Profile: Dan Plunkett – VP of Sales
Foodservice – Garner Foods

by David Brashears

We recently had the opportunity to sit down and have a discussion with Dan Plunkett, VP of Sales – Foodservice for Garner Foods, and learn a little more about him both professionally and personally.  Here are a few of the things he shared about his life, career, and what makes Garner Foods one of the best companies in the food industry.

Brashears: When did you begin working for Garner Foods?

Plunkett: I started with Garner Foods in April of 2011.  My first position was as the non-commercial sales manager, and I’ve been there ever since.

Brashears: What attracted you to the Garner Foods organization?

Plunkett: Well, I’d heard from others in the industry that Garner Foods was a great organization with an excellent reputation. I was attracted to the family-owned company culture and how passionate the ownership was about their people and their products.

Brashears: What was your prior experience before coming to Garner Foods?

Plunkett: I’ve spent my entire career in food industry working with some of the leading brands in retail and foodservice.  I just love our industry, and never considered that I might want to work in any other market.

Brashears: What motivates or inspires you the most?

Plunkett: I love to be a part of a high-performing team that is passionate about what they do.  Garner Foods is full of people that achieve at a high level and invest in one another. I find that very inspiring.

Brashears: If Garner Foods was a sports team (any sport), who would they be and why?

Plunkett: I’m going to have to go with my hometown favorites, the Buffalo Bills. Both teams have great leadership at the top, highly talented people, great passion, and have always stayed focused on getting results.

Brashears: What are your favorite ways to unwind and recharge?

Plunkett: I like going to the gym, reading a good book.  Lately I’ve been taking care of my son’s dogs and have realized that the daily dog walks have been as good for my own happiness as they have been for them.

Brashears: What is your favorite food or cuisine?

Plunkett: I come from a family of amazing cooks. Everyone is incredibly talented, and they do a wide variety of cuisines.  I love it all!

Brashears: What are your top 3 favorite places to travel?

Plunkett: Well, now that our kids are out of the house, a lot of our favorite travel has revolved around visiting each of them and their families.  So, we love to visit them in New York City, Southern California, and Texas.

Brashears: What is a professional goal you have for 2021?

Plunkett: My main goal this year is to have the food service team hit their targets and to have a tremendously successful launch of the new Texas Pete^® dipping cups line. We’re very excited about this new product line and believe it could be very helpful to our foodservice partners.

Brashears: If a movie was being made about your life, what celebrity would you want to play you?

Plunkett: Oh, wow.  If you were going to try and turn my life into something interesting enough for a movie, you’d need a pretty great actor.  I’m going to say Kevin Costner.

Brashears: What was the last thing (podcast, book, speaker, etc.) that really inspired you?

Plunkett: During the recent holidays I read a biography on General Schwarzkopf.  It was a great book and an amazing story.

Brashears: What are you binge watching right now?

Plunkett: My wife and I have gotten caught up in Breaking Bad, Schitt’s Creek, and Ozark. I was telling a friend how much we were enjoying Ozark, and he recommended we check out Breaking Bad.  We’ve been hooked.

Brashears: Who is your favorite musical artist?

Plunkett: Oh, I love a lot of different artists.  If I had to narrow it down, I’d say some top picks would be Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and U2.