Rick Stevens

About Rick Stevens

Severance Foods, Inc. was founded in 1984 by my father, Richard Stevens, alongside partners Richard Dana and John Grikis. Prior to launching the company, they were part of the QA/R&D team at Heublein, Inc, supporting iconic brands such as Ortega, Grey Poupon, Smirnoff, and Jose Cuervo. Following Heublein’s acquisition by RJ Reynolds, they leveraged their severance packages to build what is now Severance Foods.As a second-generation food manufacturing professional, I bring a hands-on, end-to-end approach to product development and commercialization, with a focus on driving both revenue growth and operational efficiency.In my role, I lead the full product lifecycle—from formulation, sourcing, and cost optimization to production trials, packaging design, regulatory compliance, and market-ready execution.Severance Foods is a high-volume private label manufacturer specializing in salty snacks, and a trusted partner to distributors serving restaurants, schools, sports venues, and prepared foods manufacturers.Areas of Expertise:• Customer & Product Development• Formulation, Sourcing & Cost Optimization• Regulatory & Label Compliance• Packaging Design & Engineering• Private Label Program Management• Contract Negotiation (Customers & Suppliers)• Broker Development & Management• Certification Management (Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Kosher, etc.)• Procurement (Ingredients & Packaging)• Inventory & Warehouse Management (On-site & 3PL)• Inbound/Outbound Logistics• Trade Shows, Expos & Marketing

Experience

1. Board Member

   Hartford Chamber Of Commerce Ct

   Jun 2019 — Present · Hartford, CT, US

Education

• Queen Mary University of London

  Full Year of Academic Study Abroad

  2004 — 2005

• University of Connecticut School of Business

  Graduate School of Business Coursework

  2012 — 2013

• Avon Old Farms

  Diploma

  1998 — 2002

• Texas A&M University

  Tortilla Chip Manufacturing/Extrusion Processes

  2011 — 2011

• Providence College

  BA, History

  2002 — 2006

Skills

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Strategic Planning
• Google Analytics
• Product Development
• Quickbooks
• Management
• Business Development
• Non-Gmo Compliance
• Supply Chain Management
• Leadership
• Customer Service
• Customer Acquisition
• Facebook Api
• Trade Shows
• Sales Management
• Sap Netweaver Technology Platform
• Hootsuite
• Twitter
• I-9 Compliance
• Amazon Seller Central
• Packaging Design
• Ups Worldship
• Social Media Marketing
• Training
• New Business Development
• Wordpress
• Forecasting
• Contract Management
• Packaging
• Marketing Strategy
• Exhibit Design
• Foodchainid Supply Chain Compliance
• Contract Negotiation
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• E-Verify
• Public Relations
• Non-Gmo Project Verification
• Marketing