SPRINGFIELD, MO. — Hiland Dairy Foods Co. has promoted Rick Beaman to president and Shawn Pinon to senior vice president, effective April 1.

Formerly senior vice president of Hiland, Beaman succeeds Gary Aggus, president of the company since 2003.

Beaman has held several leadership positions in the food and beverage industry, including executive vice president of Southern Foods and chief operating officer for Dean Foods’ western region. He was also president of dairy producer Lala US, Inc. before joining Hiland in 2012.

“Rick is a natural leader with proven ability to develop, teach and motivate teams to accomplish company goals,” said Matt McClelland, chief executive officer of Prairie Farms Dairy. “We look forward to continued success for Hiland Dairy with Rick at the helm.”

Pinon joined Hiland in 2017 as general manager of the company’s Nebraska operations. In that time, he led several notable projects for Hiland and Prairie Farms, including the integration of Borden Texas Dairies following its acquisition by Hiland.

His prior leadership experience includes several years as regional vice president and later group vice president for Dean Foods.

“I am proud of Hiland’s heritage and successes,” Beaman said. “Shawn and I are committed to growing that legacy by continuing to invest in our products, plants and people. We are passionate about delivering high-quality, nutritious dairy products that our consumers love.”