company from his father and Founder, Earl. In 2009, Tom shifted the responsibility of President to his son, Tom H. Sween. He currently serves on the World Presidents Board, has served on the board for Breck School and Robertson Inc. and is active in supporting The Courage Center and Urban Ventures. Tom received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Denver University.
Tom H. Sween
President and COO
Tom H. Sween, a third generation Sween, “officially” started with the company in 1997 as a Sales Manager in the Wholesale Division and has since worked in and managed numerous functional areas of the company. Tom assumed the role of President in 2008 and has since added Chief Operating Officer to his title. Tom received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Colorado State University and his Masters Degree from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business.
John Davis
Chief Financial Officer
John joined E.A. Sween Company in 1986 as a Financial Accounting Manager. He was promoted to Controller in 1990, VP of Finance in 2004 and CFO in 2009. In addition to his duties as CFO, John also manages the Accounting, Credit and Fleet Departments. Prior to joining E.A. Sween Company, John worked in public accounting for Peterson Co. PA and Arthur Andersen LLP. John received an Accounting Degree from Minnesota State University in Mankato and passed the CPA exam in 1981.
Rob Linner
Sr. Vice President of CDC/Logistics Divisions
Rob joined E.A. Sween Company in 1976 as Marketing Director. Since then, he has managed all company profit centers as a Corporate Officer. As Sr. VP, Rob manages the Combined Distribution Centers, Sween Distribution Services and Logistics functions. Rob also serves on the Board of Youth Forum Minnesota, Gustavus Adolphus College Alumni Class President and is on the Business System Partners Executive Committee for 7-Eleven, Inc’s fresh food business system. Rob received his BA from Gustavus Adolphus College with majors in Economics, Political Science and Business Administration.
Bryan Virgin
Sr. Vice President of Wholesale/ACS Division
Bryan joined Deli Express in 1997 and manages the ACS sales force, R&D and Marketing for the division. Prior to joining Deli Express, Bryan worked at General Mills and three start-up companies including a Marketing/Consulting Agency, Frozen Baby Food Company and a self service shipping company. Bryan has his MBA from the College of St. Thomas.
Eino Nelson
Sr. Vice President of Direct Store Delivery Division
Eino joined E.A. Sween Company in 1979. He began as a Route Driver and moved up quickly to a Region Supervisor and then District Manager. Eino opened many new markets in the upper Midwest and he was also awarded District Manager of the Year. In 2008, Eino was named Sr. VP of the DSD Division managing Field Sales Operations, Sales Equipment, Customer Service, Marketing and R&D support for the division.
Bill Bastian
Sr. Vice President of Foodservice Sales DSD Division
Bill joined E.A. Sween Company in 1996 as General Manager of the Specialty Products Division. In 1997 he was promoted to Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing. In 2001 he served as Sr. VP of Production. In 2006 Bill returned to the role of Sr. VP of Marketing. Currently Bill is the Sr. VP Foodservice in the DSD Division where he manages the DSD Foodservice Sales Consultants for the convenience store industry. He attended Loras College in Dubuque IA, University of Wisconsin Parkside in Kenosha, WI and also attended the U.S. Senior Management program at Columbia University, NY.
Kim Larish
Vice President of Human Resources
Kim joined E.A. Sween Company in 1987 as a Human Resources Specialist and later assumed the role of H.R. Manager and H.R. Director. Kim became the VP of Human Resources in 2000 and currently manages the company’s staffing, benefits, work comp and employee relations functions. She is also the Secretary of E.A. Sween’s Board of Directors and serves as the President of the Southwest Metro Human Resources Association. Kim received her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Business Administration from Winona State University and also holds a certification as a Strategic Professional in Human Resources.
Ron Myshka
VP of Information Systems
Ron joined E.A. Sween Company in 1986 as a Programmer/Analyst in the I.S. Department. He was promoted to I.S. Manager in 1992 and VP of I.S. in 1999. Ron drove the creation of the company’s first disaster recovery program and was instrumental in bringing handheld technology to Deli Express. Ron oversees the company’s hardware infrastructure and a team of Programmers, Business Analysts and Project Managers. Ron received a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse.
Tim Engmark
VP of Operations
Tim joined E.A. Sween Company in 2011 as the VP of Operations after holding various positions in several different industries during his 28 year career in manufacturing. He brings with him experience in high volume, multi-plant production and Lean concepts. Tim is responsible for all aspects of food and personnel safety, manufacturing, QA/QC, and Maintenance. Tim received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Operations Management from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.